Minnesota Vikings: 5 Bold predictions for NFC Championship vs. Eagles

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 14: Case Keenum #7 of the Minnesota Vikings directs the offense at the line of scrimmage against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of the NFC Divisional Playoff game at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 14, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JANUARY 14: Linval Joseph #98 of the Minnesota Vikings tries to hold back teammate Xavier Rhodes #29 in the third quarter of the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the New Orleans Saints on January 14, 2018 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

4. Vikings pass rush will rattle Nick Foles

Surprisingly, Minnesota isn’t one of the best pass-rushing teams in the NFL. However, I believe they’ll put on a clinic in the NFC Championship on Sunday. As we saw last weekend against the Falcons, Philadelphia will lean heavily on their running game, but also trusts Nick Foles to throw the football in big situations.

While he actually did a pretty good job against Atlanta, he had a bad habit of holding onto the football too long in the pocket, especially when his first read wasn’t open. The Falcons tried playing press-coverage, but their defensive-backs never could get good-enough footing on the field to take away his first read.

Not only did that lead to wide-open receivers, but it led to extremely long drives and ultimately, an Eagles victory.

I’ll say it again: Lincoln Financial didn’t look like a playoff level field last weekend and I don’t believe it’ll be much better this weekend. Sure, that’s a bummer for the Vikings, but the Eagles have to compete on the same poor grass. Even in tough conditions, in a game that will come down to the line-of-scrimmage, I’m putting my confidence in Minnesota.

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