This is it. You wanted playoff football? You got it.
The media experts are telling us there is no way the Eagles’ “college offense” can overcome the Minnesota defense.
Granted (no pun intended), we’ve been running a lot of conservative RPO stuff since Nick Foles took over at QB. But today, it will be revealed that Case Keenum will be reduced to the same stratagem. You see, the Eagles defense has the Vikings offense figured out. The Minnesota offensive line is their weakest point. Once the Eagles defense establishes its pressure points in this game, Keenum becomes a poor man’s Nick Foles. Game on. Set and match goes to the QB who makes the fewer mistakes and serves up the deciding downfield ace.
I’m also counting on our Special Teams to rise to the occasion.
The last time I checked, Minnesota’s defense doesn’t play against Philly’s defense. The Eagles’ defense is a force in its own right.
So I’m sick and tired of hearing about the edge given to the Vikings on the basis of their defense.
By the way, our Moses of the Board, GK Brizer, seems to be preparing us for a tragic loss in this one:
“Lupes, On the eve of the “game’,..it’s distracting that yur GK feels compelled to address some of the idiotic (at best) posts of the beloved yet star crossed actors of the BORED. Why it seems imperative for you,.. LUPES ,…to include all elements of yur GK’s SiTD prediction of the Atlanters conquest to humour the mentally suspect,… is baffling. Suffice to say,..the quintennsensual elements of it were spot on,..nailing the victor and arguably one of the most important,.whilst unexpected ‘shots’ of the game,..namely Ajayai garnering 47 ‘critical” yards,..most notably,..the 32-33 on one game changing pass play. That said,…the current knuckleheads of the BORED aside,..( you know who you are (most),..at this time ,..at yur mercy,..I render my prediction:….wiff SiTD included,…..Vikings 23 Eagles 19…..Latavious,…akin to a Shakespearean thespian,..grinds,.. for a game changing 57 yard scamper….. ”
Welp, the GK may be right about that prediction, as he usually has been over the course of many predictions during the past 15 years relating to the biggest games the Eagles have played when it’s all on the line.
This is one time I’d like to see him proven wrong—or, at least, inaccurate.
It wouldn’t be earth-shattering to me if the Vikings do prevail. They are, as I think we have established here in prior articles, a very good all-around team.
But so are the Eagles.
Look, I think the GK’s point is we can’t take the Vikings lightly. Home field advantage means nothing, if I could infer what GK is subtly telling us.
Keenum is functioning at a high level of read and react at QB. Latavius Murray is a dangerous downhill runner. Adam Thielen (although suffering from a lower back condition) and Stefon Diggs are dangerous wide receiving threats. TE Kyle Rudolph is going to create matchup problems for us in the red zone. DE Everson Griffen and DT Linval Joseph are going to give our offensive line and pass pro blockers fits. ILB Eric Kendricks is bigger and better than his brother Mychal and is an INT waiting to happen. SAM LB Anthony Barr is going to pressure the crap out of Foles if Nick gets hung up in the pocket. Safety Harrison Smith is going to not only cover and tackle but also blitz—he’s one of the best, and I wish we had drafted him. CB Xavier Rhodes is like Jimmy Smith (when healthy) times 10, and CB Trae Waynes is no slouch, either.
So much respect for the Vikes… But I think if we play our “A” game, we have the edge as long as we don’t turn the ball over. If ever a game called for efficient ball control and time of possession, this is it.
Sure, some crazy stuff will happen—it’s the nature of the beast in these high-tension games—but as long as the cray-cray is equally divided between both teams, we should be able to come out on top at the end.
My admittedly biased game prediction: Eagles 24, Vikings 20.
We are once again grateful for having Ryan Lubrich’s alternative live game thread available to us.
Here’s a link to his live in-game talk show if you wish to give it a look:
As Ryan explains, it’s like a chat channel, primarily used by like-gamers who stream on Twitch, but he figured we might be able to use it for gameday chats. I have found it to be very functional and very entertaining. It took me a few minutes to get the hang of some of the whistles and bells, but after a short while I was zooming along with the other EYE guys and Bored members there talking Eagles football.
It even auto-refreshes on every comment!
Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pa.
Kickoff: 6:40 p.m. Eastern
TV: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews (Sideline Reporter).
Local Radio: SportsRadio 94.1 (FM) WIP
Announcers: Merrill Reese, Mike Quick, Howard Eskin (Sideline Reporter)
National Radio: Westwood One
Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Trent Green, Ross Tucker (Sideline Reporter)
Livestream: Fox Sports Go
Line: Vikings -3.5
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