For the first couple of drives, it really did look like the Vikings would earn their first ticket to a Super Bowl in decades, but it didn’t last long. Turnovers on the offensive side of the ball and some real head-scratching missed tackles on the defensive side meant that the Eagles could do very little wrong and ended up with a 38-7 win to seal the NFC title.
1500ESPN‘s Matthew Coller says the result was no fluke:
Every area. Every facet. Every unit. Every quarter. The Philadelphia Eagles whooped the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship game. They are the best team with the best coach and they belong in the Super Bowl.
As your favorite analyst breaks down the Vikings’ 38-7 loss on the road, you might hear that this was a trap game. It wasn’t. You might hear that the Vikings were still riding the high from the Minneapolis Miracle. They weren’t. You might hear that they didn’t put in the effort. They did.
They simply got taken apart by the best football team in the NFC.
It’s plausible that a team could get overhyped or have an emotional letdown, but that’s not what happened. On Monday, head coach Mike Zimmer made it very clear that his team was moving on from the magical ending at US Bank Stadium against the New Orleans Saints by ripping his team for its mistakes in the second half. Stefon Diggs didn’t talk to the media Monday, saying he was focused on Philly. Heck, five minutes after the Divisional round game was over, Harrison Smith was talking about the next week.
The explanation for The Broad Street Beatdown was personnel, scheme, home field advantage and injuries.
While optimists emphasized Nick Foles’ shortcomings, they ignored the fact that the Eagles have the best offensive and defensive lines in the NFL.
First half. #Vikings pic.twitter.com/lzzJFFY3G5
— Ted Buffalo Rt 7 Heaven Glover (@purplebuckeye) January 22, 2018
