Be honest, we all knew it’d be Case Keenum taking on Nick Foles for the NFC Championship, right? I mean how could you not see this coming? The Sunday night game (6:40 PM ET) will feature an Eagles team that once again, will be a home underdog. Opposite of them will be the Vikings who get a golden opportunity thanks to an unlikely game-winning 61-yard touchdown in the divisional round. This is the most unlikely of matchups, but both teams deserve to be here.
Play in your first best ball contest of 2018 at DRAFT.com with a free $3 contest entry 
Bolstered by smothering defenses (Vikings #2 in DVOA, Eagles #5 in DVOA), the question will be if either quarterback can stay mistake free. Vegas expects this to be a close game, but the majority of experts believe the Vikings will easily cover. Take a look at their reasoning for their picks against the spread.
More Game Picks:
Jaguars at Patriots (-9)
Philadelphia Eagles (+3) |
Minnesota Vikings (-3) |
18%of Experts |
82%of Experts |
|
“Two solid teams, but I feel Philly’s defense and home-field edge are getting a little underplayed here.”
– Scott Pianowski (Yahoo! Sports) “Minnesota is the better team, but they’re one miracle play away from watching this game from their couch like the rest of us. Case Keenum is going to face pressure in this game that he didn’t have to deal with last week against the Saints. I like the Vikings to win, but it’ll be a close game. Minnesota edges Philadelphia 17-15.”
– James Rapien (Get Sports Info) “This line is right on the money, but those nasty Philly fans are my tiebreaker. Imagine being a mediocre quarterback like Keenum going into that hostile atmosphere.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros) “Let down. That’s the biggest worry among Vikings fans. However, if they are a team of destiny, it was made evident last Sunday night. We’re in for a great football game. I expect another very close cardiac drama.”
– Richard Savill (Fantasy Six Pack) |
“I’m sure this game is relatively close and the Eagles have the edge at home, but I can’t quit the Vikings. Not only do they come off as a team of destiny (especially after last week) but again, I say, I can’t bring myself to trust Nick Foles. Minnesota has the better overall defense and unlike last week, I think they win this one a little easier.”
– Kevin Roberts (Breaking Football) “Once again I’m going against the sharp side here and hopefully the result will work out better than it did last week in Philly. The Vikings defense is the difference in what should be a low scoring affair, with Minnesota earning the right to play the Super Bowl in its home stadium.”
– Dalton Del Don (Yahoo! Sports) “This will undoubtedly be a defensive battle. But the biggest mismatch on the field will be the Vikings WRs vs. the Eagles CBs. Final: Vikings 20, Eagles 16”
– Jared Smola (Draft Sharks) “Two quality defenses against each other. The Vikings have a better QB in Case Keenum than the Eagles in Nick Foles. The key will be who can best protect the football and that’s Keenum. Foles will have to do much more against the Minnesota defense than what he did vs. the Falcons. The Vikings will become the first team to play a Super Bowl on their home field.”
– Mauricio Gutierrez (Estadio Fantasy) “Kudos to the Eagles for finding a way to win last week’s game against the Falcons, but this weekend should be a different story. Absent some bad luck, the Vikings could have won handily against the Saints, as their combination of decent offense and incredibly strong defense is the perfect recipe for success in the playoffs. It’s hard to see the Eagles scoring many points in this one and, though the game should be relatively close, I’d expect the Vikings to be playing from ahead most of the game, and to win by more than three points.”
– Dan Harris (FantasyPros) “Tough game to pick because ultimately I think it comes down to a field goal. The Vikings defense is a better all-around unit, and let’s face it, they’re playing with house money. If momentum carries over to the next game, there isn’t much more going than what Minnesota has right now… Wouldn’t it be great to see Minnesota host the Super Bowl that they’re in?”
– Rich Piazza (Fantasy Shed) “The emotional ending to Minnesota’s divisional victory highlights their ability as a team to make big plays, something I don’t think Philadelphia is capable of right now. Philly’s defense will keep things interesting, but Minnesota can cover the FG and become the first true “home team” in a Super Bowl.”
– Nick Mariano (RotoBaller) “Can the Eagles score more than 17 points with Nick Foles at quarterback? The magic number as far as I’m concerned this week is 20 – as in the team that hits that mark will win – and I have my doubts Philly can get there. The Eagles’ one saving grace is how much worse the Vikings’ defense plays on the road. With that said, Philadelphia’s biggest weakness on defense (perimeter corners) will need to solve Minnesota’s biggest offensive strength (Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs), and I don’t see how the Eagles overcome that.”
– Doug Orth (FFToday) “Teams are fairly even, but edge goes to the Minnesota secondary. Keenum will be efficient vs. the weak link in this game the Philly DB’s.”
– Ken Zalis (Pressbox) “The Eagles are here because of their defense, plain and simple. The only problem is that they’re running into a team with not only a better defense, but a much more potent offense. Nick Foles won’t be able to get anything going against this Vikings defense, and we already know the Vikings possessed one of the best run defenses all season long. The Vikings are going to the Super Bowl.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros) “The Vikings played a terrible second half against the Saints last Sunday, and they have to feel like they’re playing with house money after pulling off the Minneapolis Miracle. I think they’ll play a much better game this week and smother the Eagles’ offense.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl) “The Eagles could follow the same formula as they did in their divisional round win over the Falcons: Dominate on defense, control the ball, and score just enough to eke out a win. The over-under here is 38.5, and I like the under. Unfortunately for Philly, the Vikings’ defense is far superior to the Falcons’ unit that visited Philly last week. I won’t be surprised if the Vikes shut them out, and I might grab the +195 prop odds on a defensive TD. There’s a limit to how much the Eagles can overcome Carson Wentz’s absence, and I think we’re about to see it.” “Minnesota’s defense is simply too much for what has been an average Philadelphia offense. Look for the Eagles to struggle to move the ball and Minnesota to do just enough on offense to secure a Super Bowl berth.”
– Matthew Hill (DataForce Fantasy Football) “The Vikings will be playing at home in the Super Bowl. Their defense is far too good for Foles to put up enough points to keep this game close. What’s crazy is that the Vikings offense is starting to look as good as that defense.”
– Jason Moore (The Fantasy Footballers) “The Eagles were able to overcome being a home underdog last week against the Falcons but following the Vikings’ miracle (lucky) victory over the Saints, they are flying high as they travel to Philly. I expect the Vikings to prevail as they come in with a better defense, better QB and a whole lot of mojo.”
– Brad Richter (Going For 2) “I expect each team to lean heavily on the run early, yet expect them both to yield minimal results in the process. It’s going to come down to a Foles versus Keenum shootout and I’d be a damn liar if I told you that I wasn’t excited about it. The Vikings, notably their defense, are too hot for me to bet against at home and I like their chances of not only winning, but covering the spread as well.”
– Robert Waziak (Pyromaniac) “The Eagles will have home-field on their side but they simply won’t be overcome their limitations on offense versus Mike Zimmer’s stout defense. Minnesota wins going away on the road to return home to host the Super Bowl.”
– Dan Clasgens (Pro Football Focus) “I witnessed a miracle last week when the Vikings beat the Saints and it would take a miracle for this Nick Foles lead Eagles team to defeat Minnesota. The Vikings defense will smother the Eagles offense forcing them to try and beat them through the air, which isn’t a recipe for success.”
– Mitchell Renz (Gridiron Experts) “This spread is 3-4 points too short. The Eagles were +3 versus Atlanta, and yet the Vikings are 3-4 points better than the Falcons (they won in Atlanta).”
– Walter Cherepinsky (WalterFootball) “Both teams have good defenses, but Case Keenum has actually been good this season.”
– Ben Standig (CSN Mid-Atlantic) – Greg Smith (TwoQBs)
– Sean Koerner (STATS)
|
* Lock symbols represent the expert’s most confident game pick.
Thank you to the experts for giving their against the spread picks. Enjoy the playoffs!
Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | RSS
