The NFC Championship is set to excite NFL fans and bettors when the Philadelphia Eagles take on the visiting Minnesota Vikings. We’re not sure this game will equal the excitement of the Vikings win over the Saints last week, but if it comes close we’ll be happy. Coming off a truly sensational last second play, the Vikings could find themselves playing at home in the Super Bowl if they get past the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Both the Eagles and Vikings like to play sensible football without going down the field too often, but the winner of this game might have to turn up the excitement levels in order to progress further in the competition.
Philadelphia Eagles form
The Eagles ended their regular season with a 6-0 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, but they rebounded well with a gutsy 15-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons last week.
It was a gutsy win because the Eagles are playing without their star quarterback Carson Wentz, who scored 22 touchdowns and only seven intercepts before getting injured.
Former starting quarterback Nick Foles is back at the helm for the Eagles and that’s a concern going forward. Foles has been capable in the past, but the majority of his passes last week were for under eight yards and that plays right into the hands of the Vikings. If the Eagles are going to be successful, Foles will need to open up the passing game and catch the Vikings’ secondary off guard. Some critics are saying the Eagles took advantage of a weak NFC East this season, which could be true, but they have secured the home ground advantage for this and bookmakers have kept them extremely safe in the market as the +3 underdogs.
Minnesota Vikings form
It’s tough to find any negatives with the form of the Vikings. They lost to Carolina in October, but rebounded with four consecutive wins. During that stretch they defeated the Bengals, Packers, Bears and Saints. Sticking in the minds of many was last week’s win over the Saints, where they led 17-0 before trailing late in the game. That was before quarterback Case Keenum made a last second throw to Stefon Diggs, who ran to the end zone to give the Vikings a stunning victory.
There were positives and negatives with that win, however, as they saw a 17-0 lead go by the wayside. The defence sat on their heels for most of the second half and never really came up trumpts when it needed to, but this is a defence which ranks highly. It’s one of the best assets for the Vikings and their ability to create turnovers is what makes the Vikings such a strong team this season. The Vikings score only 23.9 points per game, compared to the 28.6 for the Eagles, but they gave up only 17 points across three of their last four games.
Betting statistics
The Vikings have the better statistics coming into this game, but there are positives and negatives for both sides in the statistical department.
Philadelphia have a poor record in the playoffs, but they play well in January.
- Eagles are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 playoff gamesEagles are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following a win
- Eagles are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in January
- Eagles are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games vs. a team with a winning road record
- The statistics read well for the Vikings across the board
- Vikings are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating more than 250 yards passing in their previous game
- Vikings are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games after allowing less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game
- Vikings are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games
Betting Tip Philadelphia Eagles v Minnesota Vikings
Bettors are getting great value with the Minnesota Vikings. The head-to-head odds of 20/31 is worth taking at Ladbrokes, but the –3 at 20/21 is even better value. The Vikings look set to contest the Super Bowl at their home stadium and it would make for a great story. We can’t find any real reason to back the Eagles, apart from the home field advantage and the clear pick is with the seemingly destined Vikings.