Sunday 4 February 2018 21:41, UK
There was jubilation in Philadelphia as the Eagles secured their spot in Super Bowl LII with a dominant display against the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship game.
Head coach Doug Pederson now leads his team, with back-up QB Nick Foles at the helm, into Minnesota looking to bring the Vince Lombardi trophy home to Philadelphia for the first time.
Let's take a closer look at how this overlooked squad of 'underdogs' overcame injury and adversity to make it to the big dance...
In spite of tough times throughout the season, the Eagles were the class of the NFC. Their great depth, impactful offseason additions and outstanding coaching on both sides of the ball allowed them to win nine straight games in the middle of the season, finish unbeaten at home - bar a final week defeat to the Dallas Cowboys when resting starters - and finish in the top seven in offense and defense.
The impact of general manager Howie Roseman was never on clearer display than during the Championship game win over Minnesota, where every single player involved in either a touchdown or turnover for the Eagles was acquired in the 2016 offseason.
Pederson has arguably been the best coach in the NFL this season, while offensive coordinator Frank Reich, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo were all in consideration for head coaching vacancies. This group has schemed up special game plans all year, and they'll look to do it one more time on February 4.
The list of top quality players lost to injury for the season is long. Darren Sproles has been one of the best all-purpose running backs in the league throughout his career, linebacker Jordan Hicks was playing at a Pro Bowl level in the middle, and left tackle Jason Peters will be in the Hall of Fame one day.
Then, of course, there's Carson Wentz, their star second-year quarterback and, at the time, leading MVP candidate who suffered a torn ACL in Week 14. His loss could have proved to be season-ending, but the team rallied to win a tough game against the Rams in Los Angeles, then secured the No 1 seed in the NFC with two close victories over the New York Giants and Oakland Raiders.
The toughest stretch of the season was definitely December, when the defense gave up 24, 35 and 29 points in a three-game road stretch that included defeat to the Seahawks in Seattle, while towards the end of the month, the offense struggled to acclimatise to Foles. The team looked like it had lost a little juice, but then came out firing, when unfancied, in the playoffs.
The Eagles had a mixed start to the year, winning one, and losing the other, of their road games to the Washington Redskins, and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively. But, the Chiefs were red-hot at the time, streaking out to a 5-0 record.
Things got back on track with a thrilling win over the Giants in Week Three that came courtesy of a stunning 61-yard field goal from rookie kicker Jake Elliott in the final seconds, kick-starting a nine-game win streak.
During that run, the Cam Newton and the Panthers were impressively dispatched on a Thursday night in Carolina, while the Denver Broncos and Cowboys were blown out either side of their Week 10 bye.
While things dipped somewhat in December, the Eagles still owned the best record in the NFL, at 13-3, and have used their underdog status in their two playoff wins over the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota as fuel to the fire. Unfancied again against the Patriots in Super Bowl LII - can they defy the odds once more?
There are two leaders who really stand out in the Eagles locker room and on the field - Malcolm Jenkins and Fletcher Cox. But it's Cox, a 27-year-old former first-round pick, who has the potential to wreak havoc on every single play he lines up for. He's in the second year of a six-year, $100 million deal, and has been earning every penny in 2017.
Philadelphia's 'long game' approach, to both individual games and the season, has been to use a heavy rotation along the defensive line to keep each player fresh. It has worked, and Cox been at his healthy and energetic best all year long.
In order to beat the Patriots, the Eagles must pressure Tom Brady with their defensive front four and Cox will need to lead the way.
Securing the No 1 seed was huge for Philly, as the home crowd made Lincoln Financial Field a fortress in their two victories in January. The Eagles held the Falcons and Vikings to 17 combined points.
The defense stifled Matt Ryan, held Devonta Freeman to just seven rushing yards on 10 attempts, and Atlanta's only touchdown came on an 18-yard drive after a muffed Eagles punt. After coming out admittedly "too fired up" against the Vikings and allowing a score on their opening drive, they shut out Minnesota for the rest of the game and forced three turnovers.
On offense, Foles started slow against Atlanta, but heated up and gained confidence throughout. Against Minnesota, facing the best third-down defense of all-time (allowing only 25% all season), the Eagles converted 10 of 14 attempts (71%), dropped 456 yards of total offense, and rattled off 31 straight points.
Foles had one of the greatest Championship game performances of all time, completing 26 of his 33 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns. His 141.1 quarterback rating was the second-highest in this stage in the last 25 years, topped by only Kurt Warner's 145.7 in the 2008-9, against the Eagles.
This is the third trip to the Super Bowl for Philadelphia, but the path will feel all too familiar. In their most recent appearance in 2005 season under then head coach Andy Reid, they beat Minnesota and Atlanta in the playoffs, only to go on and lose 24-21 to Belichick and Brady's Patriots. 13 years later, they have a chance for revenge.
In 1980, Dick Vermeil, Ron Jaworski and company were beaten comfortably 27-10 by the Oakland Raiders in their first ever Super Bowl. It was a sore sight for Eagles fans, as Jaworski threw three interceptions - to the same player, Rod Martin - and Oakland's quarterback Jim Plunkett posted a 145.0 passer rating.
Could the third time be a charm for Philadelphia?
Watch Super Bowl LII between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles live on Sky Sports Action from 10pm on Sunday, February 4.
Sky brings you all the build up from Super Bowl LII through our website skysports.com/NFL also our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsNFL
