NFL Playoff Schedule 2018: Predictions, Coverage Guide for Championship Bracket

The Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles fanbases have dealt with an incredible amount of playoff heartbreak in the Super Bowl era.

Minnesota lost four Super Bowls in the span of eight seasons from 1969 to 1976. They haven't been back to play for the Lombardi Trophy since then, but the Vikings did lose four conference championship games from 1987 to 2009. Three of those matchups were by a combined 13 points, with the fourth being a 41-0 blowout.

Philadelphia has made and lost two Super Bowls. The Eagles played in the NFC Championship Game each year from 2001-2003 but never won. The team had a great quarterback (Randall Cunningham) and phenomenal defense (led by defensive end Reggie White) during the Buddy Ryan era in the late 1980s and early '90s, but the Eagles went 0-3 in the playoffs in that span.

One of these teams will have a shot at breaking the Super Bowl slump, however, as the Eagles and Vikings will face off in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.

We'll also take a look at some things each team should and shouldn't try to do when they are on offense this Sunday.

Conference Championship Schedule and Television Information

Sunday, January 21, at 3:05 p.m. ET on CBS and CBS All Access (AFC Championship): No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 1 New England Patriots

Sunday, January 21, at 6:40 p.m. ET on Fox and Fox Sports Go (NFC Championship): No. 2 Minnesota Vikings at No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles

Super Bowl Schedule

Sunday, February 4 at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC, NBCsports.com and the NBC Sports app: AFC champion vs. NFC champion at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis

Conference Championship Predictions

Vikings 17, Eagles 16

Patriots 27, Jaguars 16

Super Bowl Prediction

Vikings 20, Patriots 19

Super Bowl Odds (per OddsShark)

New England Patriots: EVEN

Minnesota Vikings: 11-5

Philadelphia Eagles: 13-2

Jacksonville Jaguars: 13-2

Philadelphia Eagles

Do: Get Running Back Corey Clement Involved

It will get lost in the sands of time thanks to the Minnesota Miracle, but New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara made a heck of a play when he beat the Vikings defense and hauled in a 14-yard touchdown pass to help give the Saints their first lead of their divisional-round matchup. The rookie caught four passes for 62 yards and a touchdown for the day. He finished with 105 yards from scrimmage overall.

Although Kamara is one of the best backs in the league, the Eagles should take note and feature their best pass-catching back in Corey Clement, who caught 10 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns in the regular season and made five more receptions in the divisional round.

The Vikings' strong defense, which allowed the fewest points in the league, doesn't have any significant weaknesses. But giving Clement 10 or more touches and seeing what he does with them could be beneficial to the Eagles' chances.

Don't: Attack Xavier Rhodes Often

Although Alshon Jeffery has fared well in his first season as an Eagle (57 catches, 789 yards, nine touchdowns), he hasn't formed a great connection with backup Nick Foles since the signal-caller took over for injured starter Carson Wentz late in a Week 14 game against the Los Angeles Rams. 

Jeffery has caught just 11-of-22 targets from Foles for just 137 yards and one touchdown.

Now Jeffery will go against one of the best cover corners in the game, as we'll likely see Minnesota Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes take him on this Sunday.

Therefore, the Eagles' best bet is to focus on other passing-game targets, such as tight end Zach Ertz or wideout Nelson Agholor. Ertz in particular has done well with Foles, as he's caught 18 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown in three full games played with him.

Minnesota Vikings

Do: Target Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs Consistently

This isn't exactly a hot take, especially considering how well the Vikings passing attack has fared this season. But here are some stats that show how well Vikings wideouts Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs have performed this season.

First, per Football Outsiders, Thielen and Diggs both ranked in the top 11 in defense-adjusted yards above replacement among qualified wideouts.

Second, both wideouts posted excellent catch rates considering their target volume. Per Pro Football Reference, Thielen was one of only nine wide receivers to have a catch rate of 64.0 percent or better on 100 or more targets. Diggs caught more than two of three footballs thrown his way thanks to a 67.4 percent catch rate.

It should also be noted that Diggs achieved these accomplishments despite a midseason groin injury that forced him to miss two games.

Thielen and Diggs are the Vikings' two best offensive weapons, and they should have the matchup edges against the Eagles secondary. Expect to see both of them busy in the NFC Championship Game.

Don't: Test Fletcher Cox

It felt like you couldn't watch the NFC divisional-round game between the Eagles and Atlanta Falcons for more than 10 minutes before hearing Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox's name on the NBC broadcast.

Cox had a remarkable game with five tackles and a sack. He was a big reason why Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman only managed seven yards on 10 carries.

The First Team All-Pro player has been a rock on the Eagles defensive line for six seasons, so the Vikings' best bet is to treat him like the lineman version of Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson and don't test him.

When they want to run the ball, they should focus on rushes around tackles as opposed to the interior of the line to play keep away. That's possible with the shifty Jerick McKinnon, who is an adept pass-catcher out of the backfield as well.