Playoff Time: Philadelphia Eagles Battle Minnesota Vikings in First Round

In just six days, the Philadelphia Eagles, TWICE left for dead, will battle the NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings in the first playoff game in the Metrodome since 2000.

It's been a bumpy ride for each team throughout the season. Each team got hot at the right time and received their fair share of luck to make the postseason. Minnesota needed a last second 50-yard field goal from Ryan Longwell to defeat the Giants on Sunday and clinch their first division title in eight years.

It was a whole different story for the visiting Eagles this Sunday. Following a crushing loss in Washington, the Eagles had found themselves in a very tough spot, needing losses from Tampa Bay and either Chicago or Minnesota, combined with a victory over the hated Dallas Cowboys, to make the playoffs.

Miraculously, the Bucs fell to the Raiders in a stunner and the Bears blew an early 10-point lead in a loss to the Texans. Philly followed all of that up by decimating and embarrassing the Cowboys, 44-6.

That leads us into Sunday's matchup. The last time these two teams met, the Eagles came into Minnesota and rode the arm of Donovan McNabb to a 23-16 victory in 2007. These two teams also met in the divisional round of the 2004 playoffs, where the Eagles easily won 27-14.

Well, let's get this preview under way.

Minnesota Vikings (10-6)

Coming into the 2008 season, a lot was expected of this Vikings team. But an 0-2 start, caused by an anemic offense and sporadic quarterback play from Tarvaris Jackson, left fans scratching their heads.

Gus Frerotte took over the team and got them headed in the right direction, but midway through the season, the Vikes stood at 4-4.

From there, it was all Adrian Peterson. The NFL's rushing champ powered the Vikings to a 6-2 record in the second half, which ended with a division championship.

On offense, they're clearly led by their All-Pro running back Peterson, but they have weapons across the field that can hurt the Eagles on Sunday.

Bernard Berrian is their big-play guy. His receptions have dipped this year from 71 to 48, but he's made all of those 48 count, with an amazing 20.1 yards per reception average along with seven touchdowns. Berrian also doubles as a punt returner.

Former Giant Visanthe Shiancoe has resurrected his career in Minnesota this year and has given them another passing option. Shiancoe registered 42 receptions for 596 yards and seven touchdowns. Tight ends have been a thorn in the Eagles' side all year long, which may help Minnesota on Sunday.

Viking quarterbacks have been very inconsistent in 2008, which factored into their slow start. However, since Gus Frerotte suffered an injury late in the season, Tarvaris Jackson has taken the reigns and played exceptionally well over the past three weeks.

Minnesota's offensive line has been very iffy this year, protecting the man under center. They have allowed 43 sacks in 2008, which ranks last among NFC playoff teams. They will be under heavy fire on Sunday with Jim Johnson's blitz schemes.

Here are Minnesota's offensive keys to victory on Sunday:

1) YO ADRIAN! Adrian Peterson will need a huge day on Sunday if Minnesota is to have any chance of winning. The Vikings go as he goes.

2) Protect Tarvaris Jackson: Minnesota QB's have not had much time in the pocket this year. Protection should play a major role in the outcome of Sunday's game.

3) Control the clock: The less the Viking defense is on the field the better their chances are of winning. It's common football sense.

4) Protect the ball: Minnesota has turned the ball over 31 times this year and ranks last among playoff teams in that category. In their six losses, the Vikings have averaged 2.8 turnovers per game. If they're to have any chance of winning on Sunday, they will need to avoid the turnover.

5) Start fast: Points should come at a premium in this one, so putting points up early will be huge.

On defense, the Vikings boast one the NFL's best front sevens. They have the NFL's top rushing defense but they tend to struggle against the pass.

Pat Williams and Kevin Williams are by far the NFL's top top defensive-tackle duo. They lead the NFL's top rushing defense along with linebacker Chad Greenway. What's stunning about this front seven is not only their ability to stop the run, but the amount of pressure they put on the quarterback.

The acquisition of defensive end Jared Allen has certainly paid off this year. Allen leads the team in sacks with 14.5 and has been very good in rush defense. Kevin Williams has also proven to be a very strong pass rusher throughout his career, he registered 8.5 sacks during the 2008 regular season.

Minnesota's Achilles' heel on defense in 2008 has been pass defense, where they ranked 18th in the NFL. Though they ranked 18th in 2008 it is an improvement over 2007, where they ranked dead last in the NFL. Don't be fooled by their ranking though, they've given up just 15 passing touchdowns, which was least in the NFC.

Antione Winfield and Cedric Griffin have improved their play from a year ago but the rest of the Viking corners have been ineffective. Darren Sharper and free agent acquisition Madieu Williams have bolstered the back end of the secondary, but they are prone to the big play, which is always hurtful to a defense.

Here are the Vikings' defensive keys to victory on Sunday:

1) Rush Defense: Stopping the run has been easy for the Vikings this year but they will need to carry that success over to the playoffs.

2) Pressure McNabb: McNabb is at his best when he has time in the pocket. Minnesota will need to apply pressure and force mistakes from No. 5.

3) Secondary Play: Minnesota's secondary will be under fire on Sunday when the Eagles come to town. McNabb and company will most likely be putting the ball in the air a lot on Sunday, so they will need to raise their game to the next level.

4) Shut down Westbrook: Philly's offense is at their best when Brian Westbrook is rolling. The last time these teams met, Westbrook was able to put up 92 total yards and two touchdowns. The Vikes defense will need to contain him this Sunday.

5) Control line of scrimmage: One of the most important factors to any successful defense is how they control the line. If Minnesota is able to control the line and penetrate the massive Eagles line, they will cause problems all over the place for Philly.

Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1)

The 2008 regular season for the Philadelphia Eagles was one filled with ups and downs. From the disheartening tie against Cincinnati, to the benching of their leader Donovan McNabb in Baltimore, to the miraculous Week 17 that saw a once bleak scenario for the Eagles somehow end in a playoff berth.

The Eagles started their 2008 season with a 38-3 drubbing of the hapless St. Louis Rams and finished it with a stunning 44-6 dismantling of the Dallas Cowboys. In between those two blowouts, there was mass confusion.

That confusion included a three-game winless streak that was highlighted by an ugly 13-13 tie, the continued inability to score in the red zone, and a miraculous 4-1 record in the final five games leading up to this Sunday.

Philly saw the emergence of young stars: DeSean Jackson, Stewart Bradley, Akeem Jordan, and Quintin Mikell.

The Eagles' offense, led by Donovan McNabb, who had a strong season that saw him eclipse his single-season yardage record with 3,916 yards, is one that can explode for a huge game, then absolutely baffle you with a poor performance.

Brian Westbrook had another stellar season, although he was unable to become the first Eagle running back to rush for 1,000 yards for three consecutive seasons since Ricky Watters ('95-'97).

When Westbrook isn't on the field, Philly is still dangerous on the ground with Correll Buckhalter. The rarely used Buckhalter has truly made the most of every opportunity that's come his way.

Philadelphia's receivers have been drop prone this season, but when they're not dropping passes they tend to be very effective. Led by outstanding rookie DeSean Jackson, the Eagles passing attack should pose quite a few problems for Minnesota this weekend.

Donovan McNabb will be protected by the league's biggest offensive line--an offensive line that is still missing it's biggest and baddest player in Shawn Andrews. They have given McNabb plenty of time in the pocket throughout the year, but they will be tested by Jared Allen and company this Sunday.

Here are the Eagles' offensive keys to victory on Sunday:

1) Start fast: As I said earlier, points should come at a premium on Sunday so scoring early will be big for this Eagles offense.

2) BALANCE: I don't know what it is with the Eagles coaching staff. When they play balanced football, they are very effective. That may be tough on Sunday with the Vikings rush defense, but just as the Dallas Cowboys two weeks ago, if you stay with it long enough, you should break one.

3) Contain Jared Allen: No. 5 Can't be very effective if William Thomas doesn't do his job of shutting down Jared Allen. Once Allen get's going, it'll be hard to stop him.

4) Ride on No. 5's back: The Eagles will go only as far as Donovan McNabb takes them, that's obvious. But he's going to need help from the rest of his offensive mates, DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis, L.J. Smith, Brent Celek, Hank Baskett, and Jason Avant will all need to help McNabb lead this team to Tampa.

5) Keep feeding the Buck: I know it's probably shocking to you that this doesn't have to do with Westbrook, but we all know what he can do. When the Eagles get Correll Buckhalter involved in the offense, it adds another dimension to the offense. Buck is a big play waiting to happen, he is used very sparingly, but still has 10 20+ yard plays.

The Eagles enter the playoffs with the NFC's best defense. They rank second in the NFC at stopping the run and are the NFC's best when it comes to stopping the pass.

Philly's front seven is one of the league's youngest, yet top groups. With young stars like Stewart Bradley, Trent Cole, Brodrick Bunkley, Mike Patterson, Victor Abiamiri, Akeem Jordan, and Chris Gocong, they should be a dominant group for years to come.

They use their complex blitz packages to put massive pressure on the quarterback—just ask Tony Romo about that. Not only to they put great pressure on the passer, they are very stingy when it comes to the ground game. Adrian Peterson will need to bring his "A" Game on Sunday against this group.

The Eagles' secondary is one of the most dangerous groups in the NFL. They don't give quarterbacks a lot of room for error and will take advantage of any mistakes made. Brian Dawkins had a tough start to the season but has really stepped up in the second half to earn his seventh trip to the Pro Bowl.

The other three members of the Eagles secondary (Asante Samuel, Sheldon Brown, and Quintin Mikell) are equally talented. They are a very experienced group that plays very disciplined sound football.

Here are the Eagles defensive keys to victory on Sunday:

1) Force Turnovers: Minnesota is very prone to turning the ball over, so you can expect the aggressive Eagles defense to look for that big turnover on Sunday.

2) Shut down Peterson: When these teams met a year ago, the Eagles held Adrian Peterson to just 70 yards on 20 carries, granted Peterson is a better back now but the Eagles defense will need to keep him in check regardless.

3) Pressure Jackson: Tarvaris Jackson has not played well when the defensive line is able to penetrate, so expect the Eagles to turn up the heat on the young quarterback. Jackson also likes to scramble out of the pocket, so Philly will need to keep containment on him.

4) Avoid the big play: Offensively, Minnesota has lived off of the big play all season. Philly will need to keep an eye out for Bernard Berrian who has been the big play specialist for the Vikes in 2008.

5) Control the clock: By controlling the clock, I mean forcing Minnesota to go three and out. The more that happens. More opportunities open up for the offense to put points up.

It will be interesting to watch the chess match between Vikings head coach Brad Childress and Eagles head coach Andy Reid this Sunday. Childress, the former offensive coordinator in Philadelphia, should give some insight into shutting down Philly.

Right now the way I see it, Eagles pull out a close defensive battle.

Eagles 17, Vikings 13