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The Eagles have collected five straight wins as they surge toward a possible division title and playoff appearance. With the Cowboys now a game behind the Eagles, Philadelphia completely controls their playoff destiny with the Vikings, Bears and Dallas standing in their way.
Philadelphia has looked unstoppable as of late, but will face a major maturity challenge on Sunday. This is a young team that is vulnerable of going into a game too confident or looking ahead to tougher competition. With Chip Kelly in charge, that is not likely to happen but the possibility still lingers. Players like DeMeco Ryans, LeSean McCoy, Brent Celek, Trent Cole and others will have to make the younger players aware of what this Week 15 matchup means to the playoff hunt. The Vikings are not an easy out and are were willing to play spoiler.
The Cowboys looked horrible on Monday Night Football, but they could easily beat the Packers if Aaron Rodgers is not under center. If Green Bay were to beat the Cowboys and the Eagles were to defeat the Vikings, Week 16 could feature a possible division-clinching opportunity against the Bears at home. But again, this all hinges on an Eagles win in Minnesota.
When and Where to Watch
1 p.m. ET,
Channel: FOX
Streaming
Sirius 138 (Internet 823)
History Lesson
The Vikings and Eagles are tied at 12-12 in their all-time matchup.
The Eagles are 3-0 against the Vikings in the playoffs and have outscored Minnesota by the score of 561-529 in their 24 combined meetings.
The Eagles lost their last matchup against the Vikings in 2010. Prior to that loss, the Eagles had owned the Vikings with five straight victories.
Opponents View
Check out the Daily Norseman for the Vikings' perspective on Sunday's game.
Fun Facts
- LeSean McCoy has recorded four games of 150 yards or more this season. No other running back has done it more than once in 2013. He is the first to post those numbers four times in Eagles history.
- The Eagles have had 80 plays of 20 or more yards, which is four away from the franchise record from 2011. They currently rank ninth all-time since the stat was first acknowledged. The NFL record is 94 by the 2001 St. Louis Rams.
- The Eagles defense has secured 13 interceptions since Week 5.
- At 1,305 rushing yards, McCoy leads the league in rushing and is just four yards away from his career-high total set in 2011.
- The Eagles lead the league with 158.5 yards per game. The Redskins are in second with 143.8 yards, with a difference of nearly 15 yards per game (14.7).
- The Eagles are third in the league in total offense. They are 0.01 points behind the Lions for second place.
- The Eagles are no longer the worst passing defense in the league. The Cowboys now own the distinction, allowing 13 more yards per game than Philadelphia. The Eagles rank 31st, while the Vikings rank 30th.
- Philadelphia is ranked 28th in punt return average and 24th in kick return average.
- Punter Donnie Jones has the third-most punts within the opposing 20-yard line. He is just two more away from tying first place.
- The Eagles have the second-most first downs off runs up the middle (36) in the league. They are fifth on runs to the right (35) for first downs.
- Despite playing in an offense that exposes quarterbacks to hits, the Eagles offensive line has only allowed the 24th-most quarterback hits in the league at 59. To put that into perspective, the Browns have allowed 105 (a different of 46 hits).
Former Eagles on the Other Sideline
TE Chase Ford (2012 training camp and preseason)
CB Shaun Prater (appeared in one game this season)
Follow Bleeding Green Nation for updates throughout tonight's game. We will have your updates on injuries, scores and more. You can follow Brandon Lee Gowton on Twitter at @BrandonGowton and Mike Kaye at@mike_e_kaye.
