Eagles force Keenum, Vikings into old habits in NFC Championship rout
The Minnesota Vikings were handed their worst loss of the 2017 season in Sunday's NFC Championship Game as the Philadelphia Eagles cruised past the purple and gold, 38-7.
In scoring 38 unanswered points and showing pure domination in all facets of the contest, the Eagles were able to force the Vikings and quarterback Case Keenum into the old habits they fostered prior to 2017's NFC North-winning performance.
Panic-induced turnovers
In throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble, Keenum matched his season-worst, three-turnover performance from a 31-24 Week 14 loss to the Carolina Panthers. In just one other game had he thrown multiple interceptions.
In 2016's lost season with the Los Angeles Rams, Keenum twice threw multiple interceptions with no touchdowns scored. He also had one four-interception game in which he passed for a single score. While he fumbled five times, he lost just one.
Keenum took just one sack in Sunday's loss, but the Eagles were able to get sustained pressure all game long, leading to the 50-yard pick six by cornerback Patrick Robinson.
P-Roblematic throw.#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/9JZhjDCSDb
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 22, 2018
This fumble forced by Derek Barnett recovered by Chris Long is another example of the Eagles' exemplary pass rush.
The rookie knocks it free, the vet scoops it up.#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/1htI3J2Gl1
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 22, 2018
Feeling contact on both plays, Keenum desperately tried to release the ball instead of hanging on and taking the sack, resulting in the costly mistakes he was able to avoid for much of the season.
Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Vinny Curry and Chris Long all had 6+ pressures each today.
— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) January 22, 2018
Abandonment of the run
Indicative of the lopsided final score, the Vikings attempted 48 passes - the most in a single game for Minnesota over the course of the season - to just 18 rushes - the fewest recorded on the year. Just 28 of Keenum's pass attempts were completed, while Minnesota gained a feeble 70 yards on the ground.
The performance came after a regular season in which the Vikings ranked as one of the league's most balanced offenses, passing on just 54.07 percent of all offensive plays. They were the ninth most pass-heavy team a year ago, operating at a rate of 62.23 percent through the air.
Here's a look at the Vikings' pass/run split on every drive.
| Drive | Pass | Run | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 6 | 0-0 |
| 2 | 4 | 2 | 7-0 |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 7-7 |
| 4 | 2 | 1 | 7-14 |
| 5 | 7 | 4 | 7-14 |
| 6 | 6 | 0 | 7-21 |
| 7 | 10 | 2 | 7-31 |
| 8 | 6 | 0 | 7-38 |
| 9 | 10 | 1 | 7-38 |
While the three drives in the second half played out as expected with the rout in full swing, the Vikings began to abandon the run on their final two drives of the first half, resulting in the Eagles kicking an extra field goal as time ran out in the second quarter.
Neither Latavius Murray nor Jerick McKinnon were able to mount runs of more than four yards on drives two through five. While their mutual ineffectiveness forced Keenum into poor situations, he stood by a conservative play style that led to him averaging his second lowest yards per attempt rate of the campaign at 5.65, nearly two yards below his season average.
Full credit must go to Eagles head coach Doug Pederson and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, as well as the strong performance of the entire defensive unit. But the Vikings' season ended on a sour note for Keenum, who heads into free agency with the expectation of a $20 million contract, and for offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, who's expected to become the next head coach of the New York Giants.