The Top 5 All-Time Eagles Moments Against The Vikings
Even though I attended that stupid game last season where the Eagles lost to the Minnesota Vikings thanks in part to a 69 yard pick six by defensive tackle Linval Joseph, it always feels like they beat the Vikings in big games. (Just remembered that the Joe Webb game exists while writing this piece but I’ll conveniently deny that.)
Before 2017 the Eagles and the Vikings were probably the two most successful NFL franchises to not win a Super Bowl. Minnesota has actually had more success that Philly considering the great teams and incredible talent they’ve had. Those great teams and talent however, also means that their failure to win a Super Bowl makes the pain even more unbearable.
Whether it’s the Purple People Eaters Era, Dennis Green Era, Adrian Peterson or Kirk Cousins Era, every season always ends in excruciating heartbreak. The Vikings also were gullible enough to make the Hershel Walker trade so they probably deserve it.
In preparation for this Sunday’s game against the Vikings in their first game in Minnesota since Super Bowl LII, let’s look back at the five most epic Eagle moments when playing the Purple People Eaters.
5. 1980 Eagles overcome 14-0 deficit to defeat Vikings in playoffs
Okay, so when you think of the 1980 Eagles you probably think of Wilbert Montgomery’s famous touchdown run against in the Cowboys in the NFC Championship and the brutally awful highlights of Rod Martin picking off Jaws and Jim Plunkett burning the Eagles secondary in Super Bowl XV.
But did you know that, just like in their other Super Bowl seasons, the Eagles beat the Vikings in the playoffs to get there?
Not only that, but they also won the game overcoming a 14-0 deficit. Who knows how history turns out if the Eagles don’t come back and win this game, would Ron Jaworski even become an NFL analyst?
4. Freddy Mitchell’s Lucky Day
If Freddie Mitchell was a late round draft pick by the Eagles in 2001 he’d probably go down in history as a fan favorite receiver with a goofy personality along with some big clutch moments.
Instead he’s a guy who could’ve been Reggie Wayne and doomed the Eagles by wearing the Albatross that is “trash talking the Rodney Harrison-led Patriots secondary” on ESPN.
Nevertheless, FredEx had a few moments in the sun in his otherwise disappointing Eagles career and one of them happened in the divisional round of the 2004 NFL playoffs against Minnesota. What could’ve been a momentum swinging fumble into the endzone by LJ Smith (who could’ve been the greatest man/robot who ever lived in Mr. Witten) and catching it immediately for his second touchdown of the game. It’s not as legendary as 4th and 26, but it’s another nugget on Mitchell’s weird Philly legacy.
Fun fact: This game marked the end of the Randy Moss era in Minnesota, one week after he mooned Packers fans. He would return to the Vikes in 2010 for a month before saying Brad Childress should get fired. Fun times.
3. Brian Westbrook’s 71 yard TD
A week after making the playoffs in the legendary 44-6 game, the Eagles traveled up north to take on Adrian Peterson and the NFC North champion Vikings.
Despite early struggles from the offense, an Asante Samuel Pick Six turned the tide The Birds took care of Tarvaris Jackson en route to the divisional round, culminating with an amazing 71 yard touchdown reception by Brian Westbrook.
Despite the bitter ending of that playoff run with another brutal NFC title game loss to another small market Super Bowl virgin, the journey to that end was still a great ride. And who could forget McNabb’s celebration dance at the end?
Say, what the Vikings did the next season is similar to their Case Keenum/Kirk Cousins upgrade by pulling Brett Farve out of retirement to replace Tarvaris Jackson. At least Farve got Minnesota deep in the playoffs before suffering another excruciating NFC title game loss.
2. Torrey Smith’s Championship Sealing Flea Flicker
4 of the last 5 Eagles playoff games (6 of the last 7 if you include the Saints loss in 2013 and the Packers loss in 2010) have been excruciating nail-biters that came down to the last minute. The one exception being the NFC Championship game against a Viking team coming off the Minneapolis Miracle (or as I prefer to call it, the Hail Millie.)
After an opening score touchdown by Kyle Rudolph, Nick Foles and company turned the tides quickly and scored 24 unanswered points.
It wasn’t until Torrey Smith’s flea-flicker touchdown which put the score up 31-7 when all Eagles fans all collectively sighed in relief and said “we’re good.” It finally dawned on everyone that the Eagles were going to the Super Bowl and taking on the Patriots 13 years after losing to them in Super Bowl XXXIX.
While I always think about the greatest comeback in NFL history being 32 points (led by OC Frank Reich) and the deficit at that point was 24, it was obvious that the Vikings wind had been knocked out of them completely by that last flea-flicker.
- Patrick Robinson’s Pick Six
The Linc was never louder than when Patrick Robinson picked off Case Keenum and ran it back in wild fashion to tie the NFC Championship Game.
Who could forget when Minnesota started the game with a crowd silencer touchdown drive to Kyle Rudolph as brutal NFC title game memories to Tampa Bay, Carolina and Arizona came creeping back in?
That all changed in one play when Chris Long got just close enough to Keenum to force his throw off into the hands of cornerback Patrick Robinson.
I wish I tweeted this, but I’ll never forget thinking to myself in the days before the game: “We need to make a Pick Six against Keenum, those big plays never come from star but an obscure player like Patrick Robinson.”
Welp, that’s exactly what happened, but I didn’t tweet it so nobody will believe me.
Remember before the start of the 2017 season when fans were scared that Patrick Robinson was going to be a brutally weak link in the secondary? That was quickly forgotten about as he led that team in interceptions throughout the regular season.
One of the unsung heroes of that legendary team made the play that exploded the Linc.