The NFC Wild-Card Philadelphia Eagles traveled to Minnesota and beat the Vikings to move into the second-week of the playoffs. The Minnesota Vikings went into the locker at halftime down 16- 14. Those 14 points were all that the team would get as Philadelphia shut out the guys in purple in the second half.
Eagles’ quarterback Donovan McNabb (68 COMP%, 300 YDs, 1 TD, 1 INT) kept cool and focused throughout the contest. His big completion came at 6:37 of the fourth quarter when he hit running back Brian Westbrook with a pass on a short route. Westbrook took the toss 71 yards into the Vikings’ end zone. That score, the first of the second half, put Philadelphia ahead 23- 14, making it a two-score contest. With 1:55 remaining, Eagles’ placekicker David Akers nailed a 45-yard field goal for the final points of the game, giving the team a 26- 14 win.
For the Vikings, running back Adrian Peterson (20 CAR, 83 YDs, 2 TDs) was the major offensive thrust. His first score was on a 40-yard run, while his second came on a 41-yard rush. Both scores happened in quarter two. Viking quarterback Tarvaris Jackson (43 COMP%, 164 YDs, 0 TD, 1 INT) struggled through most of the game and was unable to put together a solid two-minute drill.
Eagles’ corner back Asante Samuel was a key component in the Eagles’ victory. Samuel, who had been injured earlier in the week but cleared to play on Friday, picked a Jackson pass, running it back 44 yards for a score.
The Eagles will next meet the defending World Championship New York Giants on January 11 at 1 PM (FOX-TV) at Giants Stadium.