The N.F.C. Championship game will feature the Minnesota Vikings (13-3) and the Philadelphia Eagles (13-3). The Vikings are 3-point favorites on the road, and a win would allow them to become the first team in N.F.L. history to play the Super Bowl at home.
How to watch: The game will be broadcast at 6:40 p.m. on Fox and can be streamed on Yahoo’s Sports app.
Here are the top story lines for the N.F.C. Championship game:
• The Vikings are favorites to win in the N.F.C., and it is with good reason considering the offensive downturn Philadelphia took when Carson Wentz was lost for the season. But it is relevant that Minnesota is dealing with two significant injuries that could affect today’s game plan. Adam Thielen, Minnesota’s most consistent wide receiver, and Andrew Sendejo, a safety who is a key member of the team’s fantastic secondary, are both expected to play, but it is not clear if they will be at full speed. Thielen had been questionable for most of the week with a lower back injury while Sendejo has been working to get cleared from the N.F.L.’s concussion protocol.
• Nick Foles’s productivity at quarterback in place of Wentz will be a huge topic of conversation for the Eagles, but Philadelphia’s best bet at continuing to defy expectations could be for their fantastic front-seven to bring Minnesota’s Case Keenum down to Foles’s level. Keenum thrived during the regular season, but it is worth noting that up until Stefon Diggs pulled off perhaps the unlikeliest game-winning touchdown in playoff history, Keenum had a fairly pedestrian day against New Orleans with 257 passing yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Keenum has a harder task this week against a Philadelphia defense that will put a great deal more pressure on him.
• The Eagles may be underdogs at home, but that did not stop the Philadelphia police department from preparing for what could happen if the team manages to pull off an upset and qualify for its second trip to the Super Bowl in the last 37 years. Those preparations included spreading Crisco on many of the city’s light poles to prevent postgame revelers from climbing them.
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