NFC Championship Breakdown: The Offensive Line

By: Jesse Larch, Sports Talk Philly editor 

Leading up to the Eagles matchup for the NFC Championship with the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday Sports Talk Philly and Eagledelphia will compare the personnel of the two teams each day until gameday is here. 

In this edition of our week-long comparison we will look at the offensive lines that the Eagles and Vikings will field on Sunday. 

Minnesota OL | Riley Reiff, Mike Remmers, Pat Elflein, Joe Berger, Rashod Hill

Minnesota will lean on the left side of their line heavily. The Vikings spent their money this past summer on two offensive tackles, Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers. After Nick Easton suffered a season ending injury on week 16, Minnesota shuffled their line and fielded this newest configuration that features their key free agent acquisitions lining up next to one another on the left side. 

Pat Elflein is a rookie third-round pick who will handle the duties at center. Joe Berger, another converted tackle, will play right guard and Rashod Hill will protect the right edge. 

The Vikings offensive line features four players who have played offensive tackle in the National Football League. Only Elflein stands under 6-foot-5-inches, speaking to the massive size of the Vikings linemen. 

Philadelphia OL | Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Stefen Wisniewski, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson

The Eagles offensive line boasts two pro bowlers and two first-team all pros.

Right guard Brandon Brooks and right tackle Lane Johnson were both elected to this season's pro bowl while Johnson and center Jason Kelce were both named first team all-pros for the 2017 season. Essentially, the right side of the Eagles line is as good a it gets in the NFL. 

The left side consists of Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Stefen Wisniewski. Wisniewski has played some strong guard for the Eagles this season, especially evident when he is not in the game and the center of the Eagles' line becomes a revolving door for defenders. Wisniewski made his return to the starting lineup in the Divisional round and played one of his best games of the season. 

Vaitai is an excellent run blocker, but his pass protection leaves some to be desired. 

Edge

Anything can happen on any given Sunday, but it would be incredibly to claim that the Vikings have a superior offensive line to the Eagles. 

The entire right side of the Eagles' offensive line has received accolades for their elite play this season, and the left side has been more than serviceable. 

With two Pro-Bowlers and two All-Pros in 2017 along the offensive line, the Eagles are have the better group of blockers.