NFC Championship: Nick Foles or Case Keenum? Comparing Eagles and Vikings quarterbacks

AP | USA TODAY Sports

By Eliot Shorr-Parks | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

In the first week of the 2017 NFL season, both Eagles quarterback Nick Foles and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Case Keenum were on the bench.

Now, when the Eagles and Vikings face off this Sunday in the NFC Championship at Lincoln Financial Field, Foles and Keenum will be facing off in the biggest game of their careers for the right to go to Super Bowl LII. 

Which of the two quarterbacks enters the game with an edge?

Here is a comparison of the two:

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Matt Rourke | AP PHOTO

FOLES 2017 SEASON STATS

After taking over quarterback Carson Wentz, Foles started and completed two games. In those two games he went 43-of-76 for 400 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. Overall, he is 57-of-101 for 537 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions on the season.

In his lone playoff start, Foles went 23-of-30 for 246 yards, no touchdowns and no interception.

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Mark J. Rebilas | AP PHOTO

KEENUM 2017 SEASON STATS

In 15 games, Keenum is completing 67% of his passes for 3,547 yards, 22 touchdowns and seven touchdowns. He went 25-of-40 for 318 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

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NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PREDICTION

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Patrick Smith | AP PHOTO

FOLES VS. KEENUM: ACCURACY

Keenum has been very accurate with the ball this season, completing 67% of his passes, good for second in the NFL among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts this season. His adjusted completion percentage, which takes away spiked balls, throw aways and drops, is 76% -- which is good for fourth in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. 

Foles' adjusted completion percentage is 68.5%, close to 10 points lower than Keenum. Foles has struggled with his accuracy at times since taking over for Wentz, especially down the field.

ADVANTAGE: Keenum

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EAGLES VS. VIKINGS: STOCK UP, STOCK DOWN

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Jamie Squire | AP PHOTO

FOLES VS. KEENUM: DECISION MAKING

Keenum was 24th in the NFL this season with just seven interceptions, which speaks to his ability to take care of the ball and make smart decisions. With one interception in the two games he starts and finished this season, Foles (albeit a small sample size) would be on pace to throw eight interceptions if he played 16 games.

Keenum, however, is much more of a gun slinger than Foles is, as he is much more willing to take chances with the ball -- for better or worse -- than Foles is, who is fairly conservative with the ball. Which you would prefer your quarterback to be is a matter of preference, but of the two, Keenum seems more likely to throw a reckless interception than Foles.

ADVANTAGE: Foles

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Joe Giglio | NJ Advance Media

WATCH: NFC CHAMPIONSHIP PREDICTION

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Matt Rourke | AP PHOTO

FOLES VS. KEENUM: DEALING WITH PRESSURE

When it comes to Keenum dealing with pressure, his ability to do so was much better during the regular season than it was in the playoffs. During the regular season, according to Pro Football Focus, Keenum was the fourth-best quarterback in the NFL at completing passes under pressure, completing 69% of his passes. This past weekend, however, Keenum was the worst quarterback among the teams that played when under pressure. His passer rating when under pressure was just 5.1.

Foles has not faired well when under pressure this season, completing only 59% of his passes and posting a quarterback rating of 23.8.

ADVANTAGE: Keenum

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EAGLES CAN'T LET KEENUM KEEP THEM FROM SUPER BOWL

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Jim Mone | AP PHOTO

FOLES VS. KEENUM: THIRD DOWN

Keenum has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL this season on third down, as 45% of his passes on third down this season have resulted in a first down, fifth best in the NFL. With Keenum at quarterback, the Vikings finished as the best third-down team in the NFL this season.

The Eagles have not been a very efficient team with Foles at quarterback, as over the last three games of the regular season, they converted just 23% of their third downs -- third worst in the NFL. Against the Atlanta Falcons, however, the Eagles converted six of their 13 third-down attempts, with Foles making a few big throws in the second half.

Still, Keenum and the Vikings are arguably the best third-down team in the NFL.

ADVANTAGE: Keenum

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Matt Rourke | AP PHOTO

FOLES VS. KEENUM: RED ZONE

The red-zone offense, as has been the case with most components of the Eagles' offense, has not been as efficient with Foles as it was with Wentz. Over the last three games, the Eagles have converted just 33% of their red-zone opportunities into touchdowns -- 23rd in the NFL during that span.

The Vikings, on the other hand, converted 58% of their red-zone opportunities during the regular season. Keenum finished the year with 17 touchdowns in the red zone, zero interceptions and a 57% completion percentage.  Foles has been nearly as good in his brief time as the starting, completing 54% of his passes, with five touchdowns and no interceptions.

ADVANTAGE: Keenum

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SPECIAL TEAMS A MAJOR CONCERN VS. VIKINGS

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Jamie Squire | AP PHOTO

FOLES VS. KEENUM: MOBILITY

This one isn't much of a contest. Foles is perhaps the least mobile quarterback in the NFL among the starters, and although he can sometimes fall forward for a few yards, he is not a threat at all with his legs to either extend the play or to gain some yards if the play breaks down.

Keenum isn't Michael Vick in his prime, but he is fairly mobile, especially compared to Foles. If the Eagles' defense gives him the chance to, Keenum can make plays with his legs.

ADVANTAGE: Keenum

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Bill Streicher | AP PHOTO

FOLES VS. KEENUM: "IT" FACTOR

Foles has a little bit more of an "it" factor than given credit for. He is 17-10 in 27 games as a starter in an Eagles uniform, and is the only quarterback to win a playoff game for the Eagles since 2008. He is respected by his teammates, and his second-half performance against the Falcons was a big reason the Eagles won the game.

Keenum, on the other hand, came off the bench and helped lead the Vikings to the No. 2 seed in the NFC. He then helped the Vikings complete one of the craziest last-second wins in NFL history when he threw a 61-yard touchdown against the Saints as time expired last week.

Both quarterbacks have shown they are capable of coming in and winning, but Keenum gets the advantage in this category.

ADVANTAGE: Keenum

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Eliot Shorr-Parks | NJ Advance Media

FINAL VERDICT

Everyone keeps waiting for Case Keenum to fail. Based on the analysis above, that's unlikely to happen on Sunday. In the battle of the quarterbacks, all signs point to Keenum having the better game.

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WHERE TO REACH ME

Eliot Shorr-Parks may be reached at eshorrpa@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @EliotShorrParks. Find NJ.com Eagles on Facebook.

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WATCH: FOLES COULD BE SET FOR BIG GAME AGAINST VIKINGS

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