Bleacher Report's Expert NFL Conference Championship Picks and Predictions

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The Philadelphia Eagles are the NFC's No. 1 seed, but despite a 13-3 record, they enter the NFC Championship Game as a home underdog for the second straight week.

The Eagles are embracing the role, going so far as to encourage fans to wear dog masks to the game.

Here's what the Eagles need to do to pull out a second straight surprise win.

Don't Give Up on the Run

Just like the Vikings, it's a safe bet that the Eagles will make a concerted effort to run the ball. The team ranked sixth in rushing attempts, third in rushing yards and second in yards per carry this season.

And just like the Vikings, the Eagles will probably find the sledding tough on the ground. The only team in the NFL that was harder to run on in 2017 than the Vikings was the Eagles. Minnesota allowed just 83.6 rushing yards per game.

However, the Eagles need to be stubborn about sticking with the run game, even if it sputters early.

It's not just a matter of picking up yardage or keeping Nick Foles in manageable third-down situations. The Eagles also need to try to control tempo, like they did last week.

The Eagles only had 96 rushing yards on 32 carries in that game, but by sticking with the run, Philly also held the ball for over 32 minutes.

The lower the score in this game, the better the Eagles' chances.

Foles Can't Fold

The Philadelphia offense wasn't exactly firing on all cylinders against the Atlanta Falcons. It found the end zone just once. But Nick Foles and the Eagles did just enough—largely because while they lost a pair of fumbles, Foles avoided making ill-advised throws.

One touchdown probably isn't going to be enough against a Vikings team that ranked inside the top 10 in scoring in 2017.

Yes, the Eagles ranked higher still. But that was before Carson Wentz got hurt. Over their last three games, the Eagles have scored 34 points total.

And Sunday, they face the league's stingiest scoring defense.

There's just no getting around it. Foles is going to need to make some plays down the field against the NFL's No. 2 pass defense—all while avoiding turnovers against a secondary that picked off 14 passes in 2017.

Step Up on the Back End

The Vikings and Eagles both have rock-solid defenses. They were the two most difficult teams to run against this season, and both Philadelphia and Minnesota rank inside the top five in both scoring defense and total defense.

However, there is one big difference between the two squads: Where the Vikings were also a top-five pass defense, the Eagles were only so-so—17th in the NFL, at 227.3 yards per game.

That difference on the back end could be a deciding factor in this game—unless cornerbacks Jalen Mills, Ronald Darby and Patrick Robinson up their games.

To be fair, the Eagles secondary has played better since Darby returned to the lineup. They limited Matt Ryan to just 210 passing yards and a score a week ago, and while Julio Jones caught nine passes for 101 yards, he was held out of the end zone.

This week might bring an even stiffer test. Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen combined for over 2,100 receiving yards in 2017. Tight end Kyle Rudolph caught eight touchdown passes this season. And complementary targets like Laquon Treadwell, Jarius Wright and Michael Floyd are more than capable of making big plays over the top.

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