The Minnesota Vikings were favored to win going into the NFC Conference Championship Game versus the Philadelphia Eagles. However, they were subsequently blown out by the Eagles in an embarrassing 39-7 defeat.

There are plenty of factors that contributed to the Vikings' loss. According to Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, veteran cornerback Terence Newman feels the team simply lacked energy:

“I’d have to look at the film to see, but it was kind of like we had no energy,” Newman said. “We started off pretty quick and then things just went downhill. It didn’t seem like we had a whole lot of energy. It was like they wanted it more.”

It is a bit perplexing that Minnesota came out flat in a game of such high magnitude. Perhaps it was due to the miraculous series of events that transpired in the NFC Divisional Game versus the New Orleans Saints just a week before. Regardless, it was clear that both teams seemed to be playing at completely different speeds.

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Things got off to a compelling start with the score tied following a first quarter mostly dominated by Minnesota minus a Patrick Robinson pick-six. However, Philadelphia managed to pour it on in the second quarter and never looked back.

After finishing the 2017 season amongst the league's best defenses, the Vikings allowed quarterback Nick Foles to let it fly for 352 yards and three touchdowns. It should be noted that up to that point, Foles' performance was largely underwhelming after taking over following Carson Wentz's season-ending ACL tear

As a result, Newman is left with another offseason of speculation. Although the 15-year veteran has shown he can still play, he will turn 40 by the time the 2018 season rolls around.