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 defensive backs for the Vikings and Eagles.
Minnesota DBs | Xavier Rhodes, Harrison Smith, Andrew Sendejo, Trae Waynes, Terrence Newman, Mackensie Alexander, Anthony Harris
It would be an understatement to say that the Vikings secondary is good, hell, it would even be an understatement to say that their secondary is great.
Minnesota allowed 192.3 passing yards per game during the regular season. That is the definition of elite.
With two first team all-pros in Xavier Rhodes and Harrison Smith anchoring the group, really what else would you expect?
Rhodes has been outplayed by only Jalen Ramsey – and even that is arguable. Harrison Smith has been an elite safety over the past two season and those two players make it nearly impossible to survive by passing the ball against the Vikings' defense.
Smith led the team in passes defensed (12) and interceptions (5).
The Vikings also have good tacklers in their secondary. Andrew Sendejo's 80 tackles and Smith's 78 tackles were second and third on the Vikings roster behind only Eric Kendricks.
Rhodes's cornerback partner Trae Waynes ranked sixth on the team with 65 tackles. Waynes was second on the team with 11 passes defensed. Rhodes had 10 passes defensed.
Waynes, Rhodes, and Sendejo each had two interceptions during the regular season.
Terrence Newman and Mackensie Alexander round out the cornerback group and each had one interception while combining for 11 passes defensed. The duo also combined for 52 tackles.
Philadelphia DBs | Ronald Darby, Malcolm Jenkins, Rodney McLeod, Jalen Mills, Patrick Robinson, Corey Graham, Rasul Douglas
The Leader of the Eagles' secondary is Malcolm Jenkins. Jenkins finished third on the team and first among secondary players with 76 tackles this season. Jenkins plays multiple roles on the Eagles defense that allows the Eagles to adapt their coverages and schemes to fit whatever the opposition attempts against them.
Jenkins is joined by Rodney McLeod in the back end of the defense to form one of the most efficient safety tandems in the NFL.
Ronald Darby leads the cornerbacks, often drawing the opposition's top receiver. Darby was remarkable in 2017 with 34 tackles, nine passes defensed, and three interceptions in just eight games.
Jalen Mills lines up on the other side of the defense and made huge strides in sophomore season. Mills collected 64 tackles, 14 passes defensed, and three interceptions – one of which was a pick-six. Mills shed the label of being the defense's weak link and teams started to be punished for picking on the physical cornerback.
Like Mills, Patrick Robinson also surprised fans with excellent play this season. Robinson led the team with four interceptions and 18 passes defensed while placing sixth on the team with 47 tackles. Robinson plays in the nickel and is as active in the run game as he is in the passing game.
Corey Graham and Rasul Douglas are the extra defensive backs, and combined for 15 passes defensed, four interceptions and 63 tackles this season.
Edge
The Eagles' secondary exceeded expectations this season, but they are simply not on the same level as the Vikings' defensive backs.
The Eagles finished 17th in passing defense this season while the Vikings finished second. Minnesota's defense also allowed 11 less passing touchdowns than the Eagles did in the regular season.
Minnesota surrendered a 73.0 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks while passers had a 79.5 rating against the Eagles.
The Eagles' secondary was good this season, but the Vikings' secondary was just simply better.
| QB | RB | WR/TE | OL | DL | LB | DB | ST | |
| Eagles | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Vikings | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
