PHILADELPHIA — When you’ve forever been held hostage inside Heartbreak Hotel, when you’ve never won a Super Bowl, gotten there twice and lost to Jim Plunkett 37 years ago and Tom Brady 13 years ago, and you lose your MVP quarterback and find yourself 60 minutes from Super Bowl LII with your backup quarterback anyway: You cling to the belief that maybe, just maybe, your Eagles can be Destiny’s Darlings, finally.

When you’ve been to four Super Bowls and lost all four, when it has been 41 years since you last made it to the Super Sunday, when you are 10 desperate seconds from another lonely winter of your discontent until what you will forever remember as the Miracle in Minny, Case Keenum to Stefon Diggs, 61 divine intervention yards to paydirt, has you 60 minutes from becoming the first team to host a Super Bowl in its home stadium: You too cling to the belief that maybe, just maybe, your Vikings can be Destiny’s Darlings, and you can bring it home, a veritable Team of Destination as well.

When you cannot beat the warm-weather Jon Gruden Buccaneers in the cold in the last game at Veterans Stadium in the 2002 NFC Championship, when you last won a championship in 1960 — over Vince Lombardi and the Packers, no less — because Donovan McNabb couldn’t beat Tom Brady in Super Bowl XXXIX, when your hopes and dreams rest now on Nick Foles’ wing and a prayer: You tell yourself that if Vince Papale can write an “Invincible” story against all odds as a 30-year-old free agent for coach Dick Vermeil, if the spirit of Rocky can somehow infiltrate the Linc, then maybe, just maybe, fly, Eagles, fly.

When Roger Staubach hurls a controversial 50-yard Hail Mary to Drew Pearson in the 1975 NFC divisional playoffs at Metropolitan Stadium, when Gary Anderson misses a 37-yard field goal late in the 1998 NFC Championship overtime loss to the Falcons, when Brett Favre throws a late interception that leads to an overtime defeat to the Saints in the 2009 NFC title game: You tell yourself that it would be sweet karma and justice for 99-year-old Millie Wall to get to Skol her beloved Vikings on at U.S. Bank Stadium at her first Super Bowl.

It seems fitting, then, that all the blood, sweat and tears shed this season, the fates of two tortured franchises fall heavily on the shoulders of two afterthought quarterbacks and friends, Foles and Keenum.

More precisely, on whichever quarterback can keep his wits on a night when defense wins championships is almost certain to rule.

Foles will confront a carnivorous defense that Bud Grant’s old Purple People Eaters would have admired, and Keenum won’t be able to count on some epic last-second magic against an indefatigable defense that the late Chuck Bednarik and Reggie White would have applauded.

The Vikings, the NFL’s No. 2 rush defense and No. 1 overall, will dare Foles to beat them.

The Eagles, the NFL’s No. 1 rush defense and No. 7 overall, will dare Keenum to beat them.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, so good stopping offenses on third-down.

Eagles coach Doug Pederson, so good beating defenses on fourth down.

This one won’t remind anyone of Bradshaw versus Staubach, or Namath versus Unitas.

Shoulder pads will be popping.

A test of will as much as skill.

“We’re young, we’re hungry and we want it right now,” Vikings defensive tackle Linval Joseph said.

The Vikings won’t have the comfort of what looked and sounded a week ago like the entire state of Minnesota. This time, they will be greeted by rabid Eagles fans wearing German Shepherd masks because their beloved team is playing the underdog/disrespect card again.

If those diehards had their druthers, they’d rather be wearing Carson Wentz masks. If the Vikings had their druthers, they’d still be floating on Cloud 9. If they are, they’ll be filled with regret watching the Eagles try to win their first Super Bowl in their stadium.

The Eagles have survived Wentz tearing his ACL, and fourth-and-2 against Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. The Vikings are here because offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, the next head coach of the New York Football Giants, called on No. 7 to lead them to heaven.

Seventh Heaven for one team now. Hell for the other.

“You can’t live in that moment no more, this is the next big moment,” Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen said.

Everyone wants a Stefon Diggs moment. No one wants a Marcus Williams moment. Not ever. And especially not now, when the star-crossed franchise you play for is 60 minutes from one long-lost chance to chase history, one precious chance to be remembered for once as Destiny’s Darlings.