Eagles Look to Keep Flying High at Home vs 0-1 Vikings

Introduction:

Following last week's season openers, the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings come into this game looking to prove something. The result of each game may differ, as Philly squeezed out a W versus the New England Patriots 25- 20, and the Vikings ended up losing a close one to Tampa Bay 20-17. However, both scores don't tell the tale of the tape for these teams.

Minnesota Vikings:

Offensively, for Minnesota, it all starts with taking care of the football. One of the oldest known facts in the sport is that if you lose the turnover battle, you will likely lose the game. That couldn't have been truer last Sunday for the Vikings, where they had three turnovers to Tampa's zero. The primary correspondent to that is none other than Veteran QB Kirk Cousins. As some Vikings fans may say, Captain Kirk needs to play better tonight if Minnesota wants to beat this loaded Philly team. He has superstar WR Justin Jefferson as his primary target, and he has to ensure Jefferson gets the football in high-leverage moments. Jefferson had seven catches for 138 yards in the first half last week but only two for 12 yards in the second. Despite the hot start, Minnesota has to scheme things up to consistently get the ball into their best players' hands if they want long-lasting success. The Vikings’ run game was nonexistent in their home opener, rushing for only 41 yards as a team. Having decided to cut star Running Back Dalvin Cook before the season, Minnesota has to find a way to match his production. Alexander Mattison, entering his fourth year with the team, is the lead back and must have more than 34 yards on the ground tonight to win.

Defensively for the Vikings, the questions are still much of the same as last year. Can the Vikings rush the passer? Can they execute and make consistent big-time stops? The answer is still no. Minnesota was only able to muster up one sack in last week’s game for 4 yards and was out-rushed 73-41 by one of the worst rushing teams in the NFL last year. They also could not force any turnovers off the Buccs offense, even with Baker Mayfield's initial struggles. The Vikings defense is still trying to find itself in this league and iron out its weaknesses in the front seven and in the secondary. 

Philadelphia Eagles: 

The Eagle Offense started with a bang in New England, scoring 16 points in just the first quarter of action. That would be about as good as it got for Philly's thought to be high-flying offense. They would be stagnant for the rest of the first half, as the Pats fought back to end the half down only two 16-14. The second half showed minor improvement for Philadelphia as they could move the ball slightly to secure field goals on their first two second-half drives. Yet, they continued to blunder again in the 4th quarter, losing a crunch-time fumble and failing a critical 4th down conversion at the NE 44, which could have cost them the game. We saw last year how efficient this offense can be when it's moving on all cylinders. Jalen Hurts, an MVP candidate last year, played well enough to escape with a win this week, primarily due to his defense. That said, if the Eagles want to get back to the Super Bowl, he must be the driving force both through the air and on the ground. 

Box scores may show the Eagles’ 16 first quarter points, and some will immediately associate that with the offense, but it would not be the case if the Philly Defense didn't come out swinging. Returning an interception for a touchdown and forcing a fumble on the Patriot's first two possessions, the Eagle defense looked ready to play in the first. The second quarter saw the defense surrender 14 points, a much different result. Part of this can be attributed to the lack of rest given by the offense, as they went three and out on four straight drives after their second-quarter touchdown. Supported by the fact that the Eagle defense showed up huge in the second half, they were getting lots of rest as the offense took up most of the time of possession in the third quarter. Their play reflected it despite giving up a late-quarter touchdown; when the big plays needed to be made, the Eagle defense stepped up—stopping Mac Jones and the Patriots on 4th down twice in the final five minutes of the game to seal the deal for their team. 

Prediction: Eagles win 31-17 

With the Viking's defense still struggling to find itself, I expect the Eagles to have a much more consistent game on offense. Jalen Hurts should be able to dissect this Vikings team with his legs and arm. Expect his big-time playmakers Devonta Smith and AJ Brown to be busy; both should be looking to take advantage of a weak defense. On the other side of the ball, the Eagle defense will give Kirk Cousins a run for his money. He will have to deal with a defense that played reasonably well in New England last week and is more than ready for the challenge that is slowing Justin Jefferson. Darius Slay should shadow Jefferson for most of the night, making for a great matchup. 

In conclusion, the Eagle offense and defense should show tonight that they are further up in the pecking order than most of the NFC. Look for last year's NFC champs to continue their success tonight.