Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts runs the ball against the Detroit Lions last Sunday.
Eagles vs Vikings was always going to be a marquee matchup in the NFC this season. Week 1 saw both sides move to 1-0, but in very different fashions. The Vikings come to town after a dominant win over the Packers, while Philly stood firm against the Lions and took a lot of positives away. Who holds Philadelphia’s keys to going 2-0?
When: Monday, Sept. 19, 8:30 p.m. EST
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
How to watch: ESPN, ABC, NFL Gamepass
Betting spread: Philadelphia Eagles -2.5
As much as I hate to admit it, Kirk Cousins has always found success against the Eagles. He’s 6-3 in 9 career starts against the Birds, with a 67% average completion percentage and a 21-6 TD/INT record. Given how exceptional Justin Jefferson and company made him look in Week 1 and just how much the Eagles defense lacked, this could absolutely be a dominant showing from Cousins.
Talking of Jefferson, 184 yards worth of receiving and a pair of touchdowns is a pretty solid start to the season. By pretty solid I mean absolutely ridiculous, but that has somehow become the norm for the LSU product who was once passed on by Howie Roseman.
The Eagles dramatically improved their secondary this offseason, but it didn’t show in Week 1 thanks to Jonathan Gannon’s schematic miscues. He cannot allow someone like Jefferson 7-8 yards of room at the line of scrimmage if he wants to walk into the locker room without a chorus of boos following him.
In case you missed it, the Eagles actually traded Jalen Reagor to the Vikings a few weeks ago. The former first-round pick stated there’s an element of revenge ahead of this game, which doesn’t really make sense. Either way, watching him pop off for 3 yards and a fair catch should be fun.
It’s not just Kirky C, Justin Jefferson, or even Dalvin Cook the Eagles have to worry about. Former Eagle, Jordan Hicks, enjoyed an explosive Minnesota debut in Week 1 alongside Eric Kendricks, while the safeties are just as lethal as they ever have been. Jalen Hurts did well not to turn the ball over in Week 1, he’d do even better to repeat that feat this week.
Hurts was very good in Week 1, make no mistake. Forget the noise, the criticisms, the complaints. Hurts escaped pressure time and time again, protected the football, and willed the offense to victory by putting the team on his back at points. He’ll need to take a step forward as a passer in Week 2, because while A.J Brown dominating is great, it might not be sustainable.
The Eagles drafted Smith to be a star. He was a Heisman-winning wideout who then went on to break DeSean Jackson’s franchise rookie receiving record. Flatlining a game where A.J Brown had more receptions than the rest of the team combined is not acceptable. The Eagles cannot afford to let this become a reality. Smith is too good and too valuable to this offense to fall second fiddle by such a drastic margin. Hopefully, it was a one-time thing, but only time will tell.
Miles Sanders looked the best he ever has last week. He was decisive, aggressive, and explosive in a game that saw him contribute time and time again, averaging over 7 yards per carry on the ground. I’ve not seen him put such a complete performance together before and the Eagles are going to need some more of that juice this weekend if they are to keep up with that Vikings offense. They cannot become one-dimensional.
He was already under the microscope after 2021. Jonathan Gannon now has an entirely new unit packed with young talent that either isn’t seeing the field, or is being silenced through vanilla play-calling. It has to change ASAP.
| Betting market | Odds |
| Eagles vs Vikings spread: Philadelphia Eagles -2.5 | Minnesota Vikings +2.5 | -115 |
| Eagles vs Vikings Moneyline: Philadelphia Eagles | Minnesota Vikings | -140 | +120 |
| Eagles vs Vikings Points total Over/Under 50 | -115 |
I’d like to think that the Eagles have an edge here. They’re playing at home for the first time in 2022, their offense will (hopefully) have worked through some kinks, and should bring enough unpredictability to keep pace with the Vikings.
Minnesota looked great in Week 1, but their offensive line wasn’t challenged. The Eagles have all the tools to physically dominate the trenches, but they need Gannon to step up and use them.
I’m taking the Eagles to win by 2.5 points here.
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