Morgan Burkett
After a dominant performance against a struggling Jets team, one in which the Eagles had more sacks (10) than their opponent had points (6), there is a new-found belief in the Philly defense. Getting off to a slow start, often allowing teams to jump out to early leads, the defense has since buckled down and became the catalyst for a key win in Green Bay, and a follow-up performance last weekend. There are some reinforcements coming on the horizon and the outlook going deeper in the season is positive. However, the Eagles will again face a tall task containing a familiar foe in what has been an at-times electric Vikings offense in Minnesota later today.
One of the boons for game-planning against Minnesota is that they're very upfront about what they want to do. It's no hidden secret that the Vikings' offensive machine runs through third-year runner Dalvin Cook. Using a stretch-heavy zone run scheme, new OC Gary Kubiak uses lateral movement to create running lanes, exploit holes at the second level and set up their lethal play-action game. Needless to say, stopping the run will be priority one this week.
Stopping the run.
On paper, this looks like a good matchup for the Eagles defense who have allowed a league lowest 63.0 rush yards per game. However, Philadelphia's opponents through the first five weeks of the season haven't posed anywhere near the threat the Vikings do on the ground.
| Opponent | Rush Yds/ G | Rank |
| Washington Redskins | 68.8 | 27th |
| Atlanta Falcons | 67.6 | 28th |
| Detroit Lions | 120.5 | 13th |
| Green Bay Packers | 93.0 | 23rd |
| New York Jets | 66.0 | 30th |
Jim Schwartz unit can take some solace in the fact that they held the best rushing offense they've faced, the Detroit Lions, to just 86 yards. That number would be even more impressive if not for a 44 yard run from J.D. McKissic. Still, the Philly defense hasn't yet done battle with a ground game so potent, and there is some risk of being outmatched. The Vikings' offensive line is one of the few teams that can go toe to toe with the Eagles' staunch run defense.
| Vikings O | Rank* | Eagles D | Rank* |
| Rush Yds/ G | 166.4 | 3rd | 63.0 | 1st |
| Yds/ ATT | 5.44 | 3rd | 3.2 | 2nd |
| Run DVOA | 10.0% | 6th | -21.0% | 4th |
| Adj. Line Yards | 4.97 | 6th | 2.90 | 1st |
| RB Yards | 5.87 | 2nd | 2.81 | 1st |
| Power Success | 67% | 16th | 67% | 14th |
| Stuffed | 15% | 9th | 32% | 1st |
| 2nd Level | 1.55 | 3rd | 0.56 | 1st |
| Open Field | 1.82 | 3rd | 0.65 | 10th |
In the chart above, strength matches strength. The Eagles have a slight edge in adjusted line yards that is more than made up for by Dalvin Cook's incredible vision and elusiveness (RB yards). The biggest advantage the Eagles have is in the "stuffed" category. To slow down the Vikings rushing attack, it goes without question that the Eagles will need to make plays in the backfield. If not, the worry is that Minnesota will capitalize on second-level and open field yards, which they have all season. While Philadelphia has limited second-level yards so far in 2019, they have been less efficient limiting open field yards. Zach Brown and Nigel Bradham cannot afford to miss tackles, and the secondary will have to do a near-perfect job in run support.
The next two charts demonstrate exactly how the Vikings will attack Jim Schwartz's defense. It will come as no surprise that Minnesota leads the league in carries. Gary Kubiak's offenses have always leaned on the run game and the 2019 Vikings are no exception.
| Frequency | Vikings O | Rank* | Eagles D | Rank* |
| RB Carries | 135 | 1st | 85 | 6th |
| Left End | 19% | 3rd | 19% | 1st |
| Left Tackle | 19% | 3rd | 9% | 25th |
| Mid/Guard | 33% | 32nd | 40% | 29th |
| Right Tackle | 16% | 10th | 15% | 10th |
| Right End | 14% | 6th | 16% | 4th |
It will also come as no surprise that, in a stretch/ outside zone run scheme, Minnesota generally hands the football off on a wide track. Last in the league in attacking the middle of a defense, that won't change facing Fletcher Cox this week. This isn't news for Jim Schwartz. For years teams have shied away from attacking the middle of the Eagles defense and this year has been no different. Opponents have instead preferred to target the left side, where some new faces at defensive end have created somewhat of a weakness. Derek Barnett has always been a prolific pass rusher, but his run defense is a work in progress. Alternatively, Vinny Curry has been stalwart against the run his entire career, but is getting older and is seeing less of the field.
The Philadelphia defense has also been targeted on the other side of the defensive line as well. However, as you'll see from the chart below, it has been to varying success.
| Adj. Line Yards | Vikings O | Rank* | Eagles D | Rank* |
| Left End | 5.55 | 8th | 4.54 | 18th |
| Left Tackle | 5.19 | 12th | 2.71 | 4th |
| Mid/Guard | 4.26 | 21st | 2.53 | 1st |
| Right Tackle | 5.45 | 4th | 4.78 | 21st |
| Right End | 5.02 | 9th | 0.27 | 4th |
*Does not include statistics from the Thursday night game between NYG and NE.
Essentially, the Vikings have been proficient at picking up chunks of yardage in any direction they decide to run the football. However, they are somewhat less potent when forced to attack the middle of the defense. This also limits how creative they can be in their play-action as they will not be able to stress the defense laterally as much as they would like. This will be the key for the Eagles. In a perfect world, it will look like:
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Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Unfortunately, Philly is the 18th ranked run defense when offenses run at the left end, and 21st behind the right tackle. The deficiency on the right side of the defense (left end) can be explained by Barnett's learning curve.
On the left side, it's a bit more difficult to explain. Brandon Graham is a hyper-active, athletic defensive end, which makes it difficult for teams to round the edge and get outside of him. Hence the 4th ranked right end placement. Therefore, what opponents often do is stretch him to the boundary and run underneath him. Because the defensive tackles' job in the defense is to get upfield, that leaves a nice gap that offenses can exploit. It puts all the pressure on the linebackers to step up and fill the gaps. In a zone run scheme, with ample cut back lanes, this can be difficult. Bradham and Brown will have to continue to fly at the ball carrier and Nathan Gerry will have to have the game of his life in run support.
In reality, it is only a matter of time before Dalvin Cook rounds the edge of your defense. There are many solutions to this problem, but the one that requires the least amount of game planning is asking the secondary to define the edge. Orlando Scandrick, Malcolm Jenkins, Sidney Jones, Rasul Douglas and whoever else is lined up outside of the box will have to cut off the outside angle. Moreover, the backside slot corner, or safety will have to squeeze down on the backside edge to limit cutback lanes. In all, the Eagles will have to condense their defense to force Cook up the middle. That puts a lot of pressure on the inside corners in run support, but that is something Jim Schwartz has always stressed in his defenses.
However, it does open the Philadelphia secondary up for play-action pass.
Defending the pass.
When defending the pass, the first order of business will be finding a way to contain Adam Thielen. The Vikings have only thrown for 5 touchdowns, with Thielen being the recipient of 4. Knowing the Eagles' pass defense is their weakness, Minnesota will try to test the secondary early and often. With Avonte Maddox out of the lineup, it is all up to veteran slot corner Orlando Scandrick. He was a revelation against a weak Jets offense and will need to keep that confidence rolling against one of the best slot receivers in the game.
Over the last few years, the Eagles have struggled to defend play-action pass. Because of their heavy commitment to stop the run, corners are often found looking in the backfield. With the Vikings' reliance on outside runs, and the aforementioned pressure that puts on the slot corners and strong safety, the Philadelphia secondary will need to remain disciplined -- something that's easier said than done.
However, there is a secondary concern (
no pun intended) when facing the Vikings' passing offense. It's been mentioned how dangerous Cook can be with the ball in his hands in open space. Minnesota has registered 231 receiving yards on 29/38 passing when targeting their running backs. While that hasn't been forefront in their offense, the Vikings will have to get the ball out of Kirk Cousin's hands quickly and one of the ways to do so is using quick passes and screens to the running back. Philadelphia has allowed 257 receiving yards to running backs, 8th most in the NFL. They have also allowed 34 receptions out of the backfield (6th most) on 44 targets (5th).
Much of the Vikings success has been due to a crafty screen game that builds off of play-action. Luckily, the Eagles have one of the savviest defenders in the NFL on their side. Although he's often matched up with tight ends, with Kyle Rudolph being relatively ineffective so far this season, it would not be surprising to see more of Malcolm Jenkins covering the halfbacks. While Jenkins may not have the sheer athleticism to chase Cook all over the field, he is rarely caught out of position and he is a sure tackler.
When the Vikings do decide to dump the ball off to Dalvin, the key will be tackling. Too often Cook is met by a defender early in the play only to escape for a big gain. This cannot be the case if the Eagles are to find success defensively.
Red zone defense.
Even with all the best-laid intentions, the goal for the Philly defense won't be to completely shut down Dalvin Cook, but instead to contain him. One of the ways the Eagles can do this is by limiting touchdowns. So far this season, they have been one of the best red zone defenses in the NFL. Although the numbers may not reflect just how special they have been (allowing a TD on 50% of opponent's red zone possessions), their performance has been nothing short of spectacular. Although they have allowed some easy ones, the defense seems to buckle down when the going gets tough.
The Vikings' red zone offense has been a mixed bag. Scoring touchdowns on just 60.00% of their red-zone possessions, they capitalized on just 40% of such possessions against the Giants last week. Unfortunately for the Eagles, they have been much better at home, where that number jumps to 85.7%. Three of Dalvin Cook's touchdowns have been runs from less than 3 yards out. In the extended red zone (10-20 yards), the Vikings offense is susceptible to sputter. Philadelphia will have to limit the Minnesota offense to field goals early in the game.
That's because one of the most plausible ways of limiting the Vikings run game doesn't even fall on the defense.
Jumping out to an early lead
Something that has eluded the Eagles all season, jumping out to an early lead in Minnesota will be essential. It forces the ball into Kirk Cousins' hands, which is something all Eagles fans like to see. Minnesota is 6th in first-half points per game, registering 14.0 per game. If the Eagles can limit those two scores to field goals and score a touchdown of their own, that makes a 14-0 game a much more manageable 7-6 game. Against a very potent rushing attack, Philadelphia cannot afford to get too far behind in the early goings.
Statistics provided by Football Outsiders and Team Rankings.
Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
