The Minnesota Vikings fell to the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-7, in what was a complete beatdown from start to end. Here we'll look at some takeaways from their Week 2 matchup.
Following their overwhelming Week 1 victory, the Vikings traveled to Philadelphia for Monday Night Football. The lights were glowing brightly, but unfortunately, Kirk Cousins reverted to his old, inconsistent self.
The Eagles took the lead early and never looked back, giving the home fans every reason to erupt. The Vikings were just glad to get out of the city of brotherly love without absolutely humiliating themselves, though one can argue they actually did humiliate themselves.
The Eagles won 24-7 despite a scoreless second half. Kirk Cousins and the offense had to swiftly put this game behind them and find a way to bounce back against the Lions next week. If not, things will get very interesting in Minnesota.
Here are our four takeaways after the Minnesota Vikings' deflating Week 2 loss vs. the Eagles.
4. No answer for Jalen Hurts
Philly QB Jalen Hurts was unstoppable all night. It began with Hurts leading the Eagles offense 82 yards for a three-yard running score to establish a 7-0 lead. The Eagles never looked back after that and went on to dominate the rest of the season.
Hurts was amazing all night. He completed 26-of-31 passes for 333 yards and a passing TD while also rushing for 57 yards and two touchdowns.
He spread the ball out nicely with DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, and Dallas Goedert all receiving enough touches. They were all getting open and taking advantage of yards after the catch on a routine basis.
The Vikings' shutting down Aaron Rodgers in the season opener was a pleasant surprise, but the defense was brought back down to earth here. As good as Hurts is, he had no business gaining close to 400 yards and scoring three touchdowns against the same unit that made Rodgers look pedestrian last week.
3. No D on the ground
More on the Vikings defense. It sure looks like they will spend yet another season attempting to find out how to stop the run. Last week, the Packers ran for 111 yards and averaged 6.2 yards per carry, while the Eagles rushed for 163 yards in Week 2.
All night, Minnesota had no answer for Philly's rushing attack, which contributed to the lopsided time-of-possession totals. That needs to be cleaned up, or else this will be a long season.
This has been a problem for the Vikings for many years. If they can't stop the run, the defense will wear down and give up chunk play after chunk play. This also makes it simpler for quarterbacks who are pushing the ball downfield and will overburden the Vikings' inexperienced secondary.
Looking ahead, Detroit visits Minnesota next week with one of the greatest rushing offenses in the NFL after two weeks. If the Vikings D performs as it did against the Eagles, it will be a horrible game for the home team.
Vikings fans must hope head coach Kevin O'Connell makes the necessary improvements in the future.
2. Vikings receivers were ice cold
Nothing was clicking offensively for the Vikings. They attempted to concentrate on getting Justin Jefferson the ball, but he only caught six receptions for 48 yards. The other wide receivers fared no better. Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn were also virtually unnoticed in this contest.
Despite Jefferson's limitations in this game, it was evident that the club would continue to try to give him the ball. All receivers have quiet weeks, of course. Jefferson's just happened to come against one of the NFL's greatest cornerbacks in Darius Slay.
This was a big issue for an offensive predicated around Jefferson. Sure, Dalvin Cook does his best, but the plain reality is that Jefferson is the offense's only constant threat. Through two games, Thielen has been a non-factor, and Cook isn't generating enough yardage on his own in the ground game. If this squad is going to make a splash, Jefferson will need to put up 100 yards practically every week from now on.
Jefferson, as wonderful as he is, requires assistance from his fellow skill-position guys. Thielen has been nowhere to be found, while Irv Smith Jr. has yet to make a significant impact. This might be a recurring issue for the Vikings this season.
1. Kirk Cousins was bad
Cousins was just terrible all night. He wasn't making good reads, fired too many passes into coverage, and had three interceptions when he could have had six. On Monday Night Football, the Vikings' top quarterback had a classic stinker.
Vikings fans can make whatever excuses up for Cousins, but he was downright awful in Philadelphia. The Vikings had multiple chances to get back into this game, but Cousins couldn't pull it off. He struggled to convert mistakes into points and didn't locate Adam Thielen until late in the game. Given the circumstances, this may have been his worst performance as a Viking.
Cousins did not do himself any favors as a player who is frequently chastised for his performance in primetime games. He has again dropped an utter egg in front of the world, and the Vikings are now tied for fourth place in the NFC North.
Cousins could have made a statement with this game, but he kept folding. He wasn't the only issue, but he was the most glaring.
Minnesota must win these early-season games against playoff-caliber opponents if they are to have a chance to sneak into the playoffs at the end of the season. Losing one in this manner is plainly devastating.