The Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) and the Minnesota Vikings (3-2)are both at a crossroads as they play in this high-profile game between the defending Super Bowl champions and one of the elite NFC contenders. The Eagles looked dominant early on with with four straight victories to start the season, but they have lost consecutive games to the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants. The loss to the Giants was hard to fathom, since the Giants took it to them physically and registered a 34-17 victory.
The Vikings are coming off their bye week after consecutive games in Ireland and England. Head coach Kevin O'Connell's team needed the time off to get over jet lag and give their injured players a chance to recover.
The Eagles have been struggling on offense under first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. The Eagles have the best running back in the league Saquon Barkley, but he has not looked like the back who gain 2,005 rushing yards last year. He has pedestrian totals through the team's first six games with 95 carries for 325 yards and 3 touchdowns. His 3.42 yards per carry mark comes on the heels of a remarkable performance in which he averaged 5.8 yards per carry.
The Eagles have multiple weapons, but their first priority in this game is making sure Barkley gets his opportunity to show off his skills against a run defense that is allowing 132.2 yards per game and ranks 24th in the league. A decent performance by the Philadelphia offensive line and a determined effort by Barkley will result in 90-plus rushing yards and 1 rushing TD.
Justin Jefferson will pierce Eagles, no matter who starts at QB
The Vikings have a pair of injuries at the quarterback position. Starting QB J.J. McCarthy is still recovering from a high ankle sprain that kept him out of the two games in Europe. Veteran backup Carson Wentz has performed adequately in his absence — he has engineered two victories in three starts — but he has a left shoulder injury that will keep him from performing at 100 percent.
O'Connell had not named a starter by mid-week, but he had indicated that he was likely to keep McCarthy on the bench until he was fully healthy. It seems likely that Wentz will get the opportunity to play against his former team. He may have some soreness and pain, but he is determined to show off his accuracy and decision-making skills.
He certainly has a slew of excellent weapons on his side and the Vikings wide receivers are going to cause significant issues for the Eagles defense. The combination of wideouts Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison along with tight end T.J. Hockenson should be able to take advantage of a defense that ranks 19th in points allowed and has been giving up key plays through the air.
Look for Jefferson to lead the way for the Vikings and he can get the best of the Eagles secondary. Philadelphia is hoping that cornerback Quinyon Mitchell can play well, but he is still feeling the impact of a hamstring injury. He may not be at his best in this game. If Mitchell is limited and the Eagles are forced to play both Adoree Jackson and Kelee Ringo at the cornerback spots, Jefferson should have an explosive game with 125 receiving yards and a TD.
Vikings need to keep Jalen Hurts in check
The Vikings defense will face a major challenge in attempting to keep QB Jalen Hurts from delivering big plays. Hurts has completed 117 of 172 passes for 1,172 yards with 8 TDs and just 1 interception. He also remains the master of the tush push, as he has run for 195 yards and scored five touchdowns.
However, the Eagles passing game has not been dynamic this year and Hurts has missed some key throws to open receivers that would have resulted in big plays.
The Vikings defense is starting to get healthy, and they are likely to have linebacker Blake Cashman back in the lineup. He is the Vikings best overall defensive player. The return of Cashman gives defensive coordinator Brian Flores one of the hardest hitters and most dependable tacklers in the league.
Defensive back Isaiah Rodgers had an interception and a fumble return for a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3, and he could be dangerous against the Eagles. Fellow safety Josh Metellus can play anywhere on defense and it may be difficult for Hurts to figure out how he is going to attack.
Look for the Vikings pass defense to limit Hurts to less than 225 passing yards.
