“Eagles Soar Against the Odds: How Philly Defied Sluggish Start to Victory!”
The Eagles are slow, the Vikings make a mistake, but Philadelphia manages to win.
In Philly The Philadelphia Eagles (Philly) came alive in the second half of their “Thursday Night Football” game against the Minnesota Vikings, winning 34-28 thanks to the efforts of running back D’Andre Swift of Philadelphia (Philly) and wide receiver DeVonta Smith of Philly.
In the first half, neither team appeared to be properly coordinated. The Vikings recorded four lost turnovers, while the Philadelphia Eagles (Philly) defense made stops and their offense hammered the field with run plays to dominate overall time of possession. What to know about each team’s performance is listed below:
Eagles of Philly
Philadelphia’s (Philly’s) running attack was the only certainty in an otherwise unpredictable contest between the Eagles and Minnesota Vikings.
In Philly The Eagles’ passing attack, which was ineffective for the second week in a row, was countered by their more than 250 yards of rushing and two scores from Jalen Hurts of Philly. The performance of D’Andre Swift of Philly, who carried for a career-high 175 yards, was one of the more encouraging developments for the Eagles of Philly.
Since LeSean McCoy’s 217 rush yards in 2013, the Eagles of Philly have not rushed for as many yards. While Kenneth Gainwell was out with rib injuries, he carried the load.
The most spectacular part of the game was Philly’s first-half 16-play, 75-yard drive that included 13 runs. Hurts is currently tied with Cam Newton for the most during a quarterback’s first 50 career games, he has 28 career rushing touchdowns.
Although it hasn’t always looked good, the Eagles of Philadelphia (Philly) are 2-0. That holds true especially for the passing game, which has sputtered for extended periods of time. However, the defense produced three takeaways, and Philadelphia (Philly) was able to rely back on the run when it mattered — a luxury that will be useful going forward.
DeVonta Smith of Philadelphia (Philly) had a breakout game, recording four catches for 131 yards and a touchdown, including two catches of more than 50 yards each. Darius Slay, a cornerback, said that it won’t take long for Smith to be regarded as the league’s top receiver. Although it’s too early to include him in that discussion, all indications point to Smith having a career year.
shocking statistic Hurts has scored 10 running touchdowns on quarterback sneaks overall since the start of the previous season, seven more than any other quarterback (including playoffs). The “tush push” has been crucial: Over the last two seasons, including the playoffs, Hurts has now converted 34 of 36 sneaks when pushed by teammates. In that period, no other QB had more than 10 push sneaks.
With four catches for 131 yards and a touchdown, including two catches of more than 50 yards each, DeVonta Smith had a breakout day. Cornerback Darius Slay predicted that Smith of Philadelphia (Philly) would quickly surpass all other receivers in the NFL. Even if it’s too soon to bring Smith of Philly up in that conversation, all signs point to him having a great year.
startling number Since the start of the previous season, Hurts has scored 10 running touchdowns on quarterback sneaks, seven more than any other quarterback (including the playoffs). The importance of the “tush push is that Hurts has now successfully completed 34 of 36 sneaks when pushed by teammates over the course of the last two seasons, including the playoffs.
the past two seasons, including the playoffs, teammates. In that period, no other QB had more than 10 push sneaks.
Important play: With the Eagles leading 13-7 in the third quarter, defensive end Josh Sweat came off the edge and stripped Kirk Cousins of the ball. In order to set up a Hurts touchdown run, Fletcher Cox recovered the ball and ran to Minnesota’s 7-yard line. For Minnesota, that was the beginning of the end.
Timothy McManus
Vikings of Minnesota
It wasn’t just the Eagles who defeated the Vikings. They failed to provide themselves with a chance to win for the second time in as many games this season.
Receiver Justin Jefferson lost one of the three fumbles the Vikings lost in the first half as he attempted to extend the ball into the end zone, and finished the game with four. The Vikings were the first NFL team since 2003 to lose six fumbles in the first two games of a season.
Who knows how the Vikings holding the ball would have fared in this game or the one last week. Despite the errors, they succeeded in turning a 27-7 halftime deficit into a one-scoring game twice in the fourth quarter.
They are currently 0-2 and have upcoming games against two of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks, Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes, as well as one of the league’s best teams overall, the San Francisco 49ers. Before the season slips away, the Vikings will need to find solutions quickly.
Unsettling pattern: In neither game this season, the Vikings have had anything like a running game. They haven’t really tried, to be honest, and it’s only fair to remember their choice to replace longstanding backup Alexander Mattison with former starter Dalvin Cook in June.
A week after collecting 34 yards on 11 carries, Mattison only managed 28 yards on eight carries on Thursday night. On Thursday night, Mattison was also responsible for another fumble by the Vikings.
The biggest flaw in the strategy was that the Vikings were unable to stop the Eagles’ running game. Swift, the Eagles’ backup starter, finished with 175 yards, and by taking advantage of an odd and ultimately failed defensive stance, the team ran for 259 yards altogether.
The Vikings’ primary defense now consists of three safeties, and for the majority of the first three quarters, they used defensive fronts with either two, one, or occasionally no defensive linemen. The Eagles had a tremendous physical advantage up front, and they made the most of it.
Important play: Jefferson tied the NFL record for the fewest games played (52) to accumulate 5,000 receiving yards in a career. Additionally, he made history by being the first NFL player since 2011 to have 150 or more receiving yards in each of his opening two games of the season. However, the play he was unable to make on Thursday night seemed to change the course of events.
Following a 30-yard reception in the second quarter, Jefferson lost control as he strained to get the ball across the goal line. Replay analysis proved that the ball crossed the pylon, leading to a touchback and a turnover.
