Tim McManus
Kevin Seifert
Kevin Seifert
ESPN Workers Author
Kevin Seifert is a workers author who covers the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL at ESPN. Kevin has lined the NFL for over 20 years, becoming a member of ESPN in 2008. He was beforehand a beat reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Washington Occasions. He’s a graduate of the College of Virginia. You’ll be able to comply with him by way of Twitter @SeifertESPN.
PHILADELPHIA — Sparked by working again D’Andre Swift and huge receiver DeVonta Smith, the Philadelphia Eagles got here alive within the second half of their “Thursday Night time Soccer” matchup in opposition to the Minnesota Vikings for a 34-28 win in Week 2.
Neither group seemed totally cohesive within the first half. The Eagles’ protection got here up with stops, and their offense pounded the bottom with run performs to dominate general time of possession whereas the Vikings tallied 4 misplaced fumbles. This is what to find out about every group’s efficiency:
Philadelphia Eagles
The one fixed in an in any other case risky sport between the Eagles and Minnesota Vikings was Philly’s floor sport.
The Eagles rushed for greater than 250 yards with a pair of Jalen Hurts touchdowns, offsetting a passing assault that was uneven for a second straight week. One of many extra promising developments was the efficiency of D’Andre Swift, who rushed for a career-high 175 yards. It was essentially the most dashing yards by an Eagle since LeSean McCoy in 2013 (217 rush yards). He carried the load with Kenneth Gainwell (ribs) sidelined.
Essentially the most spectacular sequence got here within the first half when Philadelphia orchestrated a 16-play, 75-yard drive that includes 13 rushes. Hurts now has 28 profession dashing touchdowns, tied with Cam Newton for essentially the most via a QB’s first 50 profession video games.
The Eagles are 2-0, but it surely hasn’t at all times seemed fairly. That is notably true of the passing sport, which has sputtered for prolonged stretches. However the protection generated three takeaways and when it mattered, Philadelphia was capable of lean again on the run — a luxurious that can turn out to be useful transferring ahead.
Purchase a breakout efficiency: DeVonta Smith erupted for 4 catches for 131 yards and a landing, together with a pair of grabs of 50-plus yards. Nook Darius Slay predicted it will not be lengthy till Smith is taken into account the perfect receiver within the league. Whereas it is too early to place him in that dialog, all of the indicators counsel Smith is in retailer for a profession 12 months.
Eye-popping stat: Together with playoffs, Hurts has 10 dashing touchdowns on QB sneaks because the begin of final season, seven greater than another signal-caller. The “tush push” has been key: Hurts has now transformed 34 of 36 sneaks when pushed by teammates the final two seasons together with playoffs. No different QB has greater than 10 push sneaks in that point.
Pivotal play: With the Eagles nursing a 13-7 third-quarter lead, defensive finish Josh Sweat got here off the sting and knocked the ball free from Kirk Cousins. Fletcher Cox recovered and rumbled to Minnesota’s 7-yard line, establishing a Hurts TD plunge. That was the start of the top for Minnesota. — Tim McManus
Subsequent sport: at Buccaneers (7:15 p.m. ET, Sept. 25)
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings did not simply lose to the Eagles. For the second time in as many video games this season, they did not give themselves an opportunity to win.
The Vikings misplaced three fumbles within the first half alone, together with one by receiver Justin Jefferson as he tried to increase the ball into the top zone, and completed with 4 within the sport. Mixed with their sloppy efficiency in a Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Vikings turned the primary NFL group since 2003 to lose six fumbles within the first two video games of a season.
Who is aware of how this sport, or final week’s sport, would have performed out had the Vikings managed to carry on to the ball. Even with the turnovers, they managed to show a 27-7 deficit right into a one-score sport halfway on two totally different events within the fourth quarter. In both occasion, they’re 0-2 with video games looming in opposition to two of the NFL’s high quarterbacks — Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes — together with one in all its finest general groups, the San Francisco 49ers. The Vikings should discover solutions rapidly earlier than the season will get away from them.
Troubling pattern: The Vikings have not had something resembling a working sport in both sport this season. Frankly they’ve hardly tried, and it is solely honest to recall their determination to half methods with former starter Dalvin Prepare dinner in June and substitute him with longtime backup Alexander Mattison.
Mattison managed simply 28 yards on eight carries Thursday evening, per week after gaining 34 yards on 11 carries. Mattison additionally accounted for one of many Vikings’ fumbles Thursday evening.
Largest gap within the sport plan: Then again, the Vikings couldn’t cease the Eagles’ working sport. Substitute starter Swift completed with 175 yards, and the Eagles rushed for 259 general by profiting from an uncommon and in the end unsuccessful defensive alignment.
The Vikings have adopted a three-safety look as their base protection, and so they spent a lot of the primary three quarters utilizing defensive fronts that included both two, one or often no defensive linemen. The Eagles had a unprecedented bodily edge upfront, and so they took benefit of it.
Pivotal play: Jefferson tied the NFL file for fewest variety of video games wanted (52) to succeed in 5,000 profession receiving yards. He additionally turned the primary NFL participant since 2011 to have 150 or extra receiving yards in every of his first two video games of a season. But it surely was a play he was not capable of make that appeared to show the tide Thursday evening. Stretching to succeed in the ball over the purpose line after a 30-yard reception within the second quarter, Jefferson misplaced management. A replay evaluate confirmed that the ball flew over the pylon, which resulted in a touchback and a turnover.
A landing would have given the Vikings a 14-10 lead, however as a substitute the Eagles took over and bought a 61-yard subject purpose from Jake Elliott on the ultimate play of the half to take a 13-7 lead into the locker room. — Kevin Seifert
Subsequent sport: vs. Chargers (1 p.m. ET, Sept. 24)
