The Philadelphia Eagles will play against the Minnesota Vikings at their home on Monday night to conclude Week 2 of the NFL regular season. The stakes for this game are very high as both teams are considered very good after both have gotten impressive wins. At the same time, the Eagles beat the Detroit Lions. With a more impressive performance, the Vikings completely overpowered the Green Bay Packers and their star quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Not only did the Vikings’ defense play amazingly well, but the Vikings’ offense performance was also through the roof.
What is At Stake?
Since we are only in the starting weeks of the season, we are currently analyzing modes. However, from a statistical point of view, the teams who started their season with 2-0 got a chance of reaching the playoffs 63.1 percent of the time. On the other hand, the teams with a 1-1 start have only a 37.2 percent chance of reaching the playoffs. However, as we stated above, we are still in the earlier weeks, and it’s very hard to say anything concerning the NFL playoffs. For now, it would be more of a battle of division dominancy. We know these teams are in a highly comparative division, so whoever wins the game will be on the leaderboard in their respective divisions.
Teams Stats: Offense and Defense
The Vikings are currently ranked at seven in terms of overall offense, out of which 269 yards were passing yards while they rushed the ball 126 times. However, we are only two weeks, and at this stage, it’s hard to predict anything about the defensive side of the teams. While the Vikings’ defense shut down the Packers completely on the ground and in the air, the Eagles’ defense slightly struggled against the Lions.
However, one thing that should be kept in mind is that the Lions’ offense has remained a topic of interest all off-season and how Lions head coach Dan Campbell is willing to give with everything he got, which showed in the Vikings vs. Lions game. Still, the Eagles managed to give up only 338 yards and could completely contain the Lions’ wideouts.
Vikings Keys To The Game
At this point, it has become a very easy formula. As long as Cousins manage to throw the ball successfully to Justin Jefferson, the Vikings will find success. Adam Theilen and Dalvin Cook can fill in the remaining gaps. Minnesota has to keep the possession as much as they can if they want to beat the Eagles, and that can only be done if Cook can move the ball successfully. Cook must find a way to overpower Nakobe Dean, Hasson Reddick, and Kyzir White.
Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter are both very good edge rushers and can become a nightmare for the opposing quarterbacks; however, that’s where the Eagles might get an edge because they got a quarterback who can easily run for 70+ yards in a game without breaking a sweat. So, for the Vikings to succeed in this matchup, they must contain Jalen Hurts.
Eagles Keys To The Game
For the Eagles to dominate the game, they need to ensure that Jefferson is contained and cannot break open, especially down the field. Their top edge rushers Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat need to consistently put pressure on Cousins throughout the game, and they are capable of it.
But more than anything, Jalen Hurts must play his usual game. He needs to read the defense and plan accordingly. With AJ Brown at their side, Jalen Hurts can be seen in the same positions we are used to seeing Patrick Mahomes in, and Hurts is capable of it.
He can break off the pocket, throw while running, sprint towards the first down, break off the line, and just run to the open space. Hurts can do it all. Hurts’ deep passing is not as good as Mahomes’; however, still, he can make decent throws. So, if Hurts can play well, the Eagles have a good chance of winning this game.
Verdict: Prediction On The Game
The Eagles will win although, we believe that this game will go down to the final minutes, in the end, the odds are favoring the Eagles. Even since Wentz left the Eagles, they have been building and creating offense and offensive schemes for Hurts, and last year the Eagles’ offense actually showed lots of improvement. In the past off-season, they have upgraded their offense and defense. As of now, they are one of the fewest teams in the league that can be called a complete team. We know how far the Eagles will go in the season but after week 2 they will be 2-0.
Eagles 35, Vikings 27
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