The Vikings and Eagles are in Philly tonight for Thursday Night Football! Both teams got off to less than ideal starts last weekend that they’ll certainly be looking to improve upon. Heading into the game, the Eagles are six-point favorites, and the over/under for total points scored is set at 49.5.
The Vikings
After a tough loss at home to the Buccaneers, things won’t get any easier for Minnesota tonight. Their defence will have a tough time containing the Eagles, which means Kirk Cousins and the offence will need to bring their A game to keep it close. Cousins threw for two touchdowns and 344 yards last week, but the run game was non-existent, producing just 45 yards. If Minnesota can’t threaten Philadelphia on the ground, it’ll be tough to produce against their very talented secondary, even with the best receiver in the league.
As always, getting the ball to Justin Jefferson will be a focus for Minnesota all night. Last week, he tore Tampa Bay up with nine catches for 150 yards. Unfortunately, only two of those catches came in the second half, so the Vikings will need to do a better job of adjusting on offence to continue to get him the rock. When Jefferson isn’t getting the targets, expect to see a lot from tight end T.J. Hockenson and rookie receiver Jordan Addison, who had four grabs for 61 yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut last week. Sticking around with the Eagles in Philadelphia won’t be easy, but with so many weapons around Kirk, this offence can do it if they’re on their game.
The Eagles
Last week’s game against the Patriots didn’t go exactly how the Eagles would have liked it, but they’re still 1-0 heading into tonight. After going up 16-0 in the first quarter, Philly scored just nine points for the remainder of the game and nearly lost after a series of miscues in the final 15 minutes. With the rust hopefully shaken off, they could be in for a big night offensively tonight against a very mediocre Vikings defence.
On both sides of the ball, Philadelphia has one of the most complete rosters in the NFL. There’s a reason they were so close to winning it all last year, and with not much change in the offseason, they’re rightfully being looked at as a top contender once again. I expect to see both their offensive and defensive lines have big nights tonight. With that, Jalen Hurts will have time to spread the ball around, mostly to his two favorite targets, DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown. The running back room may be a little thin without Kenneth Gainwell in the lineup, but Jalen Hurts should make up for some of that with his own running ability.
Vikings and Eagles: The Pick
I like the Eagles to win tonight and score a lot of points. This offence is one of the best in the league, and after a rough first week, they’ll be looking to bounce back strong in front of their home fans. The Vikings and Eagles are both teams that can score a lot, but Philadelphia has a sizeable advantage on defence, and I think we’ll see that tonight. We certainly saw it last year in Week 2, when Philadelphia beat Minnesota 24-7 and held Justin Jefferson to just 48 yards.
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