NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) will take on the Minnesota Vikings (3-2) this Sunday in a battle of two of the top teams in the NFC. The Eagles are coming off 2 straight losses against the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants, while the Vikings are coming off their bye week following a loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Vikings will look to have a field day against a struggling Eagles defense, and the Eagles will be looking to get their offense back on track. Will Saquon Barkley find his groove, or will the offense continue to shoot itself in the foot? Both teams entered the season with Super Bowl hopes, and while this is just Week 7, a win or loss here could catapult either team in a direction that could define their season.
Here are 3 keys to victory for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Minnesota Vikings.
Get To The QB
As of today, there is still no word on who will start for the Vikings at QB. JJ McCarthy is coming off an injury and is expected to be ready, but the Vikings have not stated they will depart from using Carson Wentz as their starter against the Eagles in Week 7. No matter who is under center for the Vikings, the Eagles’ pass rush must find a way to provide pressure. The Eagles are thin at Edge Rusher, and things got worse with the surprising retirement of Za’Darius Smith this week.
For the Eagles to walk away wth a win, they will need to put Wentz or McCarthy on their backs. At some point, Fangio has to get his guys in attack mode. For the season, the Eagles only have 9 sacks as a team. While Wentz is a veteran and McCarthy is in what should be described as his rookie season, the Eagles should be able to get to the QB no matter who it is. Even with their great receivers on the outside, pressure will cause them to make mistakes, and the secondary should take advantage.
Get Help For CB2
The Eagles’ pass defense continues to get shredded this season. Even with Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the secondary, opposing offenses have had a field day against the Eagles. Now, they will have to match up against Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, who can and will carve up a defense with ease, no matter who the QB is. They are just hard to cover.
The issue with the Eagles’ secondary is whoever is lining up opposite side of Mitchell. Adoree’ Jackson and Kelee Ringo have failed at the position created with the departure of Darius Slay. Neither player has had a great year, and opposing QBs have attacked them often. Not many balls are being thrown the way of Mitchell, and Vic Fangio will need to find a way to get those guys help. Maybe keep DeJean and Reed Blankenship over to that side with over-the-top help.
Run The Damn Ball
At some point, the real Saquon Barkley will emerge. Well, let’s correct that statement. At some point, the real offensive line of the Philadelphia Eagles will emerge. The Eagles are not running the ball as they did last seaosn or any of the past 3 seasons. The offensive line is not a cohesive unit at this point, with injuries, and the running game is suffering because of it.
The Vikings are giving up yards on the ground like a Soup Kitchen hands out free food. Is this the game where Barkley reminds everyone who he is? Barkley has yet to reach 100 yards rushing in a game this season, while the Vikings’ run defense has yielded 132 yards per game to RBs not on Barkley’s level. Run the damn ball.
