NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) will do battle against the Minnesota Vikings (0-1) Thursday night in what is slowly becoming a good rivalry. The Eagles are fresh off a win against the New England Patriots while the Vikings suffered a defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
For the Eagles, the game plan is simple. Do not let Kirk Cousins torch them the same way Mac Jones did Sunday for 300+ yards. They must find a way to get their playmakers the ball and get back to what made them a Super Bowl team last season and that is running the ball with authority.
Here are 3 keys to victory for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Philadelphia Eagles Must Stick To The Run
The key to winning for the Philadelphia Eagles is not so much relying on Jalen Hurts. The Eagles have a plethora of RBs yet, they still struggled to find that identity against the New England Patriots on Sunday. While they did rush for 97 yards, that was nowhere near the production they had last season.
The Vikings can move the ball and the Eagles don’t need to get into a shootout with Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson. The Eagles’ offense rushed the ball just 25 times and 9 of those belonged to Hurts. Last season, running the ball was a way for the Eagles to wear defenses down and keep the opposing offense off the field, which almost backfired Sunday. The Vikings surrendered just 73 yards on 33 carries to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday afternoon. The Eagles would be wise to use the ground-and-pound technique Thursday Night.
Eagles Must Find Dallas Goedert
Ignoring Dallas Goedert is almost the same as the Kansas City Chiefs not utilizing Travis Kelce. Goedert is a huge part of the Eagles offense and in their first game this season, he was missing. Coming off a season where he caught 55 passes in 12 games, Goedert figured to be a huge part of their success in 2023. However, he finished the game against the Pats with just 0 catches on 1 target. Brian Johnson has to do better at getting one of his best receivers the ball.
The Minnesota Vikings don’t have the LBs to cover Goedert across the middle. This could be the game where he gets back on track. Against the Buccaneers, the Buccaneers targeted their TE’s 6 times. But none are on the same level as Goedert. While he’s also a strong blocker, he’s still better suited roaming the middle of the field or making acrobatic catches along the sidelines. He needs to see more touches.
Eagles Must Convert 3rd downs
The Philadelphia Eagles almost let the game against the Patriots slip away because they couldn’t convert 3rd down. The Eagles’ offense was a dismal 4-13 on 3rd downs. Against the Vikings, that won’t cut it as their offense is more potent than the Pats. If they fall behind, they may force the Eagles to air it out and by not using Goedert properly, this will put them in a hole they may not be able to recover from.
Too many times, the Eagles were quick to try quick dump-offs but fell short. With a hefty stable of RBs, coupled with the legs of Jalen Hurts, the Eagles should be one of the best teams in the NFL in 3rd down conversions. 4-13 may cut it against the Patriots, but against the Minnesota Vikings, they very well could find themselves 1-1.
