The Eagles have multiple primetime matchups, and the Week 2 contest against the Vikings will be the first of two Monday night appearances for one of the NFL’s biggest draws.
There will be immense talent on the field for both teams on each side of the ball, but who ultimately is the most talented roster for this matchup?
Philadelphia has made critical upgrades on defense, while new head coach Kevin O’Connell has Minnesota approaching their scheme with more innovation.
With the Sunday afternoon slate of games set to start, here is a breakdown of the position matchups for both teams.
QB -- Even
Both players do many things well, and both quarterbacks beat you differently.
When Kirk Cousins is on, he’ll shred you and has three of the NFL’s top offensive weapons.
For Philadelphia, Hurts is the ultimate dual-threat, and you can argue that his Eagles have even more offensive weapons.
RB -- Even
Minnesota has one of the NFL’s top overall running backs, while Philadelphia has a trio that’s the best in the NFL.
WR -- Eagles
Some pundits will look to give Minnesota the advantage, but after Jefferson and Thielen, there’s a clear dropoff in talent.
The Eagles have a star in A.J. Brown, a budding star in DeVonta Smith, and a weapon in Quez Watkins.
Advantage Philly at home.
TE -- Eagles
Philadelphia has a clear advantage, with Goedert among the top five at the position. Minnesota will counter with Irv Smith Jr.
OL -- Eagles
The Eagles have the NFL’s top offensive line and will look to take advantage of apparent mismatches.
For the Vikings, Garrett Bradbury is among the NFL’s best at the center position, and Christian Darrisaw is an emerging player at left tackle.
Defensive line -- Eagles
Philadelphia gets the edge because they have more weapons and more natural defensive linemen.
The Eagles can play a 3-4 or 4-3 look, while Minnesota plays a conventional 3-4 look, and their interior trio of Jonathan Bullard, Ross Blacklock, Harrison Phillips, and Dalvin Tomlinson simply doesn’t match up.
Linebackers -- Vikings
Philadelphia has improved tremendously after adding Haason Reddick, Kyzir White, and Nakobe Dean to the lineup.
Minnesota is talented at multiple positions, with Za’Darius Smith, Jordan Hicks, Eric Kendricks, and Danielle Hunter among the best at their positions.
Defensive Back -- Eagles
Harrison Smith is still one of the best safeties in the NFL.
Minnesota will counter Philadelphia’s passing game at cornerback with veteran Patrick Peterson and Cameron Dantzler.
Former Georgia safety Lewis Cine will make his NFL debut for the Vikings and be a player to watch.
Defensive back is now a strength for Philadelphia, and they’re deep at multiple positions.
The Eagles will counter the Vikings high powered passing attack with Darius Slay, James Bradbury, and Avonte Maddox at the cornerback spots with Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps on the backend.
