The Minnesota Vikings lost to the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 34-28 on Thursday night.
Buy Vikings TicketsDue to the short turnaround time, some sloppy play from a team on Thursday night can be understandable. However, there is never a good reason for getting dominated physically like Minnesota has tonight.
Not enough adjustments were made, so many plays were left on the field.
This was a chance for the Minnesota Vikings to both bounce back from a disappointing loss on Sunday and cement themselves as a team to take seriously in 2023.
Instead, they fall to 0-2 and actively seek some sort of rhythm to
Stock Up: Justin Jefferson
How much further can Justin Jefferson’s stock rise? Nobody knows if there is more room, but if there is, there shouldn’t be.
Jefferson’s 11 receptions on 14 targets and 159 yards carved up this depleted Philadelphia secondary. He became the youngest player to gain 5,000 total yards, tied for the fewest games played to reach 5,000 yards and outgained every Chicago Bears receiver ever in just his fourth season.
If there is anything that you take away from this game, take away that Jefferson will continue to be electric week after week for these Vikings.
Stock down: Offensive line depth
The offensive line is getting thin after another key injury to the offensive line. Garrett Bradbury was listed as inactive, but Christian Darrisaw was not. However, Darrisaw played one snap and then sat for the rest of the game as an emergency option. Minnesota got one step closer to that doomsday situation.
Oli Udoh suffered a significant knee injury in the third quarter and will likely not be back for a while. This offensive line has had enough struggles without the depletion of their rotational pieces.
Darrisaw will more than likely return next game against the Los Angeles Chargers, but this line is slowly deteriorating around quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Stock up: Kirk Cousins
Speaking of Cousins, the narrative around Cousins is that he won’t show up in the big games. He won’t perform when the lights are brightest. Yet, here he is, willing this offense down the field and back into the game.
Cousins ended the game going 31-of-44 with 364 yards and four touchdowns.
Nobody likes to be a part of a team that’s struggling, but Cousins has these guys playing hard despite the ball not bouncing their way. Cousins stands back there and takes hit after hit, delivering strikes, attempting to keep his team in this ball game.
Praise is in order for Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson for their efforts, as well.
Stock down: Physicality
Philadelphia dominated the line of scrimmage, and the numbers show it.
Philadelphia dominated the rushing battle with 259 yards to Minnesota’s 28. D’Andre Swift had 175 yards by himself.
They dominated time of possession with 39 minutes and 28 seconds, almost doubling Minnesota’s 20 minutes and 32 seconds.
Minnesota allowed ten more quarterback hits for their quarterback and two more sacks, including a crucial strip sack.
Stock up: Passing defense
While Philadelphia dominated the ground, they did not have the same success through the air. Brian Flores had Jalen Hurts flustered throughout the game.
Jalen Hurts went 18-of-23 for 193 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The last time that Jalen Hurts threw for under 200 yards in back-to-back weeks was when he played the Indianapolis Colts and Green Bay Packers at the end of November last season.
Flores’ ability to disguise his intentions on defense made life difficult for Hurts in the first half of the game.
Stock down: Discipline
Fool me one time, shame on you.
Fool me twice, let’s just say that it’s not just your fault this time.
How many times can this team fumble the football before a change happens? The last team to start the first two games with seven turnovers was the 2004 Washington Redskins. They ended up 6-10, missed the playoffs and were picking in the top ten in the following draft.
It’s only two games, but this team’s lack of discipline is no longer becoming a problem. It is a problem. K.J. Osborn’s drops while the Vikings are trying to fight back into the game, miscommunications between Akayleb Evans and Harrison Smith leaving DeVonta Smith wide open down the field for a 63-yard touchdown. These are only a few examples of things that must be cleaned up with the mini-bye week coming up.
Minnesota got dominated on several fronts in this game, and the schedule is not getting any easier. Kevin O’Connell has a lot of work to do in the next ten days leading up to their showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers on the 24th.
