The Minnesota Vikings continue to find a way to be disappointing to the fans as they lose to the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 34-28.
Yes, the Vikings found a way to cover the 6.5-point spread but they did so while trying to recover from losing four fumbles and allowing the Eagles to get a 20-point lead in the process.
Buy Vikings TicketsIt’s difficult to parse these games out because the Vikings overall played well despite the turnovers, but they are 0-2. If they figure out how to not turn the ball over, they can be really good.
These are the studs and duds from Thursday’s disappointing loss.
Stud: OLB Danielle Hunter
From the start of the game, Danielle Hunter has been all over the place. He has gotten in the face of Jalen Hurts multiple times with an excellent, diverse pass rush. He was also causing issues in the running game, forcing Hurts to break a certain direction with his explosiveness. Hunter has proven so far that he’s worth his contract.
In the fourth quarter with the Vikings down by 13, Hunter got sacks on back-to-back plays to knock the Eagles out of field goal range, keeping the game within two scores.
Dud: RB Alexander Mattison
The Vikings running game has been a struggle so far this season and it continued on Thursday night. Alexander Mattison was signed to be the starting running back for the Vikings and he hasn’t lived up to that contract yet.
In the first quarter, the Vikings had just forced a turnover and he took the handoff and fumbled the ball himself. A really poor showing from Mattison.
Stud: WR Jordan Addison
The Vikings needed a running mate for Justin Jefferson badly. T.J. Hockenson has been good, but more was needed on the outside. Having someone who can man up on the outside with a cornerback.
Through two weeks, Jordan Addison has shown up as that secondary option the Vikings have been lacking. He caught a 39-yard post route for a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a 62-yard post route against the Eagles. His crisp routes with deep speed will continue to make an impact.
Dud: NFL rule book
In the NFL, you can’t fumble the ball forward to advance it, but you can fumble it forward and have it change possessions. How does that make any sense?
That is what happened to the Vikings at the end of the second quarter against the Eagles. Jefferson caught a 30-yard corner route before fumbling it over the pylon resulting in him fumbling through the end zone. By rule, that is a touchback for the opposing team. It’s a dumb rule that needs to be changed.
Stud: WR Justin Jefferson
What else can we say about Justin Jefferson that hasn’t already been said. He set the record for the fastest player to ever get to 5,000 receiving yards and continued to dominate the Eagles secondary. Darius Slay didn’t stifle him like he did last season. Jefferson finished the game with
Dud: Vikings run defense
After an excellent performance in week one, the defense looked really good. Heck, after the first half, it looked really good. At the end of the first half, the Eagles exposed the Vikings run defense and that was a problem. They demolished the Vikings to the tune of 259 yards on the ground with D’Andre Swift gaining 175 of them. The defensive like looked paltry and exposed and it could be a major problem.
Stud: QB Kirk Cousins
Don’t let the score or the strip sack (which was partially on Cousins) fool you. Kirk Cousins played a really good game. He was making throws down the field and attacking all levels of the field without putting the ball in harms way. He finished 31-43 for 364 yards and four touchdowns while standing in a collapsing pocket consistently. Despite the 0-2 start, it’s difficult to pin a lot of the blame on Cousins, especially after this performance.
