First-year Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores had the Eagles right where he wanted them.
With early pressure followed by an eight-man coverage, the Vikings defense did what few teams couldn’t last season, turning the Eagles into a predictable, slow and one-dimensional offense with Jalen Hurts, the league’s best dual-threat quarterback. But that was the story for the first half of Thursday night’s game in Philadelphia—and also a stretch in the fourth quarter.
Before getting to why it wasn’t the entire story, because the final game book won’t reflect it, Flores and the Vikings defense deserve credit for keeping it competitive before the Eagles pulled away to a 34–28 victory at Lincoln Financial Field.
There were probably moments on the Minnesota sideline in which offensive players kept telling their defensive teammates thanks for the help, we’ll get you back, which is easy to believe when it comes from explosive wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, and even quarterback Kirk Cousins, who’s not on Hurts’s level, but has shown throughout his career he’s capable of getting hot at any moment.
But as the turnovers and quarterback hits piled up, the help clearly wasn’t going to come from the offense in a timely matter, not with how backup left tackle Oli Udoh struggled to block the Eagles’ stout pass rushers. And especially not with new starting running back Alexander Mattison repeatedly getting stopped by defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis for two-yard gains.
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After a few quarters, the Vikings’ defense realized—like those $200 you loaned your high school friend who swears he’s going to pay you back—the help wasn’t going to arrive with enough time on the clock. And after two sluggish games from coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense, who knows when the Vikings will be more than just Jefferson and one long touchdown per game from Addison, the rookie first-round pick. Having stud left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who stood on the sideline with an ankle injury, would have helped Thursday. But Darrisaw played in last week’s upset loss to the Buccaneers, and the offensive line allowed two sacks and nine quarterback hits in Week 1.
The Vikings reconstructed their roster this past offseason, which was the right call, even for a team with a 13–4 record. The front office knew last year’s squad got lucky way too many times, with 11 wins coming from one-score games. It appears the Vikings made the wrong decision to overlook the offensive line, but it’s hard to ding them for using their first-round pick on a wide receiver (Addison could one day become a star).
Last year, O’Connell asked for the bare minimum from his defense, with a bend-but-don’t-break play style. They rarely provided that—the Vikings had one of the worst secondaries in recent memory.
But after eight rough quarters to start the 2023 season, including the first quarter in Philadelphia, it was the offense that was bending and often breaking with sacks allowed and turnovers. The Vikings had only 11 yards and one interception from Cousins in the opening quarter. (Minnesota’s special teams also had an early turnover after Brandon Powell fumbled on a punt return).
Despite playing with short fields against one of the most explosive and complex offenses of the 2022 season, the Vikings were the ones frustrating Hurts, only allowing three points on the two early turnovers. Eventually, O’Connell’s offense woke up after Cousins connected with tight end T.J. Hockenson for a five-yard touchdown pass to take a 7–3 advantage with 10:39 in the second quarter.
The Vikings avoided a large first-half deficit because Flores’s aggressive defensive calls provided pressure and confusion for Hurts, who was expecting a blitz on his first interception—the Vikings backed off before Theo Jackson’s first-quarter pick.
With the Vikings refusing to get beat downfield, the Eagles leaned on the running game to enter halftime with a 13–7 lead and 133 rushing yards. Allowing that many yards on the ground isn’t ideal, but at least the Vikings were the ones who set the tone and forced the Eagles to pivot from their offensive plan. And Jake Elliott’s 61-yard field goal as time expired in the opening half wasn’t on the Minnesota defense; that was on Jefferson for fumbling and losing the ball in the end zone to give the Eagles one more possession before heading into the locker room.
Flores’s defense did its part multiple times. After allowing two touchdowns to start the third quarter, the Vikings forced the Eagles to punt on their next two possessions, giving Cousins an opportunity to rally, as the Vikings trimmed the deficit to 27–21 in the fourth quarter.
But Minnesota asked too much from its defense Thursday night. It’s an ironic twist from last season, but at least the 2022 squad won games. These Vikings are 0–2 and have plenty of problems offensively.
