Entering the 2022 season, Jalen Hurts and Jonathan Gannon were seen as the Eagles’ biggest question marks. Monday night was amazing. Hurts’ improvement is the biggest story to come out of this game. He was sensational out there. The third quarterback made several high-level throws in tight windows. He threw with great accuracy and touch. He made big decisions and looked overall out there. It was the most impressive pass of his career. Oh, and he was pretty awesome as a runner again. At the very least, that was a franchise quarterback performance. If he continues to play at this level, the Eagles may have the NFL MVP under center. Gannon’s defense wasn’t perfect. one can find things to tease about (see: Haason Reddick drops into coverage to set up a Vikings touchdown). Overall, though, there was obviously far more good than bad. After previously being completely destroyed by any kind of competent quarterback, Gannon had answers for Cousins. The Eagles limited Minnesota to just seven points and came up with multiple turnovers. JG was under pressure to perform and found some redemption. Overall, this was a big win for the Eagles. They move to 2-0 with two wins against NFC opponents. They are undefeated entering another big game in Week 3: a road game against the Washington Commanders. Eagles first game against Carson Wentz since trading the guy Hurts replaced. Read on for a recap and stay tuned for BGN coverage after the match.
FIRST WEDNESDAY
The Eagles targeted DeVonta Smith on the first play, who went for a five-yard reception. Who would have guessed the Birds would try to touch him early? Jalen Hurts rolled right and found an open Dallas Goedert for a first down. Miles Sanders’ first carry was 12 yards. Hurts was tackled for no gain to bring up a 3rd and 9. On third down, Hurts found Kenneth Gainwell on the verge of a catch and run to move the chains … but the big play was broken up by Landon Dickerson who he was illegally on the field by far. On 3rd and 13, Hurts stood in the pocket with good coverage and threw a hit to AJ Brown for a first down. Nice throw! Hurts found Zach Pascal short to convert a 3rd and 3. Pascal also had a third down in Detroit last week. is a factor in these situations. Two plays later, Hurts fed through contact to punch it in for a touchdown. Strong movement opening. Weird sequence on the Eagles’ extra point where they had to redo the extra point because the “Vikings’ sidekicks” were on the field. So how was it not a penalty? The Vikings were then penalized for being offsides … but the Eagles rejected the flag instead of trying to go for two points from the 1-yard line. EAGLES 7, VIKINGS 0.
The Vikings’ first drive was a 3-pointer with Darius Slay knocking down a Kirk Cousins pass intended for Justin Jefferson. Jefferson wanted a pass interference call but the refs didn’t give it to him. Slay quickly grabbed Jefferson’s arm… but the refs won’t always say that. Nick Sirianni fired up and ran to celebrate with the defense after the stoppage. Offensive pass interference on DeVonta turned 3rd-and-2 into 3rd-and-12. Hurts was then sacked from behind after holding the ball to force a fumble. Jalen Reagor booed as he lined up to return the Eagles’ first punt … and then cheered after he was tackled by Zech McPhearson for a gain of just one yard. The Vikings reached 3rd and 5 and James Bradbury overthrew a third down to Irv Smith. Strong start for Jonathan Gannon’s defence. The Eagles were called for their fourth offensive penalty on their third drive. It was their third ineligible man down the field with Isaac Seumalo named as the culprit.
SECOND WEDNESDAY
Hurts threw deep to a wide open Quez Watkins, who broke free with a Vikings safety mistakenly helping with Goedert instead of staying with the speedy wide receiver. EAGLES 14, VIKINGS 0.
Jalen Reagor jet sweep on 3rd and 1 for a 17-yard gain … and boos from the crowd at the Linc. The Vikings drove into the red zone and Haason Reddick, who dropped into coverage against backup Johnny Mundt, allowed a 17-yard reception to set up 1st-and-goal at the 2-yard line. Cousins then hit Irv Smith on a short pass for the score. Reddick in coverage is definitely lost. EAGLES 14, VIKINGS 7.
The Eagles reached 3rd and 12 and Hurts was out of bounds, but they were helped by an illegal contact penalty by the Vikings for another set of downs. Hurts’ first fumble came on a play where Goedert was tightly covered and nearly made a catch, but Cameron Dantlzer fumbled the ball away before the tight end established possession. Just a great defensive play to break up a good shot in a tight window. Hurts’ third down pass was completed without the sticks to force a punt. Second offensive move of the night without points.
TJ Edwards knocked down a Cousins third-down pass up the middle to force another three-and-out. Hurts hit DeVonta up the middle on back-to-back plays for gains of 19 and 16 yards. Boston Scott then took a 16-yard draw. Sanders then took a nine-yard draw. Facing 3rd and 2, Hurts took off running … but not just for the first down. Instead of going out, he got a good block by Goedert on Harrison Smith and then powered through contact to extend for a touchdown. Pretty impressive stuff! EAGLES 21, VIKINGS 7.
Josh Sweat sacked Cousins … but grabbed his facemask to wipe the sack. Womp. Cousins was nearly sacked on a deep throw that appeared to be affected by the pressure … but it was almost complete deep to Irv Smith … who instead threw what could have been a touchdown. What a break. Especially for CJ Gardner-Johnson. Cousins’ third down pass was incomplete to set up another stop. Funny how it wasn’t an intentional grounding when no one was even near the ball. The refs said Dalvin Cook was in the zone but … he wasn’t. Not at all.
The Eagles took over at their own 5-yard line with 1:14 left in the second quarter. Hurts threw the ball with a nice touch to a soft spot to find Devonta for a first down. Hurts hit Goedert for a 19-yard catch-and-run down the left sideline. Not sure why the Vikings left him so wide open. Hurts put a big touch on another pass to Goedert over the middle, another high-level throw. That completion set up a 38-yard field goal by Jake Elliott. Huge to get some points on that drive and make it a three possession game. Hard to be more impressed with Hurts! EAGLES 24, VIKINGS 7.
THIRD FOURTH
The Vikings opened the second half by methodically driving into the red zone. But then Javon Hargrave hit Cousins as he dropped to force a bad throw that was intercepted by Darius Slay! After the pick, Slay celebrated by running down the court and handing the ball to James Harden. Philadelphia fans’ imaginations come to life.
The Eagles took over at their own 19-yard line and drove on 3rd-and-5 from the Vikings’ 21-yard line. A false start to Lane Johnson set the Eagles back. The Eagles settled for a 41-yard field goal attempt … which was blocked. Credit to Arryn Siposs for making a tackle to prevent a touchdown.
The Vikings took over at the Eagles’ 24-yard line. And it didn’t matter because Cousins threw another pick, this one to Avonte Maddox.
FOURTH FOURTH
Hurts made a nice throw while rolling left to hit Watkins along the sideline for a big gain. Unfortunately for him, he was eliminated by a penalty held on Jordan Mailata. The Eagles ended up having to punt. The Vikings went on an 11-play, 27-yard drive (how sad) that ended in a fumble after a Fletcher Cox sack.
Hurts threw a screen pass to Gainwell that bounced off his hands and was picked off by… old friend Jordan Hicks. Slay dropped a pick into the end zone. It was like the third or fourth pick of the night for him. Slay then caught the next one that went for a touchback. Game.
The Eagles ran some clock and then the Vikings had garbage time before the game was officially over. Josh Sweat sacked Cousins on the final play of the game.
FINAL SCORE: EAGLES 24, VIKINGS 7.
LINEUP NOTES
Quez Watkins returned to take the kickoff.
INJURIES
AJ Brown was briefly examined on the medical stage midway through the second quarter. However, he wasted no time.
GAME PREVIEW
The Philadelphia Eagles host the Minnesota Vikings in their first game on Monday Night Football. It’s a relatively long matchup between two 1-0 teams at Lincoln Financial Field. The Birds are coming off a win against the Detroit Lions that wasn’t as convincing as many hoped it would be. While there were plenty of positives to take away from that game, concerns remain about Philadelphia’s defense. Can Jonathan Gannon find a way to handle a quarterback who isn’t completely terrible? Kirk Cousins has proven troublesome for the Birds in the past, and right now it’s hard to give Philly’s defensive coordinator the benefit of the doubt. The Vikings look to follow up a big win over the Green Bay Packers with another strong effort. Minnesota’s defense limited the damage Aaron Rodgers could do in Week 1. There could be pressure on the Eagles’ offense to score a lot of points if Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook prove to be as demanding as they appear. The winner of this game will feel really good. They will have a 2-0 record and contend as one of the best teams in the NFC. The loser may think they are good but not good enough. Bleeding Green Nation will be covering this game with live updates in the form of highlights, analysis,…
