Here are some quick takeaways from Monday’s prime-time showdown:
Because the Eagles won
Jalen Hurts has officially arrived as the featured quarterback, and Jonathan Gannon’s defense finally gave him a great complementary effort. After beating the Lions mostly with his legs in Week 1, Hurts was the total package in prime time, overwhelming Minnesota’s secondary from start to finish and sounding tackles as this week’s QB Player of the Week. He was accurate, efficient and even drove it deep, using his wheels only when they were needed. It was a true performance that got everyone involved — AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, even Miles Sanders and Boston Scott. Defensively, Gannon’s unit was just as impressive, limiting Justin Jefferson to close targets early, completely eliminating the Dalvin Cook-led rushing attack and picking off Kirk Cousins twice in the red zone. Darius Slay was the star of the effort, outrunning Jefferson in coverage to render Kevin O’Connell’s offense ineffective in nearly every aspect. By the end of the night, Slay had two picks and could have easily had five, benefiting from Gannon deploying more blitzes.
Why the Vikings lost
The yardage they enjoyed in the season opener against the Packers was nowhere to be found. Kirk Cousins received zero run support, routinely failed to connect with his elite receiving corps and then forced fumbles late while desperate for a spark. Nothing clicked on Kevin O’Connell’s preferred side of the ball, where Dalvin Cook was completely outmatched and the pass-catchers took turns missing key shots — none bigger than Irv Smith Jr.’s would-be score. Defensively, Ed Donatell’s dynamic unit lost all of its sizzle from last week, playing soft coverage to allow Jalen Hurts to run smoothly, with Camryn Bynum especially struggling in the backfield during a pair of Eagles TD drives. The energy level was seemingly not there for Minnesota, which averaged fewer than four yards per pass attempt entering the waning minutes of action. Patrick Peterson tried to reignite their game with a pitch block, but otherwise, the club was unlucky.
Turning point
You can point to either Jalen Hurts’ second or third TD, which announced the Eagles as the means to win it in front of their roaring home crowd. The first saw Hurts hook a perfect deep floater to Quez Watkins for a 53-yard score to put Philly up 14-0, and the second saw the QB bulldoze through a series of Vikings defenders for a 26 TD drive yards that the team held. ahead by two scores. Minnesota trailed by several scores for the remainder of the contest.
The game of the game
It belongs to Hurts, whose run for a score in the first half was a prime reminder that he’s one of the NFL’s best dual threats at the position:
What’s next
The Eagles (2-0) will travel to Washington for their first NFC East game of the year against the Commanders (1-1), who fell to the Lions on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Vikings (1-1) will return home to face Detroit.
