Eagles slow, Vikings fumble as Philly hangs directly to win

Rick


PHILADELPHIA — Sparked by way of operating again D’Andre Fast and broad receiver DeVonta Smith, the Philadelphia Eagles got here alive in the second one part in their “Thursday Night Football” matchup in opposition to the Minnesota Vikings for a Presen 2 win, 34-28.

Neither crew appeared totally cohesive within the first part. The Eagles’ protection got here up with stops and their offense pounded the grassland with run performs to dominate general date of ownership time the Vikings tallied 4 misplaced fumbles. Right here’s what to learn about every crew’s efficiency:

Philadelphia Eagles

The only consistent in an in a different way risky sport between the Eagles and Minnesota Vikings was once Philly’s grassland sport.

The Eagles on a tight schedule for over 250 yards with a couple of Jalen Hurts touchdowns, offsetting a passing assault that was once asymmetric for a 2d instantly hour. One of the vital extra promising trends was once the efficiency of D’Andre Fast, who on a tight schedule for a career-high 175 yards. It was once essentially the most dashing yards by way of an Eagle since LeSean McCoy in 2013 (217 accelerate yards). He carried the weight with Kenneth Gainwell (ribs) sidelined.

Essentially the most noteceable order got here within the first part when Philadelphia orchestrated a 16-play, 75-yard power that includes 13 rushes. Hurts now has 28 profession accelerate touchdowns, fasten for essentially the most with Cam Newton via a QB’s first 50 profession video games.

The Eagles are 2-0 however it hasn’t all the time appeared nice-looking. That’s in particular true of the passing sport, which has sputtered for prolonged stretches. However the protection generated 3 takeaways and when it mattered, Philadelphia was once in a position to incline again at the run — a luxurious that can turn out to be useful transferring ahead.

Purchase a breakout efficiency: DeVonta Smith erupted for 4 catches for 131 yards and a landing, together with a couple of grabs for 50-plus yards. Nook Darius Slay predicted it received’t be lengthy till Smith is regarded as the most efficient receiver within the league. Future it’s too early to position him in that dialog, all of the indicators counsel Smith is in collect for a profession moment.

Ocular-popping stat: Together with playoffs, Hurts has 10 dashing touchdowns on QB sneaks for the reason that get started of extreme season, seven greater than any alternative signal-caller. The “tush push” has been key: Hurts has now transformed 34 of 36 sneaks when driven by way of teammates the extreme two seasons together with playoffs. Disagree alternative QB has greater than 10 push sneaks in that date.

Pivotal play games: With the Eagles nursing a 13-7 third-quarter top, defensive finish Josh Sweat got here off the brink and knocked the ball let fall from Kirk Cousins. Fletcher Cox recovered and rumbled to Minnesota’s seven-yard form, putting in place a Hurts TD plunge. That was once the start of the tip for Minnesota. — Tim McManus

Upcoming sport: at Buccaneers (7:15 p.m. ET, Sept. 25)

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings didn’t simply lose to the Eagles. For the second one date in as many video games this season, they didn’t give themselves a anticipation to win.

The Vikings misplaced 3 fumbles within the first part lonely, together with one by way of receiver Justin Jefferson as he tried to increase the ball into the tip zone, and completed with 4 within the sport. Blended with their sloppy efficiency in a Presen 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Vikings turned into the primary NFL crew since 2003 to lose six fumbles within the first two video games of a season.

Who is aware of how this sport, or extreme hour’s sport, would have performed out had the Vikings controlled to book onto the ball. Even with the giveover, they controlled to show a 27-7 shortage right into a one-score sport halfway on two other events within the fourth quarter. In both tournament, they’re 0-2 with video games looming in opposition to two of the NFL’s lead quarterbacks — Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes — along side one in all its perfect general groups, the San Francisco 49ers. The Vikings should to find solutions briefly sooner than the season will get clear of them.

Troubling development: The Vikings haven’t had anything else akin to a operating sport in both sport this season. Frankly they’ve infrequently attempted, and it’s handiest truthful to recall their resolution to phase tactics with former starter Dalvin Cook dinner in June and exchange him with longtime extra Alexander Mattison.

Mattison controlled simply 28 yards on 8 carries Thursday night time, a hour upcoming gaining 34 yards on 11 carries. Mattison additionally accounted for one in all their fumbles Thursday night time.

Largest hollow within the sport plan: At the alternative hand, the Vikings may just no longer cancel the Eagles’ operating sport. Alternative starter Fast completed with 175 yards and the Eagles on a tight schedule for 259 general by way of benefiting from an atypical and in the end unsuccessful defensive alignment.

The Vikings have followed a three-safety glance as their bottom protection, they usually spent a lot of the primary 3 quarters the use of defensive fronts that integrated both two, one or occasional negative defensive linemen. The Eagles had an peculiar bodily benefit in advance, they usually took benefit of it.

Pivotal play games: Jefferson fasten the NFL file for fewest choice of video games wanted (52) to succeed in 5,000 profession receiving yards. He additionally turned into the primary NFL participant since 2011 to have 150 or extra receiving yards in every of his first two video games of a season. However it was once a play games he was once no longer in a position to assemble that looked as if it would flip the stream Thursday night time. Stretching to succeed in the ball over the objective form upcoming a 30-yard reception in the second one quarter, Jefferson misplaced keep watch over. A replay evaluation showed that the ball flew over the pylon, which ended in a touchback and a yield.

A landing would have given the Vikings a 14-10 top, however rather the Eagles took over and were given a 61-yard ground objective from Jake Elliott at the ultimate play games of the part to shoot a 13-7 top into the storage room. — Kevin Seifert

Upcoming sport: vs. Chargers (1 p.m. ET, Sept. 24)



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