In a highly anticipated Thursday night matchup, the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the Minnesota Vikings ended in a thrilling 34-28 victory for the home team at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Eagles got off to a fast start with kicker Jake Elliott connecting on a 24-yard field goal to give them an early 3-0 lead. But the Vikings responded in the second quarter with a touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins to tight end T.J. Hockenson, who finished the night with two touchdown receptions.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts played a key role in his team’s victory. He contributed early, rushing for a touchdown with less than two minutes left to go in the second quarter. The signal-caller also drove the Eagles down the field before halftime, and allowed kicker Jake Elliott to kick a 61-yard field goal. With the make, the team went to halftime up 13-7.
In The Second Half…
Philadelphia continue to outscore Minnesota in the third quarter. Hurts ran in for another touchdown early in the third quarter. But, his most outstanding play was his 63-yard pass to wideout Devonta Smith that led to a 27-7 lead.
Two minutes later, the Vikings struck back. Quarterback Kirk Cousins found Jordan Addison for a 62-yard touchdown. It put Minnesota back in the thick of things at 27-14.
Drama began in the fourth quarter. Cousins would find K.J. Osborn for a ten-yard touchdown at the 7:47 mark. This brought the Eagles’ lead down to six, and everyone Eagles’ fan at Lincoln Financial Field was nervous.
Of course, who else would save them but the running game. Once the Eagles’ next drive began, it was all DeAndre Swift. He ran his way down the field, setting up another red zone opportunity. Like it did all night, it ended in a touchdown. Swift ran it in from two yards out to give the Eagles a 34-21 lead.
The Vikings would not go away. Cousins led his team on a 11 play, 80 yard drive (thanks to multiple targets to Justin Jefferson). It ended with a touchdown pass to Hockenson with 1:14 left.
Unfortunately, their onside kick failed and the Eagles were able to get the ball back. Despite forcing Philadelphia to punt, there was just not enough time to continue their comeback.
Statistically Speaking…
For the victorious Eagles, Jalen Hurts finished with 193 yards passing and a touchdown. He did throw an interception in the first quarter to Theo Jackson.
Running back DeAndre Swift had a day, with 28 carries for 181 yards and a touchdown. Is the running back committee over in Philadelphia with his performance? He deserves to be the lead back.
Wide receiver DeVonta Smith (4/131/1) paced the team in receiving. There was a sideline confrontation between Hurts and wideout A.J. Brown, with the latter clearly frustrated with his lack of involvement (four catches for 29 yards on six targets). Something to monitor?
In all, there was no doubt the Eagles’ running game carried the team to the win. 259 yards on the ground is something to be acknowledged and respected.
As for Minnesota, they tried their best. Kirk Cousins finished with 364 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Justin Jefferson stays hot and finishes the game with 159 receiving yards. Let’s not forget about Jordan Addison, who contributed 72 yards and a touchdown of his own. Tight end T.J. Hockenson finished with seven catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns. A phenomenal performance from an arguably top-five tight end.
The Eagles’ win vs. the Vikings means they will improve to 2-0 on the season. They will look to carry their momentum into next week’s matchup against the Buccaneers on September 25th.
Despite the loss, the Vikings showed resilience and plenty of offensive firepower. They will have a chance to bounce back at home against the Los Angeles Chargers.
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