PREVIEW – Week 6: Three Keys to the Eagles Beating the Minnesota Vikings
Sunday was an absolute sack fest for the Eagles, but unfortunately, the Jets are only on the schedule once. Starting this week, the birds go on a tough 3 game stretch on the road, starting with the Vikings this Sunday, and then visiting the Cowboys and Bills.
This upcoming game against the Vikings though should hit home for all Eagles fans. For the first time since the glorious night of February 4th, 2018, the Eagles will play in U.S. Bank Stadium, the location of the team’s first-ever Super Bowl victory.
For the team and any fans traveling to Minnesota, emotions will definitely be overwhelming and rightfully so. The game is set to kick off at 1 P.M. on Fox, with the Eagles coming in as 3 point underdogs. Anyone remember the last time the Eagles were underdogs against the Vikings? (Hint: it didn’t end too well for the Vikings)
At 3-2, the Vikings come into this game with a handful of interpersonal issues. The biggest issue by far though is Stefon Diggs’ unhappiness with the team. Last week, reports had come out that the 24-year-old star wideout was unhappy with his role in Minnesota, and that he had requested a trade. Shockingly, Diggs came out later that week in an interview after practice, where he confirmed these rumors to be true. Matters got worse when Diggs missed a series of practices, leading the Vikings to dock their reciever nearly $200,000 for unexcused absences. Despite tensions being high, Diggs still played in Minnesota’s victory over the Giants.
After the game, Diggs sounded like he apparently changed his mind, when he stated that he “wants to be in Minnesota”. Even with Diggs’ apparent optimism, it seems that he still wants out, although the Vikings are highly unlikely to trade him.
If that weren’t enough, Adam Thielen expressed his unhappiness with the team’s gameplan, after a loss to the Bears two weeks ago. Thielen stated that the Vikings could not “keep running the ball for 180 yards” every week and that at some point, they were going to have to “hit the deep balls”, in an apparent shot at quarterback Kirk Cousins. Thielen isn’t wrong in his criticism. For $84 million guaranteed, Kirk Cousins is averaging just 191 yards a game (4th worst in the league) and has just 5 touchdowns (t-5th worst in the league). As noted by Thielen, the Vikings are mainly one dimensional with the ground game, averaging 166.4 yards (3rd best in the league) with Dalvin Cook as the lead back.
Luckily for the Vikings, the defense functions properly. Led by 6 pro bowlers, both on the front and in the secondary, the Vikings are giving up just 292.4 yards a game (4th best in the league), and 14.6 points a game (5th best in the league). All things considered, the Vikings should logically be the best team in the league. The offense has an incredible receiver tandem and a solid running back, and the defense is one of the hardest groups to move the ball against. And yet, they sit at a modest 3-2, with their playoff hopes in danger. This team is simply not hungry enough, stemming back to Kirk Cousins, and they will continue to underachieve with him under center.
While the Eagles also sit at 3-2, it feels a lot better than it does for the Vikings. Sure, two of those wins were against two of the worst teams against the league, but let’s not forget that both losses consisted of a potential game-winning touchdown that was dropped.
This is a team that could easily be the 3rd undefeated team in the league, but there’s no time to think about that. Carson Wentz has a chance to add a signature win, and he has the motivation to do so, seeing as how the last time he was in this building, he was standing on the sidelines. Doug Pederson stated that he will continue to keep Jordan Howard as the lead back, and honestly, that might be his 2nd smartest decision behind the Philly Special.
The defense made the Jets look like a D-2 team this past week, but that’s because they probably are. Kirk Cousins might be pretty mediocre, but he’s no Luke Falk. A ravished secondary is going to have to find a way to contain Diggs and Thielen, but Schwartz has done it before under similar circumstances.
Keys to Victory
1) Contain Dalvin Cook
Their own players know that this offense is one dimensional and so should the Eagles defense. Luckily, the one dimension that the Vikings are good at is what the Eagles defense is best at stopping. The Eagles defense is allowing a league-best 63 yards a game, and it’s going to have to be at that same energy to stop the running back with the 2nd most rushing yards. Containing Cook is also going to lead to the ball being put in the hands of Kirk Cousins, and we all know there’s no chance he can win a game by himself.
2) Let Howard Pound It
Doug Pederson announced that Jordan Howard would be the leading back for the rest of the season, and now it’s time to see it in action. Howard is averaging 4.7 YPA which is more than the likes of Alvin Kamara, Ezekiel Elliot, Todd Gurley, David Johnson, and more. The passing game will benefit immensely from tough running by Howard, and it’s going to be important for a tough assignment that is this Vikings defense.
3) Force Bad Throws Kirk Cousins
Hey Kirk, you like that? Sunday might have been a scrimmage against the Jets, but if it rejuvenated an underachieving defensive front, Kirk Cousins is going to have a long day. Unfortunately for Kirk, his offensive line isn’t going to help much either. PFF ranks the Vikings o-line as 25th in the league, so even with a decimated defensive line, the Eagles need to find ways to pressure Kirk.
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