Article on the game
The Philadelphia Eagles came into U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday hoping to start their season 2-0, but it was anything but easy as they escaped with a 24-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
While the Eagles improved to 2-0, their performance left more questions than answers. Their offense looked sluggish and out of sync for most of the game. Quarterback Jalen Hurts struggled with his accuracy, completing just 57% of his passes for 190 yards. He did rush for 57 yards and a touchdown, but many drives stalled due to missed throws.
"We didn't play as clean as we wanted to," Hurts said. "Too many missed opportunities on offense. We've got to be better."
The Eagles defense kept them in the game, holding the Vikings to just 20 points. But Minnesota helped with some costly mistakes, including a lost fumble deep in Philadelphia territory in the fourth quarter.
"The defense played well enough for us to win," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. "But we know we need more from the offense, especially in situations like that."
Trailing 20-17 with under five minutes remaining, the Eagles got the ball back on their own 25-yard line. That's when disaster almost struck for Minnesota. On second down, Vikings running back Dalvin Cook caught a pass from Kirk Cousins but coughed up the football as he was tackled. Eagles linebacker Kyzir White pounced on the loose ball to give Philadelphia new life.
"As a runner, you've got to protect the ball in those situations," Cook said. "No excuses, that was on me."
The Eagles took over at the Vikings 37 and were able to put together their best drive of the game. Hurts completed three straight passes for 26 yards to get the Eagles down to the Minnesota 11-yard line. From there, Miles Sanders punched it in on the next play for the go-ahead touchdown with 2:43 to play.
"That fumble was huge," Sirianni said. "It totally changed the game. Our defense came up with a big play when we needed it most."
The Vikings got the ball back but went three-and-out. On fourth down, Cousins was sacked by Josh Sweat to turn it over on downs with just 1:03 left. The Eagles were able to run out the clock.
It wasn't a convincing win by any means. Philadelphia still has plenty to clean up on both sides of the ball moving forward. But in the NFL, all that matters is finding a way to win. And despite their issues, the Eagles did just enough to escape with their second victory.
"It's early and we know we can play better," Hurts said. "But 2-0 still feels pretty good. We'll learn from this and keep working to improve."
As for the Vikings, they fall to 1-1 with the loss. While the defense kept them in the game, the offense continues to struggle putting up points. Another late mistake was the difference. Minnesota will need to be much sharper if they want to contend in a tough NFC North.
The Eagles may have some things to work on. But they'll take the win as they try to start the season 3-0 next week against Washington.