Eagles beat writers make their predictions for the Vikings game in Week 2

The Eagles will play the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night in the home opener. Here are the game predictions from the Eagles beat writers for Week 2.

The Eagles’ narrow season-opening victory over the New England Patriots may not have inspired a lot of confidence in certain areas of their game, from the defense’s inability to protect the middle of the field to the offense’s lack of third-down conversions (31%) and scoring (one touchdown).

But the Eagles have the opportunity to prove that Week 1 rust was the culprit for their shortcomings when they quickly regroup to take on the Vikings.

Prime-time Kirk Cousins has become a bit of a meme since assuming the starting role with the now-Washington Commanders in 2015. Cousins has lost the most prime-time games (16) of any NFL quarterback since that season, according to Stathead. His most notable loss arguably came last season when the Vikings fell to the Eagles, 24-7, in Week 2 on Monday Night Football. Cousins posted a paltry 51.1 passer rating, completing just 58.7% of his passes while throwing three interceptions. It was a resounding win for the Eagles, who were in a similar situation at the time as they are now, coming off of a too-close-for-comfort 38-35 Week 1 victory over the Detroit Lions.

But last year, Cousins still had a Pro Bowl season in which he threw for the second-best yardage total in his career (4,547) and led the Vikings back to the postseason for the first time since 2019. The 35-year-old quarterback has formidable options in the passing game, including 2022 AP offensive player of the year Justin Jefferson, rookie receiver Jordan Addison, and two-time Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson, who recently became the highest-paid player at his position in terms of guaranteed money ($42.5 million).

The Eagles will have to address their Week 1 woes by limiting Hockenson’s ability to be a threat over the middle. Also, with cornerback James Bradberry (concussion) unable to go, second-year cornerback Josh Jobe may be tasked with covering Addison, who racked up four receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown in the Vikings’ Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Cornerback Darius Slay will be at least partially responsible for trying to shut down Jefferson like he did last season.

Just as they did in Week 1, the Eagles have the potential to win this game in the trenches on defense. The Vikings offensive line struggled to get the running game going, as the team picked up just 41 yards on the ground in Week 1. Cousins tied for the ninth-shortest time to throw among Week 1 starters (2.66 seconds) according to Pro Football Focus. Eagles defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis are coming off of strong performances against the Patriots in which both recorded their first career sacks.

If the Eagles can figure out how to kick-start their offense and get the ball in the hands of their most talented skill players (tight end Dallas Goedert ought to have more than zero receptions, as he did against the Patriots), and if the defensive front can give Cousins fits, then the Eagles have a good chance of going 2-0.

Prediction: Eagles 28, Vikings 17

» READ MORE: Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis’ first NFL sacks send a message that there’s ‘plenty more’ to come

Offensive coordinator Brian Johnson earned a tough draw against Bill Belichick in his play-calling debut. Now, in Week 2, he matches up against another Belichick disciple in Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Some of the growing pains in the season opener were expected, but coach Nick Sirianni should aid Johnson with getting in a better groove as the season progresses.

It also helps that Jalen Hurts & Co. will be going up against a Vikings defense that lacks star power at different levels, especially up front. The Vikings sacked Baker Mayfield just once during their surprising defeat at home.

» READ MORE: Eagles confident in CB Josh Jobe as he prepares to step in for All-Pro James Bradberry vs. Vikings

One of the obvious X factors in this NFC tilt will be the reserve cornerback Jobe, who is expected to fill in for the All-Pro Bradberry. Jobe will likely be tasked with defending the speedy rookie wideout Addison, and Jobe also will line up at some point against the NFL’s best receiver in Jefferson. Exactly one year ago, the veteran Slay thrived during the last meeting involving these two teams. Can he repeat that same magical two-pick performance? The Eagles also will need to patch up the middle parts of the field, where the tight end Hockenson could have a field day.

The Vikings will be thirsting for their first victory, but the Eagles simply have too much firepower to disappoint in the home opener.

Prediction: Eagles 33, Vikings 24

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A year ago in Week 2, the Eagles effectively shut down arguably the best receiver in the game — Jefferson — and beat the Vikings convincingly. It was then-defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s finest moment in Philadelphia. He had Slay trail Jefferson for most of the night and shaded additional coverage over top when necessary. Jefferson caught just 3 of 6 targets for 14 yards and Slay snagged two interceptions on Cousins passes thrown his direction.

A similar plan would make sense except that Slay’s counterpart at cornerback, Bradberry, is out with a concussion, and his replacement, Jobe has really only played on the right side. Coming off a short week also complicates matters as do two more injuries in the back seven to linebacker Nakobe Dean and safety Reed Blankenship.

The good news, at least on that side of the ball, is that the Vikings could be down as many as two starting offensive linemen. The Eagles’ advantage up front could turn into an overwhelming mismatch with a backup center tasked with having to block interior linemen like Carter, Davis, Fletcher Cox, and Milton Williams.

The Eagles offense struggled in Week 1 vs. the Patriots. Flores, a Belichick disciple, has taken over for the disappointing Ed Donatell this season. He likely will want to employ a similar tactic to Belichick to keep Hurts and his receiving weapons in check. But does he have comparable talent both on the D-line and in the secondary? Probably not.

The Vikings surprisingly lost their home opener to the Buccaneers, but a minus-three turnover differential is tough to overcome for any team. The Eagles aren’t exactly entering on a high note, and injuries will complicate matters. So I’m not ruling out a home opening loss. But Sirianni & Co. still deserve the benefit of doubt, and I think they’ll win like they normally do — in the trenches.

Prediction: Eagles 27, Vikings 20

The Vikings seemed ripe for regression going into this year because of their lopsided record in one-score games in 2022, and that backslide may have started already.

The surprising loss to the Buccaneers in the season opener was mostly a result of untimely turnovers from Cousins, who had two fumbles and an interception against a solid Bucs defense. The Eagles’ pass rush should be able to follow a similar template, especially with Vikings center Garrett Bradberry ruled out with a back injury and starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw questionable with a hurt ankle.

The other two levels of the Eagles defense are far less easy to project success for going into Thursday night. Injuries to Dean and Blankenship will leave them depleted at the already-thin linebacker and safety spots. Bradberry is also out, which puts an even greater emphasis on Slay and his previous history containing Jefferson.

The Eagles should be able to get to Cousins, who has a tendency to implode against consistent pressure, but the lack of continuity or talent on the back end presents serious concerns about the defense as a whole. The Patriots gashed the Eagles in the middle of the field and the Vikings, with Jefferson’s versatility and the big-money tight end Hockenson should be able to exploit the area as well.

Trotting out some combination of Justin Evans, Terrell Edmunds, and Sydney Brown at safety with Christian Elliss, Zach Cunningham, or Nicholas Morrow in front of them is a dubious prospect. For that reason, Minnesota should be able to put up points.

But will the Eagles’ offense answer the call? As difficult as a short week will be while remedying the season-opening gremlins for Hurts and the offensive line, the group as a whole has enough of a track record to believe Thursday night could feature a righting of the ship. The Vikings’ overhauled defense under Flores still has some household names, but the Eagles should be able to produce nonetheless. Expect early targets for Goedert and a more balanced running-back committee, especially with Kenny Gainwell ruled out with injured ribs.

Thursday night games invite randomness and the injuries on defense present a legitimate concern about this game, but the Eagles should be able to get on track offensively and win a Thursday-night shootout.

Prediction: Eagles 34, Vikings 27

The Eagles play the Minnesota Vikings in the home opener. Join Eagles beat reporters Josh Tolentino, EJ Smith, and Olivia Reiner as they dissect the hottest story lines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.