Eagles-Vikings report card: D’Andre Swift and the O-line pave the way to victory

Grading the Eagles’ performance in their 34-28 win over the Vikings:

Jalen Hurts’ struggles continued. It’s safe to say that he’s adjusting to a new play caller. But many of his problems could have been avoided if he didn’t hold the ball too long and followed his reads to the correct outlet passes. His toss into double coverage in the first quarter was 2020-21 Hurts. All that being said, he hit on a couple of deep throws, avoided turnovers the rest of the way, and got the W.

With Kenneth Gainwell out with a rib injury, D’Andre Swift got his first start with the Eagles and was electric. And the Philadelphia native delivered upon his return home. Was it criminal that Swift got only two touches last week? Maybe. But he looked explosive and jittery in the best sense of the word. Boston Scott was effective as a change of pace. Rashaad Penny didn’t get on the field until Scott left with an apparent head injury. He had a holding penalty negate a touchdown catch.

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A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith didn’t see a ton of targets because the Eagles shifted into run-heavy mode. Smith caught two 50-yard-plus passes — one on a jump ball, the other using his wheels — but Brown wasn’t as fortunate. He got into it with Hurts on the sideline apparently because of the lack of touches. Quez Watkins left early with a hamstring injury, but his replacement, Olamide Zaccheaus, didn’t see the ball. Dallas Goedert’s o-fer came to an end with an early reception.

The Eagles flipped the script with a run-first, second, third, and so-on drive that had them regain the lead in the second quarter. Swift was excellent, but the big boys up front opened a bunch of lanes. Hurts was sacked four times, but the O-line was hardly at fault for most, if not all of them. Lane Johnson seemed to bounce back from a shaky opener.

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Josh Sweat had himself a game. He was in the backfield on multiple occasions, and his strip sack at the start of the second half stuck the first nail in the Vikings. Jordan Davis’ sophomore season has gotten off to a swimming start. He was gift-wrapped a sack when Kirk Cousins tripped, but he had several other standout plays. The Vikings had little success on the ground early — thanks in part to the Eagles’ D-line — and abandoned the run when they got behind.

Zach Cunningham rebounded impressively from a less-than-stellar first game. He played downhill against the run and had a tackle for loss on a screen pass. He even had tight coverage on receiver Justin Jefferson on a key third down in the third quarter. Nicholas Morrow wore the green dot in place of the injured Nakobe Dean, made the calls, and kept the front seven sound for the most part.

Darius Slay was decent when matched up vs Jefferson, but he didn’t trail the All-Pro like he did last year and the receiver made the Eagles pay often. Josh Jobe had a tough assignment stepping in for the injured James Bradberry. He got toasted by Jordan Addison for a 62-yard touchdown and seemed to be at fault on a blown coverage that led to an open K.J. Osborn in the end zone. Avonte Maddox left the game with a shoulder injury, which forced Mario Goodrich into the slot. He struggled initially with a missed tackle and a blown coverage.

Terrell Edmunds made a game-changing play when he stripped Jefferson and forced a fumble for a touchback at the pylon. He had his struggles otherwise filling in for the injured Reed Blankenship and often was seen trailing receivers. The same could be said of Justin Evans, who was beat multiple times by multiple receivers. Sydney Brown got some snaps as the third safety but didn’t do much either way.

Jake Elliott matched a career high with a 61-yard field goal just before the half. While the circumstances were different than they were when he hit that game winner in 2017, it gave the Eagles additional momentum heading into the locker room. Michael Clay’s punt cover unit went from goat to hero when Evans forced an early fumble after a long return. Britain Covey had a fumble on a punt return that was luckily recovered by Kelee Ringo.

Offensive coordinator Brian Johnson was dubious with his play calling early. Was it Hurts’ struggles that forced him to lean on the run afterward, or did he simply take advantage of the Vikings’ soft coverage? Either way, it was a pivotal turn of events. Defensive coordinator Sean Desai did a little better on the defensive side, but he was short in the secondary and was in survival mode. Nick Sirianni was aggressive before the half, and it paid off with a field goal.