Eagles vs Vikings – Monday Night Football

Lincoln Financial Field was buzzing with an overcharged crowd as Philadelphia Eagles hosted Minnesota Vikings for their Monday Night Football Game. It was a packed house with nearly 70,000 spectators present to witness the much-hyped game between Vikings and Eagles.

As it Happened:

Philadelphia welcomed the Vikings back to town with a similar ferocity as they had done five years ago when the Eagles defeated the Vikings at Lincoln Financial Field to get to the Super Bowl. While Nick Sirianni’s Eagles saw perhaps the best performance of young quarterback Jalen Hurts’ career, Kevin O’Connell’s upstart team appeared lifeless from almost start to finish despite coming with high hopes following a thumping of the Packers in Week 1. Hurts assisted the Birds in a 24-7 victory that wasn’t quite as close as the final score suggested, thanks to an opportunistic defense.

Jalen Hurts hurting the Vikings’ chances

One of the greatest quarterback performances by an Eagles player ever was by Jalen Hurts. Hurts joined Cam Newton and Michael Vick as the only other players in Monday Night Football history to have 300+ passing yards, 50+ running yards, and multiple rushing touchdowns (per NFL Research). Hurts completed 7 of 11 vertical passes for 162 yards and a 53-yard touchdown pass to Quez Watkins. Hurts went 19 for 20 for 171 yards on short passes (completing his first 19 before throwing a pick late in the fourth quarter).

Although it wasn’t nearly as strong as it could have been, the Eagles’ defense nonetheless forced three and outs on six of Minnesota’s opening nine drives and picked up interceptions on two of those drives. Darius Slay, who had two interceptions and five passes intercepted, led the team in this department.

Where did the game change?

It is difficult to pick out a particular moment that saw the game change. You might include either the second or third touchdowns scored by Jalen Hurts, which signaled to the enthusiastic home crowd that the Eagles were still in the game. Hurts scored on both plays, with the first coming on a perfect long floater to Quez Watkins for a 53-yard score to put Philadelphia up 14-0 and the second coming on a run of 26 yards for a touchdown to keep the club ahead by two touchdowns. For the remainder of the game, Minnesota trailed by several points.

Quarter-wise Breakdown: A Brief Summary of the Happenings

At the end of the 1st quarter, the Eagles led the scoreboard with 7-0. The second quarter was the only quarter in which the Vikings managed a touchdown. However, Jalen Hurts’ touchdown and Jake Elliot’s Field Goal meant that the Eagles led the game comfortably at the end of the second quarter. The score line read 24-7 at the end of the second quarter.

In the 3^rd and 4^th quarters, none of the teams scored a point. Thus, the score line remained 24-7 till the end.

Upcoming Matches: How it all stacks up? What to Expect?

Philadelphia Eagles are looking in red-hot form this season. They have convincingly won their first two matches of the NFL campaign and would love to continue the good work when they face the Washington Commanders on Sunday. In their previous game, Commanders lost to Lions on Sunday. It would be interesting to see how they react to the challenge of the Eagles as they host them for the NFC east match.

On the other hand, the Minnesota Vikings will host Detroit Lions at the US Bank Stadium on Sunday.