A Must Win Game?: Eagles-Vikings Week 7 Preview

After two straight losses, the Eagles will look to steady the ship as they head to Minnesota to take on the 3-2 Vikings.

The last time we saw the Eagles play, the New York Giants blew them out in one of the worst losses of the Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts era. The season is trending in the wrong direction, and after 10 days off, we will see if the coaches and players will be able to make the necessary adjustments to get back on track.

A Familiar Foe

The Vikings will be starting an old friend at quarterback as head coach Kevin O’Connell announced Carson Wentz, who has stepped in for injured quarterback J.J. McCarthy, will get the start on Friday.

In the three games he has played, Wentz is 2-1 with 759 passing yards, 5 touchdown passes, and 2 interceptions. This will be Wentz’s second start against his former team, the first coming in a 24-8 loss when he was the quarterback of Washington.

Unlike that Washington team, Wentz is surrounded by a lot more talent in Minnesota and has shown that he can at least be competent until McCarthy comes back.

A Tough Test For The Secondary

During last week’s loss to the Giants, cornerback Quinyon Mitchell left the game with a hamstring injury. This was a big reason why the Eagles lost that game, as the backup cornerbacks had a tough time covering the Giants’ receivers.

Fortunately for the Eagles, Quinyon will play Sunday as he was a full participant with no game designation on Friday’s injury report. This is huge news for the Eagles, as the Vikings have one of the best receiving cores in the NFL, headlined by Justin Jefferson.

Jefferson is highly regarded as one of the three best receivers in the NFL, and he will be a huge test for Mitchell. We have seen Mitchell travel with wide receivers in the early part of the season and have success, so expect to see that again on Sunday.

The big problem with the Eagles may come with their WR2, Jordan Addison. While Addison is only playing in his third game this season, he has already eclipsed the 100-yard mark in a game. He will be a big test for whoever gets the start opposite Mitchell.

Can The Offense Get Back on Track?

As for the offensive side of the ball for the Eagles, hopefully, the 10-day break will help them get back on track. In my article last week, I wrote about how the biggest problem with the Eagles right now is the lack of a run game, and this could be the game they finally get that going. While the Vikings have the 6th overall defense in the NFL, their rush defense ranks 24th, giving up 132.2 yards per game.

With the struggles the Eagles have had on the offensive line in run blocking, I would love to see them use Hurts’ legs more. We all know he is never going to be an elite passer, but he becomes a dynamic quarterback when he is running the ball. I know that with more runs, you can leave yourself more open to big hits and potentially injury, but this offense needs the extra spark right now, and I think that comes from Jalen’s legs.

It is hard to say that a week 7 game when your team is in first place in the division is a “must win” game, but I think we are almost at that point. With the way this team played in their first four games, somewhat lucking into wins, and then to turnaround to two inferior opponents, this season seems like it’s teetering. Not to mention the possible rift between the quarterback and starting receiver, and having a player retire just a few weeks after signing with the team.

The next two games before the bye week have a chance to determine if this will be another great season of Eagles football or one that’s heading down the toilet.

Let’s all hope that after 10 days off, they have found a formula to right the ship and get back to their winning ways.

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