In a game that provides a fascinating clash of styles, the Philadelphia Eagles play host to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night. One of two “Monday Night Football” games this week, it’s a matchup of two teams that secured Week 1 victories in impressive performances.
The Eagles opened their season with a high-flying (sorry) win over the Detroit Lions, while the Vikings put the clamps on the division rival Green Bay Packers and kicked off the Kevin O’Connell era with a win. They each have a chance to remain unbeaten here, and join the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers atop the NFC.
Will the Eagles protect home field, or will the Vikings pull off an upset on the road? We’ll find out soon enough. Before we break down the matchup, here’s how you can watch the game.
How to watch
Date: Monday, Sept. 19 | Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
TV: ABC/ESPN+ | Stream: FuboTV (try for free)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds: Eagles -2.5, O/U 50.5
When the Vikings have the ball
The Vikings finished with only 23 points in their Week 1 victory over the division rival Packers, but that undersells how well they performed offensively. Minnesota averaged 6.5 yards per play and posted the league’s sixth-best EPA per play and seventh-best points per drive marks in the opening week.
The Packers blew multiple coverages that led to big plays, and Kirk Cousins was able to step up and deliver the ball to those open receivers. He hit a huge play down the field to Justin Jefferson, making the type of off-platform throw across his body that we didn’t see him to quite as often in the more buttoned-down offense the Vikings ran over the past few seasons. It was good to see Cousins let it loose, sliding up inside the pocket, and throwing back to his right even while drifting to his left.
The Vikings did an excellent job of moving Jefferson around the formation in Week 1, repeatedly getting him matched up on linebackers and safeties rather than Green Bay’s high-level corners. They’ll surely want to do the same this week, trying to ensure that Jefferson sees a whole lot of Philadelphia’s linebackers by lining up in the slot and running routes over the middle of the field. Philly wants to play a lot of zone on the back end just like Green Bay, so those opportunities should be there if they can find the right time for the right routes.
Of course,…
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