Philadelphia Eagles: What to Watch for as Eagles host Vikings on Sunday

After a surprising 3-0 start to the 2016 N.F.L. season, the Philadelphia Eagles have lost two games in a row against Detroit and Washington respectively.

Now sitting at 3-2, Doug Pederson‘s team prepares for a home game on Sunday against the 5-0 Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota who is fresh off their bye week, have maintained a strong defense while former Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford runs the offense.

With Adrian Peterson out for a lengthy period of time due to injury, Bradford has been forced to throw the ball and also hand off to Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon. Stefon Diggs who had a breakout rookie campaign a year ago leads the team with 37 receiving yards on 25 receptions.

More from Philadelphia Eagles

Defensively, Minnesota is one of the league’s best only allowing 63 points through the opening five games. Linval Joseph is a huge defensive lineman that wrecks havoc in the trenches, while Brian Robison leads the team in sacks with four. Safety Harrison Smith and rookie linebacker Eric Kendricks are one and two on the team in tackles and both know their jobs on defense.

After costly turnovers hurt the Eagles chances in Detroit two weeks ago, the defense was shredded for 230 rushing yards against Washington last Sunday. Carson Wentz was pressured often by Washington’s defense, and penalties also hurt the team’s chances in D.C. Malcolm Jenkins‘ 65-yard interception return for a touchdown was the highlight of the day for the Birds.

For the Eagles to win on Sunday they will need to show up from the get-go, and play disciplined football. Here are my three things to watch in Sunday’s contest.

1.) Look for the Eagles to keep men back to block more often.
After Wentz was pressured constantly in Washington, the Eagles are dealing with life without Lane Johnson. After the offensive lineman was suspended for 10 games heading into last week’s game, Redskins defense-end Ryan Kerrigan had a field day with rookie tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai. Going up against a much better defense this week, I can see the Eagles leaving an extra tight end or tailback in to help block on passing situations. if Wentz wants to have a better showing than a week ago, the Eagles will have to provide him with chances to do so.

2.) The Eagles NEED to cut down on penalties ASAP.
After totaling 27 penalties in the last two games alone, the Eagles need to be more disciplined on both sides of the ball. Against Cleveland and Chicago, the Eagles only had 12 penalties combined, but have had hit double-digits in their last three games. For this team to have a real chance of winning on Sunday, discipline needs to be a factor. The defense cannot hand the Vikings free yardage, while the offense cannot put themselves in long yardage scenarios. Minnesota will try to exploit this on Sunday and the Eagles need to be ready.

3.) Expect Sam Bradford to try to pick apart the Eagles secondary.
After being traded to Minnesota on September 3rd for two draft picks, Sam Bradford has been able to be successful with his new team. Posting the fifth highest QB rating so far this season, Bradford has been able to build chemistry quickly with his new targets while letting his defense help out too. I expect Sammy B to come into this game with some extra energy after being sent out of Philly earlier this fall. After spending a couple of seasons in Philly, Bradford will try to pick apart a secondary he knows a lot about.

Next: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Minnesota Vikings Semi-Coherent Preview

If the Eagles can limit the mistakes and move the ball successfully against this top defense, then we could see a very entertaining game at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday afternoon.

Home/Philadelphia Eagles