Section 215
Fansided

3 ways Philadelphia Eagles can bounce back against Minnesota Vikings in Week 5

By Jake Starr

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 21: Alshon Jeffery #17 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates after scoring a 53 yard touchdown reception during the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings during their NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field on January 21, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 21: Alshon Jeffery #17 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates after scoring a 53 yard touchdown reception during the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings during their NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field on January 21, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
(Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images)
(Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images) /

When the Eagles are on offense

Last week, the Eagles’ offense was very up and down, moving the ball at will at times, but taking negative plays at others. The key for the Eagles was when Wentz was given time he had no issue operating, but the Philadelphia quarterback was under lots of duress throughout much of the game.

Going against this Vikings’ defense, the Eagles’ offensive line is going to have to be better. Being at home should help, but the unit up front must improve. If they can be better and give Wentz time then the Eagles’ offense should operate much smoother.

In last Sunday’s game, the Eagles passed the ball at a much higher clip than they ran the ball. They passed the ball 50 times, compared to just 22 runs. That is not a winning formula in the NFL. The Eagles need to have some more balance in their offense. In addition, running the ball more will keep the defense honest and not allow them to get as much of an edge in the pass rush.

Alshon Jeffery will be in his second game back for the Eagles. Last week, he showed no signs of rust, putting up 105 yards on eight catches and added a touchdown as well. It is likely that the Vikings will have Xavier Rhodes on Jeffery during the day. Hopefully, Jeffery will have a similar day to what he had in the NFC Championship game, where he scored two touchdowns.

Two other players who will likely get a ton of targets will be Zach Ertz and Nelson Agholor. Ertz had another huge game last week, having 10 catches for 112 yards. Ertz and Agholor both had very good games in the NFC Championship and will look to build off of that.

Jay Ajayi returned last week and will look to add a strong dimension to the Eagles’ offense in the running game, as his presence along with getting Corey Clement back should help. The Vikings’ defense has yet to really find their footing yet, so the Eagles should be able to move the ball on them.

Nick Foles lit up the Vikings back in January, leading the Eagles to 38 points. Can Wentz do the same? That remains to be seen. If he can get some protection this week and establish a running game, then the Eagles should be able to see similar success.

Home/Philadelphia Eagles