Philadelphia, PA
- Is Carson Wentz really the future? Why aren’t they fixing the secondary? Is Fletcher Cox still a Pro-Bowler? Those are just a few of the questions that have been surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles during the early part of this 2019 season.
The Birds made a significant statement last week in their 31-6 thrashing of the hapless Jets. The win moves the Eagles to 3-2 on the season, but their toughest stretch of the year is about to begin. During the next seven weeks (including a week-10 bye), the Eagles will play the Vikings, Cowboys, Bills, Bears, Patriots, and Seahawks. Those teams are a combined 23-8 so far this season. The Eagles are going to have to be ready for a lot of hard matches.
Their first game of that stretch is against the Minnesota Vikings, who enter at 3-2.
Minnesota has been inconsistent, looking like contenders one week and cellar dwellers the next. They are coming off a convincing win against the New York Giants, and they are a team with a lot of potential. Quarterback Kirk Cousins is solid, running back Dalvin Cook is second in the league in rushing, and receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen have terrific hands. Defensively, the Vikings have studs in Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter on the d-line, while they have Harrison Smith and Xavier Rhodes in the secondary.
I expect the Eagles to have some trouble defensively, particularly in stopping Cook. They looked great against the Jets, but that win has to be taken with a grain of salt. Last week wasn’t that prolific offensively, so I would definitely expect the Eagles to come out and be more aggressive to try and do a bit more. I think this will be a very close game throughout, but the Eagles will pull through.
Final Score: Eagles, 24. Vikings, 21.
Sam Woloson
Sports Writer
PhillyBite sports contributor and Philadelphia Eagles Writer.
