The Eagles snapped a two-game skid with a 28–22 road win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. They leaned on a flawless Jalen Hurts, explosive receivers and a defense that stiffened in the red zone. Here’s how each group graded out.
Quarterback: A
Hurts delivered his sharpest outing of the season: 19 of 23, 326 yards, three touchdowns, zero turnovers and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. He hit A.J. Brown on a 37-yard strike early, found DeVonta Smith for a 79-yard catch-and-run, and iced it with a 26-yard dart to Brown against pressure. Hurts handled blitz looks cleanly, took three sacks for 10 yards and posted a sterling 95.2 total QB rating (out of a possible 100).
Running back: C-
The ground game stayed stuck in neutral. Saquon Barkley managed 44 yards on 18 carries (2.4 per) with a long of nine. Rookie Tank Bigsby’s lone rush went for 11, but overall the backs couldn’t dent Minnesota’s front and the team finished at 2.0 yards per rush (45 on 23 attempts) behind a leaky offensive line.
Wide receiver: A
It was a star show. Smith set a career high with 183 yards on nine catches, including that 79-yard TD. Brown was ruthlessly efficient: four grabs on six targets, 121 yards and two scores, with the clincher coming on a third-down slant-and-go after Hurts recognized pressure and ripped the throw. Together they accounted for 304 of Hurts’ 326 passing yards and tilted the game.
Tight end: B
Dallas Goedert’s line (3–18) won’t pop, but two of his catches extended drives and he executed key blocks on perimeter runs and play-action. No big mistakes and steady work in the middle of the field to keep Minnesota honest. Second-string TE Grant Calcaterra (oblique) was inactive.
Offensive line: B
Pass protection was mostly firm against a dangerous multiple front: three sacks allowed for just 10 yards. Penalties (eight for 64 as a team) and a couple of holds stalled drives, and the unit didn’t generate much displacement in the run game. Still, the protection pockets on the explosives to Smith/Brown were mostly clean, and the group went 2-for-3 on fourth down with good surge.
Defensive line: B+
Two sacks and persistent interior push helped rattle Vikings QB Carson Wentz and compress Minnesota’s red-zone windows. Joshua Uche logged a sack, Moro Ojomo added the other, and Jalen Carter’s hits showed up in the pocket even without a sack total. The Vikings ran it better than Philly (89 on 23; 3.9 per), but the line won high-leverage downs. Also, edge Jalyx Hunt subtly dropped into coverage to nab a 42-yard pick six against Wentz.
Linebacker: A-
Zack Baun led the team with 10 tackles, frequently cleaning up underneath completions and quarterback scrambles. Nakobe Dean, fully back from offseason knee surgery, flashed in traffic and helped on a late red-zone stand. The unit’s angles limited yards after contact and minimized Jordan Mason’s direct-snap package to one short TD.
Cornerback: A-
Assignment ball was solid against a loaded group. Yes, Jordan Addison (9–128) and Justin Jefferson (5–79) got theirs between the 20s, but Cooper DeJean contested throws, Quinyon Mitchell held up when isolated, and Kelee Ringo made a couple of timely tackles. Most importantly, in six red-zone trips the Vikings produced only one touchdown.
Safety: A-
A winning combination of range and opportunism. Rookie Andrew Mukuba snared a red-zone interception, Reed Blankenship limited explosives down the seams, and the group passed off crossers cleanly on third down. With the corners, they helped hold Minnesota to 1-for-6 in the red area.
Special teams: B
Xavier Gipson and Will Shipley tilted field position with seven combined kick returns for 186 yards (26.6 average), including a 37- and 33-yarder to help burn clock. Jake Elliott hit all four PATs but missed a 42-yard field goal early in the fourth. Punter Braden Mann flipped the field when called.
Coaching: A-
This was the balance of plan and feel the Eagles needed — they clearly made use of their “mini-bye.” First-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, who had been under scrutiny, leaned into the hot hand with an unabashed pass-first approach (316 passing yards on just 23 attempts; 12.2 yards per pass) and trusted his stars on late downs.
Defensively, Vic Fangio’s group traded between-the-20s yardage for red-zone stops, a conscious choice that paid off: two takeaways (including a pick-six) and a 1-for-6 opponent conversion rate inside the 20. Granted, Wentz isn’t an elite QB, but the Vikings have a plethora of weapons and one of the most astute offensive minds in the game in head coach Kevin O’Connell — and they were coming off an actual bye week.
Penalties and the bogged-down run game are fixes to carry forward, but the Birds came in with a smart plan, executed it and made adjustments on the fly when necessary, such as when center Cam Jurgens (knee) exited in the first half. This was the Eagles’ soundest and most complete performance of the year so far, an impressive road response that saw them unlock their aerial offense while limiting Minnesota’s.
Big-time win.
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Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc.
Source: Berkshire mont