Eagles vs. Vikings Game Predictions

I said it after the Philadelphia’s disappointing loss to the Tennessee Titans and I’ll say it again now: we are going to find out a lot about this 2018 Eagles team today.

How this group responds to blowing a 17 to 3 lead last Sunday should let us know just how much fight this team has left in them.

The Eagles’ Week 5 opponent, the Minnesota Vikings, arguably have more reason to be desperate than Philly given their 1-2-1 record. But it’d be disappointing to see that show up on the field. The Eagles need to look like the team playing with real urgency.

Despite their shaky start, the Eagles should still inspire some faith. Their 17-2 home record has been brought up a billion times this week. That shouldn’t be easily dismissed. That’s a significant advantage working in their favor.

Another reason to feel good is that the Eagles still have one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Carson Wentz looked really sharp against the Titans in Week 4 despite the fact he was dealing with a ton of pressure and drops. This offensive line just needs to protect him better. We know they’re capable of doing it.

We also know the Eagles defensive line is capable of disrupting the Vikings’ passing offense. Minnesota has allowed the most quarterback pressures in the league this season. The Eagles MUST make life hard on Kirk Cousins and not give him all day to throw against this secondary. Cousins had a tendency to turn the ball over. It’s critical that the Eagles come up with some takeaways.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have at least a little bit of uneasiness heading into this one since the Eagles have been inconsistent. But the truth is the Vikings have looked worse through four games.

The Eagles have what it takes to win this game and I believe they will. I expect the play in the trenches to remind of us how the Eagles were so good in 2017. Wentz is going to put up touchdowns against a Vikings defense that’s allowing an average of 29.6 points per game since the NFC Championship Game earlier this year.

The reigning Super Bowl champions are going to asset themselves today. The Eagles are going to build a lead comfortable enough to the point where Nick Foles gets to come in for the victory formation at the end of the game. Fans at the Linc will be doing the “FOLES!” chant in mockery of “SKOL.” The Eagles will be advancing to 3-2 while Minnesota drops to 1-3-1.

Suggested format:

Score prediction:

Bold prediction:

My predictions:

Score prediction: 38-7, Eagles win.

Bold prediction: The Eagles intercept Kirk Cousins three times, including one pick six by Sidney Jones.

Fan predictions:

Bleeding Green Nation FanPulse (survey of Eagles fans): Eagles favored by 3 points

Daily Norseman FanPulse (survey of Vikings fans): Eagles favored by 1 point

Leave your own predictions in the comments.