Eagles open as big home favorites against Vikings in Week 2

Perhaps it’s a good thing that the Philadelphia Eagles won’t have much time to dwell on an ugly Week 1 win over the New England Patriots. The Birds are quickly turning the page to prepare for a Thursday Night Football matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.

Despite the concerns that popped up in the Eagles’ win, they are 7.5-point favorites in their home opener. This much according to our friends over at DraftKings Sportsbook.

The Vikings made an underwhelming first impression as well. The difference is that they did not win their game despite entering the tilt as five-point home favorites. Kirk Cousins lost two fumbles and threw an interception in a three-point loss to Baker Mayfield’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Minnesota entered the 2023 season as prime regression candidates. Despite going 13-4, the Vikings ultimately gave up more points than they produced. They also went 9-0 in one-score games, which just isn’t sustainable. There’s too much randomness in the NFL for close game success to be entirely deserved.

But even with the Vikings taking an expected step back, it’s not easy to say they’ll be a cakewalk for the Eagles like they were in Week 2 last year. Darius Slay had the game of his life against Justin Jefferson. Even if he does that again, which is no small task, the Vikings will certainly look to get him matched up against other defenders. Josh Jobe could be tested considering he might very well be starting in place of James Bradberry, who is in the concussion protocol.

Jefferson and T.J. Hockensen will look to test an Eagles defense that appears to have a weakness over the middle due to downgrades at linebacker and safety.

How the Eagles ultimately fare against Cousins, who is famously not known for shining in prime-time, will be telling. He typically fares well against bad teams while being unable to beat the good ones. It’s a pattern we’ve labeled as “The Kirk Cousins litmus test” here at BGN.

The feeling here is that the Eagles’ defensive line — in no small part due to Jalen Carter — will be able to make Cousins uncomfortable. And Jalen Hurts and the offense can’t be as bad as they were in Week 1, right? Then again, Brian Flores is no slouch as a defensive coordinator.

I feel confident that the Eagles can win but I’m less certain about them covering.

What say you?