Three Players that Can Turn the Tides for the Vikings on Monday
Josh Frey
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Heading into tomorrow’s contest against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Minnesota Vikings are considered underdogs by two points. Proponents of Philadelphia point to the Eagles strong secondary as well as a star-studded offense as the reasoning behind this choice. That said, it’s very possible that the Vikings are just as talented across the field as Philadelphia. Here are three players that could turn the tides for the Vikings on Monday night in Philly.
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Kirk Cousins
Simply put, Kirk Cousins has been incredible against the Philadelphia Eagles throughout his career. In nine games, he’s averaged over 300 passing yards per game, and he has the highest passer rating in Philadelphia of any QB with 75 or more pass attempts against the team.
There’s a world where this game becomes a defensive showdown, but given the star power on both offenses, it’s much more likely that this game ends up being a barnburner. The Vikings will need another strong showing from Kirk Cousins in his 10th career game against the Eagles. To this point, history suggests that there’s no better man for the job.
Dalvin Cook
Nothing changes the course of a game like consistently finding success in the running game. Philadelphia let the Detroit Lions get just about whatever they wanted on the ground in Week 1, and it almost allowed them to climb all the way back for a win.
In his only other game against the Eagles, Cook rushed 16 times for 41 yards; an average of just 2.56 yards per carry. The veteran RB has to be hoping for a better showing on Monday night in Philadelphia. Assuming D’Andre Swift’s 144-yard showing means anything, we could be in for a big game out of the Vikings backfield.
Eric Kendricks
Let’s close this out by talking about the Vikings defense. The Eagles provide a unique challenge in that Jalen Hurts runs the ball from the QB position better than anyone not named Lamar Jackson. Because of that, the Vikings may opt to put one of their uber-athletic on him as a spy.
Throughout his coaching career, Ed Donatell has consistently struggled against mobile QBs, but he has never had a linebacker as talented as Kendricks. Perhaps he could be the answer towards reversing this trend.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing as well as minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh can often be found training for a marathon, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his takes, NFL and otherwise, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken