Vikings Continue Sloppy Play, Fall to Eagles 34-28
Josh Frey
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After going 11-0 in one-score games during the 2022 season, the Minnesota Vikings are now 0-2 in such games through two weeks of the 2023 season.
The worst part about these losses is the fact that they both felt so winnable. On Thursday night, the Vikings hoped to rebound from their Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they went into Lincoln Financial Field for a Week 2 rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Vikings Fall in Week 2 Because of More Sloppy Play
Almost immediately, the Vikings continued their sloppy play from that Week 1 loss. After an interception from safety Theo Jackson, Minnesota found themselves in position to take an early lead following an Eagles’ field goal on their opening possesion.
Instead, an Alexander Mattison fumble on first down gave the ball right back to Philadelphia. Luckily, Minnesota was bailed out by a missed 55-yard field goal attempt from Jake Elliott.
However, that wasn’t the only fumble of the night for the Vikings. Instead, a whopping four fumbles from Minnesota, including one from Justin Jefferson that went through the end zone for a touchback, were the reason the Vikings could not win this game.
Incredibly, the Vikings managed to fumble the ball away four times in a five-possession stretch. As a result, the Eagles were able to balloon their lead to 27-7 early in the third quarter.
Because of these turnovers, the Eagles were able to win the time of possession battle by nearly 19 minutes. Teams won’t win many games in the NFL in these circumstances.
Minnesota would come storming back in this game, though, largely behind Kirk Cousins’ arm. The Vikings QB threw for 364 yards and 4 TDs in this game, and Minnesota went on a 21-7 run to close the game.
The comeback effort would come just short, though, as Minnesota fell by a score of 34-28. After T.J. Hockenson caught his second TD of the game with under two minutes left in regulation, the Eagles were able to run down most of the clock. Kirk Cousins attempted to huck a hail mary as the clock hit triple zeroes, but it fell innocently to the grass.
Now, the Vikings sit in an 0-2 hole and have 10 days to prepare for the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.