Vikings Facing Difficult Challenge, Litmus Test Against Eagles Defense

Can the Vikings beat a good defense for the first time this season?

Through five weeks of the 2019 season, the Vikings have followed a fairly predictable script.

In three games against inferior opponents, their talent advantage has propelled them to stress-free wins. But in two games against potential contenders, the Vikings have showed their limitations during heart-wrenching losses that brought with them new waves of questions about this team's ceiling.

It's been an alternating pattern between the two so far. This week, the Vikings get their third opportunity to flip the script and prove they are capable of winning big games. They'll take on an Eagles team that was shaky early in the season, but won at Lambeau Field a couple Thursdays ago and is coming off an easy win of their own.

"They’re trying to catch the momentum – just like we are – coming off a win, so it’s gonna be a good one,” Stefon Diggs said.

Although the Vikings defense had a few first-half drives it would like back against the Packers and Bears, that unit has been fairly consistent through the ups and downs. The Vikings' inability to break through against good teams falls almost entirely on the shoulders of Kirk Cousins and the offense.

Against the Falcons, Raiders, and Giants, each of whom has a bottom-12 defense according to DVOA, the Vikings have averaged 30 points per game and turned the ball over just once. Against the top-10 defenses of the Packers and Bears, they averaged 11 points per game with six total turnovers.

Make no mistake about it, the Eagles possess an elite defense. Coordinator Jim Schwartz is one of the most respected defensive minds in the league, and his unit was crucial to the Eagles' Super Bowl victory two seasons ago. This year, their defense sits at 6th in DVOA, one spot behind the Bears, and will bring many familiar faces and challenges to U.S. Bank Stadium.

"They have some of the same moving pieces (from the 2017 team), especially with players like Malcolm Jenkins, Rodney McLeod," Diggs said. "Fletcher Cox, a lot of those guys who made plays in those big games. They have some great players over there. They have the same energy they’ve had in the past.”

The strength of this Eagles defense, as has been the case for several years, is stopping the run. The 2017 team allowed the fewest rushing yards in the league, and the 2019 team is doing the same thus far. They're currently allowing just 63 rushing yards per game.

Here's what lead backs have done vs. #Eagles run defense:
* Derrius Guice: 10 carries, 18 yards
* Devonta Freeman: 11 carries, 22 yards
* Kerryon Johnson: 20 carries, 36 yards
* Aaron Jones: 13 carries, 21 yards
* Le’Veon Bell: 15 carries, 43 yards

Combined 2.03 YPC

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) October 9, 2019

The driving force behind that dominance is Cox, who remains one of the game's most feared defensive linemen in his eighth season. Defensive ends Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett are strong against the run. Jenkins, the veteran safety, is one of the better run defenders at his position across the league.

"They’re very aggressive up front," Mike Zimmer said. "Graham and Cox, they’re very physical guys on our right side. They do a nice job with Jenkins, who gets in the box a lot and makes a lot of plays. They’re running a couple different coverages now, but they’re mixing up the fronts a little bit more than they have in the past."

In their previous two meetings with the Eagles, the Vikings ran for a combined 147 yards on 3.6 yards per carry. Of course, that was with Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon handling the bulk of those carries. This will be the first career game against Philadelphia for Dalvin Cook, who missed last October's road victory.

Cook is one of the most lethal weapons at running back in the NFL right now. He's second in the league in yards from scrimmage and is coming off a career-high 218-yard outing against the Giants. However, he's only faced one top-notch run defense this season. In the game against the Bears, Cook had little room to run and finished with just 70 total yards on 20 touches. On Wednesday, Cook said he's trying to stay focused on what the Vikings can control.

"It’s more about the type of football we play, and the type of football we put on display out there on Sundays," Cook said. "I think if we come to play our type of football game, and make them match our intensity and play at a high level – bring that third chinstrap – we’ll be alright."

The dangerous thing about facing the Eagles is the potential for a repeat of what happened in Chicago. With Cook unable to find any running room, Cousins was forced to drop back over 40 times against the Bears, who sacked him six times. Behind Cox, Graham, and Barnett, the Eagles' pass-rush is lethal, especially when a team becomes one-dimensional. They're coming off a 10-sack game against the hapless Jets, led by a hat trick from Graham.

“I have so much respect for their pass rush," Cousins said. "Every time I’ve played them, you know what they can do and the effect they can have on a game. That’s a big reason why so many of those guys have Super Bowl rings, because of the way they can rush the passer. You’re acutely aware of that in the way you play, and the coaches are going to call plays aware of that.”

This game will present major challenges for the Vikings' offensive line. Schwartz is known for moving his pass-rushers around to create advantageous matchups, including having the ends line up outside of the tight end, which is known as the wide-nine technique.

"You just have to be aware of it," Cousins said about the Eagles' use of wide-nine. "We gotta know how to block it, and the angles that it takes away from us or gives us, and react to it within the game."

It will also be a challenging game for Cousins, who desperately needs to put together a strong performance against a good defense and beat a team with a winning record. He'll have to be cognizant of the pass rush while not being overly checkdown-heavy as he was against the Bears.

One factor working in the Vikings' favor is that the Eagles are currently without their two starting corners, Ronald Darby and Avante Maddox. In their places are Rasul Douglas and former Viking Craig James. It also helps that this game is at home, unlike the Packers and Bears losses.

Still, this game presents a major test for the Vikings and their quarterback. Win it, and this offense might just have what it takes to be part of a contender in the NFC. Come up short again against formidable competition, and another season rooted in mediocrity will seem more and more likely.