Monday Night Football Preview: Philadelphia Eagles vs Minnesota Vikings

In the second game of a rare Monday Night Football doubleheader, the Philadelphia Eagles host the Minnesota Vikings in a matchup that could go a long way towards sorting out the elite teams in the NFC. Both are coming off impressive Week 1 wins that delivered on offseasons full of tinkering and transition, and now they'll each attempt to improve their early good fortunes were no fluke. The Eagles are narrow 2.5-point favorites to sneak away with the win.

The Philadelphia delivered everything fans had been waiting for in their Week 1 win over the Detroit Lions. Newly acquired wide receiver A.J. Brown burst onto the scene in his debut, hauling in 10 receptions for 155 yards and sparking his team to a massive 38 points. But lost in the excitement of that offensive explosion was a disappointing performance on defense: the Eagles allowed 35 points to the lowly Lions, including a 9/14 third down conversion rate and a nasty 6.46 yards per rushing attempt. Maybe the Lions emerge as a potent offense this year, but after finishing 25th in scoring and 3-13-1 in 2021, they're not a unit that should be lighting up contending teams.

The Vikings put forth a much more balanced effort in Week 1, stifling the Green Bay Packers in a dominant 23-7 NFC North beatdown. Wide receiver Justin Jefferson was the star of the show, piling up 184 receiving yards and two touchdowns on only 11 targets and proving the primary beneficiary of first-year head coach Kevin O'Connell newly installed offensive scheme. The defense was at least as impressive, routinely hammering Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and holding him to a paltry 4.26 net yards per dropback. If the Vikings have a concern coming out of Week 1, it's on the ground: they allowed 111 yards rushing on only 18 attempts, and the Eagles were the league's leading running team in 2021.

The Minnesota Vikings visit the Philadelphia Eagles in the second game of Week 2's special Monday Night Football doubleheader.