Eagles defense shows off Jekyll and Hyde approach in 34-28 win vs. Vikings

PHILADELPHIA – Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat came around the edge and had Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins in his sights. It was a defensive player’s dream, seeing the quarterback hold onto the ball, unaware that he was lurking and ready to put the full force of his 265-pound body on Cousins to get the sack. Sweat did that, jolting Cousins so hard that he fumbled the ball, and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox recovered it at the Vikings’ 15-yard line. It was the third turnover that the Eagles defense had forced Thursday, putting the Eagles offense in good field position on multiple occasions.

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However, in the fourth quarter, The breakdowns in the secondary allowed receivers to run uncovered, including the fourth-quarter 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver K.J. Osborn, where the only green around him was the paint in the end zone.

The defense was an 11-man football version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the 34-28 win to improve to 2-0. Although the Eagles sacked Cousins twice and held the Vikings to 28 yards rushing, the Vikings offense put up 374 yards of total offense and gave up big plays in the secondary, providing a glimpse of the potential the defense can have, but also making costly mistakes that made the game uncomfortably close.

When Eagles defensive coordinator Sean Desai came to Philadelphia, he said he wanted his defense to be “palpable.”

“We want to be able to be felt, whether you’re watching us on TV, whether you’re in the stadium, and obviously on the field,” Desai said. “We want to make sure people feel this Philadelphia Eagles defense.”

Desai has done that for most of this early season, with his defense already forcing six turnovers and making the Eagles a unit that forces teams to think twice when defenders are around the ball because they could find the ball on the ground.

The defense is not infallible, allowing the Vikings to convert 60% of their third-down attempts (six makes on 10 attempts), a departure from the 33% they allowed last Sunday. The Eagles allowed Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson to get his typical big stat line with 11 catches for 159 yards.

The Eagles were unable to limit the supporting cast with Osborn finishing with three catches for 34 yards and a touchdown, wide receiver Jordan Addison getting three catches for 72 yards and a touchdown, and tight end T.J. Hockenson having seven catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns. There were also the penalties that nullified big plays, including defensive tackle Kentavius Street lining up offsides to take away another fumble recovery.

Sweat, Cox, and the rest of the defensive line have done well applying pressure this season. The depleted secondary, missing cornerback James Bradberry and safety Reed Blankenship, did its best to match up, but whatever hand signals or calls they had in the second half proved ineffective, allowing the Vikings to come back.

Although the Vikings are not as potent as they were in the previous two seasons, it was still a litmus test for how the Eagles can fare against veteran quarterbacks. The Eagles are scheduled to face Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys), Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins), Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs), and Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), all of whom have seen several variations of the type of scheme the Eagles use, who will get the ball out of their hands quickly and can carve apart a defense if given time to do so.

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Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com.