10 quick thoughts on the Vikings loss to the Eagles in Week 2

Even more quick thoughts from Minnesota’s loss to Philadelphia

Thielen is ignored again: Since the Vikings won their regular-season opener last week, no one really cared that Adam Thielen only had three catches for 36 yards.

On Monday though, his lack of involvement in the game plan didn’t make much sense. Kirk Cousins didn’t even target Thielen in the first half against the Eagles, and it turned out to not be a good strategy to get a win.

Thielen did end up getting targeted seven times for four catches and 52 yards in the second half on Monday, but it was too little too late for Minnesota.

Smith left the game early: Near the end of the matchup on Monday, ESPN reported that Vikings safety Harrison Smith went to the locker room to be evaluated for a potential concussion. After the game, the Vikings revealed that Smith did, in fact, suffer a concussion.

This will certainly be something to keep an eye on to see if he will be able to play in Week 3 or not.

Back to the drawing board for O’Connell: Minnesota fans were ecstatic about their team after Kevin O’Connell led the Vikings to a big win in his first regular-season game as the franchise’s head coach. But Monday’s result brought back a lot of familiar feelings that Vikings fans have had during the previous two years.

It was a bad loss, and now we get to see how O’Connell responds. Will Minnesota patch things up during the next few days or are losses like the one to the Eagles going to become more frequent this season?

Week 3 won’t be any easier: After getting throttled by Philadelphia, some might look at the Vikings’ schedule and think that they at least get to play the Detroit Lions next week. But the Lions that Minnesota will face in Week 3 are not the same Lions that the Vikings have stepped all over during the last few seasons.

Detroit is currently the second-highest scoring team in the NFL, and they have a bunch of playmakers on their roster. The Vikings better not take their matchup lightly next Sunday or they’ll end up with another disappointing loss.