6 biggest takeaways from the Vikings loss to the Eagles in Week 2
By Luke Parrish
Minnesota’s defense still has a long way to go
Shutting Aaron Rodgers down in the season opener was a nice little surprise, but there was no reason to expect the Vikings to keep that up all season. Jalen Hurts came out firing and caught the Vikings off guard with two incredible scoring drives in the first 15 minutes and some change.
Camryn Bynum had some struggles with Lewis Cine making his NFL debut, which should make the transition to a rookie safety easier to stomach. As the season progresses, Cine should step into a larger role in the defense and give the Vikings a stronger identity.
They looked a lot better in the second half, holding the Eagles scoreless and coming up with some massive stops. Patrick Peterson blocked a punt that was returned to the Eagles’ 30-yard line and Jordan Hicks intercepted Jalen Hurts to set the Vikings up inside Philadelphia’s 10-yard line. Neither of those resulted in points for Cousins and the offense.
It will take some time for the defense to get truly sorted out. Andrew Booth Jr. and Cine have yet to make sizeable contributions, so this current unit does not look too different from last year’s roster from a personnel standpoint.
Hurts had no business accounting for nearly 400 yards and three touchdowns against the same team that made Rodgers look like Cousins did on Monday.