After a lengthy trip overseas that saw the Minnesota Vikings take a Week 4 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin before bouncing back with a Week 5 comeback win over the Cleveland Browns in London, Kevin O'Connell & Co. are back in action on Sunday afternoon for a Week 7 date at U.S. Bank Stadium with the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles.
One of the big storylines this week, of course, is Carson Wentz facing his former team for the second time as he continues to fill in for the injured J.J. McCarthy, who finally returned to practice for the first time since suffering a high-ankle sprain in Week 2 but isn't quite ready for game action.
Wentz has performed well in his three starts, completing 69 percent of his passes for 759 yards with five touchdowns and just two interceptions, and has clearly developed quite the rapport with Justin Jefferson, who surpassed the century mark in each of the Vikings' two games across the pond, going for 126 yards on 10 catches against the Steelers and another 123 yards on seven receptions against the Browns.
But Jordan Addison, who has yet to catch a regular-season pass from McCarthy due to being suspended for the first three games of the season, has developed some chemistry with Wentz as well, racking up 155 yards on nine catches in his two appearances thus far, including the game-winning touchdown against Cleveland. And while we see Jefferson having another strong game this Sunday against Philly, we're actually calling for Addison to have an even bigger one.
Jordan Addison will take advantage of a weakened Eagles secondary
When the Vikings and Eagles last met in Week 2 of the 2023 season, Jefferson torched the Philly secondary with 11 receptions for 159 yards. Nick Sirianni isn't one to forget things like that, so one would assume he's going to do everything in his power to keep No. 18 from repeating that performance.
That's always easier said than done, of course, as Jefferson typically still finds a way to get his catches, which he will against Philly.
But with the Eagles' secondary one of the team's weaker units right now, especially with Quinyon Mitchell nowhere close to 100 percent, as he continues to deal with a hamstring injury that knocked out of Philadelphia's Week 6 loss to the New York Giants, Addison is going to take full advantage as well.
Even when Mitchell's healthy, the Eagles' best cornerback right now is Cooper DeJean, who takes the vast majority of his snaps in the slot. So, one might figure that whichever perimeter corner is tasked with shadowing Jefferson, whether it be Mitchell or Adoree' Jackson, DeJean may be called upon to help out at times, thus leaving Addison in 1-on-1 coverage.
If he's facing Mitchell, that's an obvious advantage due to the hamstring injury. If it's Jackson, that's even better, as the ninth-year veteran has an overall PFF grade of 45.8, which ranks 150th among 171 eligible cornerbacks, and a coverage grade of 46.2, which ranks 140th.
Backup Kelee Ringo hasn't fared much better with an overall grade of 51.5 and a coverage grade of 48.8. And the Eagles' two starting safeties haven't been much help either, with Reed Blankenship having an overall grade of 47.4 and a coverage grade of 48.7, and Andrew Mukuba having an overall grade of 55.6 and a coverage grade of 45.2.
No, PFF grades don't always tell the whole story, but anyone who has watched an Eagles game over the past few weeks knows full well that this group is vulnerable. And with Jefferson drawing so much attention, Addison seems primed to light these guys up.
Addison was playing just his second professional game in that matchup with the Eagles two years ago and caught a 62-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins that day. And don't be surprised if we see something similar on Sunday. He and Wentz have already connected on an 81-yard play this year, so we know they've got their timing down. Expect a big day from No. 3.