Recent history in Philadelphia provides Vikings with cause for concern on Thursday

If Minnesota Vikings fans all had to take a sip every time they have heard "38-7" over the past five years from a Philadelphia Eagles fan, they would all have to turn in their car keys.

Trying to crawl out from the shadow of another disappointing NFC Championship loss has been difficult as the Vikings have struggled to find success on that same field where another promising season fell to pieces.

Lincoln Financial Field - home to the Eagles - has been a graveyard to Minnesota since 2017, when the Vikings were defeated 38-7 by Philadelphia and were sent home from the playoffs a game short of being the first team in NFL history to play in the Super Bowl in their home stadium.

Since that game, Minnesota has returned to "The Linc" twice, winning 23-21 in 2018 and losing last season 24-7 in Week 2 after looking unstoppable against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1.

The Vikings have been outscored by the Eagles 83-37 since 2017 and are coming into Thursday's matchup in Philadelphia as 6.5-point underdogs, according to the latest odds from the DraftKings Sportsbook. Thursday night's matchup is shaping up to follow suit of Minnesota's misfortune in Philly.

Looking back at last year, the Eagles came right out and punched the Vikings in the mouth. They blitzed often, played press-man coverage, and threw Minnesota right off their game. It was even mentioned in the recent Netflix docu-series "Quarterback" how the Vikings were not comfortable in their game against the Eagles in 2022.

Nearly 365 days to the date, Minnesota is back in town to face Philadelphia on primetime in Week 2. They can expect a similar game plan, as the Eagles return a large portion of its core that led the team to the Super Bowl last season.

While Philadelphia is 1-0, they did not look like the same dominant team they were last year in their win over the New England Patriots this past Sunday.

Patriots quarterback Mac Jones threw for 316 yards and three touchdowns in the rain against an Eagles defense that sat atop the NFL last season. That should inspire confidence in a Vikings passing attack that has been one of the most effective in the NFL over the past two seasons.

Minnesota saw a lot of pressure looks from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1, and they can expect to see the same aggressiveness on the defensive side of the ball from their opponent on Thursday.

Fortunately for the Vikings, Justin Jefferson is a great answer for blitzes. Pressure looks such as Cover 0 will leave a secondary in difficult situations against Minnesota's deep receiving core, thus opening up big play opportunities offensively.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins has held up well against the blitz in his career with the Vikings, posting a 111.8 passer rating, which is second only to Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.

While Minnesota has not enjoyed success at Lincoln Financial Field, they do have a great opportunity to bounce back from a disappointing Week 1.

This is a 13-win team from a year ago with younger talent on the roster, a new defensive coordinator, and the best wide receiver in football. Will the Vikings correct their mistakes from Week 1, or are they in for a reminiscent beatdown? Time will tell on Thursday night.