Down by only six points at the half after making a bunch of preventable mistakes, a win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night still felt like a possibility for the Minnesota Vikings.
However, those mistakes by the Vikings didn't stop in the second half against the Eagles, and it ultimately resulted in Minnesota suffering a 34-28 loss to Philadelphia.
After Thursday night's result, the Vikings now sit with an 0-2 record after their first two games of the season for the third time in the last four years. In the two previous instances, Minnesota failed to qualify for the playoffs (2021 and 2020).
If someone were to only look at the box score against Philadelphia, they might think that the Vikings had themselves an impressive performance on Thursday.
Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns to finish with a 125.6 passer rating. Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson caught 11 passes for 159 yards, and Minnesota tight end T.J. Hockenson pitched in with seven catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns.
Even the Vikings' defense made some plays on Thursday with four sacks, holding the Eagles to 6-for-14 on third down, and coming up with an interception.
But the mistakes that Minnesota made on Thursday were just too large for them to overcome. The Vikings turned the ball over four times, and they allowed Philadelphia to rush for a whopping 259 yards.
In order to avoid an 0-3 start to the season, Minnesota will have to find a way to defeat Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers inside U.S. Bank Stadium in a little over a week.
It won't be easy, but the Vikings have quickly found themselves heading into a must-win game just two weeks into their 2023 schedule.