Sorry for the couple day delay.
Sammy Sleeves is back in town and looking better than ever. The 5-0 Vikings visit the 3-2 Eagles Sunday afternoon at the Linc in Philly. The Eagles need a bounce back game and this isn’t exactly the opponent we were hoping to face. I don’t care what you think about Sam Bradford he’s playing great this year and is even in the MVP discussion. He hasn’t turned the ball over all year and has a passer right of 109.7. On top of that, he has guided a team to a 5-0 record even after losing star running back Adrian Peterson for the season. Bradford is playing the best football of his career and he has a top 5 defense to go with it. Their defense is outstanding with play makers at every level. Let’s look at the stats and see what has led to this teams success.
Offense:
Don’t mistake this team for the 2000 Rams. This offense is doing just enough to win but hasn’t really been tested. They’re in the bottom tier in the league in total yards, pass yards, rush yards. So how the hell are they winning? For one, Sam Bradford hasn’t turned it over. They are playing the smartest football of anybody in the league right now. They control the clock and play defense and that has lead to their undefeated record. They trust their defense to go make play and the offense scores just enough points. Bradford is managing the game perfectly right now and the whole offense complements the defense. We need to make them one dimensional. If we get on top of them early and take a lead I would like to see how this Vikings team plays from behind. Getting a lead early on this team is so essential. Don’t expect to win if we go down 14-0 again, it will not happen against this defense. If we get pressure on Bradford, that’s when I believe he will turn the ball over and we will see the Sammy Sleeves of the first half of last year.
Defense:
This defense is down right scary. Look at these stats. They are top 6 in every statistical category. Head Coach Mike Zimmer has instilled this tough nose defense and it has become the identity of this team. Don’t kid yourself, their defense is the reason they have won. This will be the biggest test the Eagles offense will face all season. The Vikings have speed all over the field starting at the linebacker position. Outside runs are not going to work very often so it’s going to take a lot of power runs up the gut. Were going to have to stretch them out with our passing game so that’s going to take one of our WR’s to step up. I have a feeling Dorial Green-Beckham and Zach Ertz will have breakout games. We need that for us to win. We have to use play action and get Wentz out of the pocket so he can use his athleticism. Also, it will take pressure of rookie right tackle Big V, who struggled in his first start last week. Don’t kid yourself, it’s going to be a struggle for us to move the ball offensively, it’s a matter of having just enough big plays to win.
At the end of the day, I do believe the Eagles will have a bounce back game. They are coming back home and are looking to get that bad taste of the Washington loss out of their mouths. It’s going to be a defensive battle and will come down to who has the ball last. Expect a lot of punts. The Eagles cannot play from behind or they will lose this game. The key is to get on top of them early and force Bradford to beat us with his arm. Still, I see Minnesota winning this game 17-13. I hope I’m wrong but that’s what I’m feeling. Based off the last two weeks it’s tough to pick the Eagles in this one.
CarsonsCornerr.com 