The Eagles and Vikings is gearing up for a massive Monday night showdown at Lincoln Financial Field, and offensive fireworks could be on the menu.
Philadelphia’s embattled defense will get a test from a Minnesota offensive skill group that includes Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, and tight end Irv Smith Jr.
The Eagles will counter with the league’s top offensive line and an offensive centered around Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, Miles Sanders, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert.
Both defenses will be in for a long night, and we’ve highlighted six initial stats to know for Week 2.
Pressure Cousins or else?
The Eagles were among the bottom five last Sunday in pressures and hits on the quarterback while allowing Jared Goff to make adjustments in the pocket comfortably.
Philadelphia ranked No. 27 in Week one pressure rates.
Jared Goff faced 6 blitzes Sunday, per ESPN Stats & Info, tied for fifth fewest among Week 1 QBs.
The Eagles registered six QB contacts on him, tied for third fewest in the NFL.
Goff got the ball out in 2.47 seconds on average, tied for quickest in the league Week 1.
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) September 14, 2022
Kirk Cousins has his issues on Monday night, and it is a road game, but he’ll shred this Philadelphia defense if adjustments aren’t made.
DVOA
The Eagles’ defense is ranked No. 21 in DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) after allowing 35 points, 9 of 14 third-down conversions, and touchdowns on all four of Detroit’s drives into the red zone.
The Detroit Lions rushed for 181 yards, with D’Andre Swift logging 144 and a touchdown.
Bradberry or Slay on Justin Jefferson?
Take away the deep touchdown catch by DJ Chark, and Darius Slay was pretty solid in Week 1 against the Lions.
James Bradberry may have been even better, and it’ll be interesting to see which cornerback is tasked with slowing down Jefferson.
James Bradberry in his Eagles debut:
🔒 39 coverage snaps
🔒 6 targets
🔒 1 catch allowed (13 yards)
🔒 1 INT
🔒 0.0 passer rating allowed pic.twitter.com/wzn7MzLrrn— PFF (@PFF) September 14, 2022
Jordan Davis impact going forward
Davis played 22 snaps in the season opener, and that’ll likely be the least amount of reps ever distributed to the massive defensive tackle.
Bo Wolf recently broke down just how impactful Davis can be when given plentiful opportunities.
Philadelphia allowed 3.4 yards per play and 2.9 yards per rush when Davis was in at defensive tackle. Without Davis’ presence in the middle, that average per rush jumped to 5.5 yards per play and 3.2 yards per rush when Marlon Tuipulotu received snaps in the rotation.
That number increased to about 6.2 yards per play and 10.9 yards per rush when Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave were in the 4-3 look as defensive tackles.
Jalen Hurts EXPLOSIVE dual-threat
There are some explosive, big-named quarterbacks in the NFL, but none more explosive than Hurts.
Most Explosive Plays Per Game
(@NFL QBs Since 2021)7.25 . . . Jalen Hurts (@Eagles)
6.77 . . . Lamar Jackson (Bal.)
6.50 . . . Justin Herbert (LAC)
6.44 . . . Tom Brady (TB)
6.33 . . . Josh Allen (Buf.)#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/7DUmO4klKj— John Gonoude (@john_gonoude) September 14, 2022
Adjust the coverage
Philadelphia has two really good cornerbacks, but Monday night presents a conundrum and a chance for double coverage because Justin Jefferson destroys one-on-one matchups.
The only WRs with 100+ yards vs single coverage in Week 1:
🐆 Christian Kirk – 113
🟣 Justin Jefferson – 105
🦅 A.J. Brown – 100 pic.twitter.com/K6MNfkDKoy— PFF (@PFF) September 14, 2022
A lot of that damage was done with safeties and linebackers in coverage, but the Eagles’ defensive coordinator will need to pay extra attention to the All-Pro.
