Week 2 is upon us, as the 1-0 Philadelphia Eagles will host the 0-1 Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football. These two teams also faced off in a Week 2 primetime game last year, with Philly’s defense picking Kirk Cousins off three times en route to a 24-7 beatdown. Will we see another primetime Kirk disaster, or will the Vikings take down the defending NFC champs?
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GAME LINE: UNDER 49
Despite a frustrating loss to the Buccaneers last week, Minnesota had some bright spots on the defensive side, specifically against the run. The Vikings D held Rachaad White to 39 yards on 17 carries, and nobody on Tampa’s roster broke off a run longer than six yards all afternoon. The ground game is Philly’s bread and butter, but last week’s leading rusher, Kenneth Gainwell, has been ruled out, so they’ll already have to make some adjustments.
The Eagles have a talented defense of their own, and given Kirk Cousins’ struggles in primetime, especially on the road, my only concern for the under is if we’re getting multiple defensive scores.
PICK ‘EM: KIRK COUSINS MORE THAN 0.5 INT
The Eagles were tied for fourth in the NFL with 17 interceptions last year due in part to a three-INT performance against Cousins and the Vikings. Unfortunately for Kirk, this type of performance is common for him during primetime games. For his Vikings career, his win percentage of .611 drops to .444 when kicking off in the prime time window, and he averages over a turnover per primetime game.
With Kirk leading an offense that ran for only 41 yards last week and may fall behind early to a superior Eagles offense, I think it’s a guarantee he throws at least one pick.
PICK ‘EM: DALLAS GOEDERT LESS THAN 44.5 REC YDS
Dallas Goedert was a huge part of Philly’s offense last year when healthy, finishing as the overall TE10 and the TE6 in points per game. But Goedert was a non-factor against New England last week, finishing with no catches and only one target. I don’t think this is necessarily a sign of things to come, but with Philly winning the game and moving the ball through the air late to do it, it’s a bit concerning that Goedert didn’t play any role in the attack.
Minnesota has its struggles against the pass, but they allowed the eight-fewest receptions to tight ends in 2022. Philly may try to get Goedert more involved this week, but I don’t think he tops 44.5 yards.
LONG SHOT: KJ OSBORN ANYTIME TD +270
KJ Osborn was the forgotten receiver in Minnesota this offseason, with all of the excitement directed at another year of superstar development for Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, who was drafted in the first round out of USC. Osborn has been solid for the Vikings though, topping 650 yards in his first two seasons with Minnesota. He was targeted six times in the loss last week, finishing with three catches for 31 yards.
Points could be tough to come by in this one, and I think Minnesota’s best chances at finding the end zone will be taking shots from outside the red zone. Jefferson commands a lot of attention in these scenarios, which opens up a window for Osborn to cash this one for us.
