So Let It Be Written

Many thought the Eagles had a legit chance to repeat as Super Bowl champs. They would have to great teams like the Rams, Saints and Falcons. And oh yeah, the Vikings.

Minnesota had a great year in 2017 and then added QB Kirk Cousins, DT Sheldon Richardson, CB Mike Hughes and was getting RB Dalvin Cook back from injury. Talk about stacked. That was going to be one scary team. Some had them winning the Super Bowl. Just about everyone had them as a contender. So. Much. Talent.

Just because it gets written in the spring and summer doesn’t mean it will happen. The Vikings looked great on paper, but here they sit at 1-2-1.

The biggest shocker is that their defense is struggling. The Vikings were #1 in points and yards allowed last year. They had one of the best 3rd down defenses in the last 50 years. That was a legitimately great defense. Not this year. The Vikings are 21st in points allowed and 20th in yards. The hapless Buffalo Bills scored 27 points on them. Last year the Vikings gave up 27 or more points just twice in the regular season. This year? They have done that three straight weeks.

Ouch.

Kirk Cousins has posted good numbers, but the offense still doesn’t look completely right. The offensive line is struggling. The run game is non-existent. The Vikings are dead last in yards, attempts and touchdowns. They are 30th in yards per attempt. Not good when that’s the selling point for the run game.

Cook has been struggling with a hamstring injury this year. Rather than being a dynamic threat out of the backfield, he’s run 36 times for 98 yards. To put that in perspective, Wendell Smallwood is 22-123 for the year.

I’m not here to tell you the Vikings are going to lay down and be an easy win for the Eagles. This team is desperate. A win gets them back to .500 and gives them hope. A loss puts them in a tough position.

The results haven’t been good this year, but the roster is still very talented. Like we’re seeing with the Eagles, something just isn’t working. Injuries have been a factor. The Everson Griffen situation goes beyond football. No one could have seen that coming. The schedule didn’t help. The Vikings two losses are at Green Bay and at the Rams. Those are tough teams to beat, especially on the road.

Don’t sleep on the Vikings. This team can still get going and win plenty of games. Mike Zimmer would point out that they were just 2-2 last year before winning eight games in a row. Still, this just feels different.

We might simply be seeing the difference in projections and reality. The Vikings look nothing like the team we expected. The roster looked great on paper in July, but every football team is a chemistry experiment for that particular season. The Eagles and Vikings flourished last year despite some projected weaknesses. Both rosters looked great this time around and neither is delivering the right kind of results.

It is going to be really interesting to see who wins on Sunday and how the other team reacts. A loss would send Eagles fans over the edge. A loss might send the Vikings team over the edge. They were 13-3 last year. To match that loss total in early October might be something that would really affect them. Hopefully we’ll get to see that.

The Eagles could also lose their third game, the same amount as last year. Because Carson Wentz missed the first couple of weeks, it feels different for Philly.

One of the teams will win on Sunday (a tie would be torturous to both sides). Beyond that, I’m guessing one of the teams will get their act together and go on a run. This game could be a springboard for saving someone’s season.

*****

#MINvsPHI Status Report

Out: DE Barnett (shoulder), RB Sproles (hamstring)
Questionable: RB Clement (quadricep), DT Ngata (calf)

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 5, 2018

Derek Barnett will miss the game. Michael Bennett will probably start in his place.

Josh Sweat will be active and will make his NFL debut. I’m curious to see where he is. I’ll say this…my expectations are very grounded.

*****

Isaac Seumalo will likely start at left guard this week, replacing Stefen Wisniewski, sources told NJ Advance Media.

Seumalo was informed earlier this week. #Eagles https://t.co/1mJ8u9O4vy

— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) October 5, 2018

Good nugget from Zack.

Wiz didn’t play very well on Sunday. I have no problem with giving Seumalo a chance.

This is ironic because last year Seumalo was benched after a tough road loss at KC. There was no doubt that he had to be benched. Seumalo was bad.

He had a good summer and bounced back in a big way. It will be interesting to see if he’s ready to start or the same issues pop up. Seumalo has been good off the bench. He hasn’t fared nearly as well as a starter so this would be a huge opportunity for him.

_