Monday, 7:30 p.m., Lincoln Financial Field (Ch. 5, KFAN-FM 100.3)
Eagles scouting report: Running game will challenge Vikings
Led by running back Miles Sanders and quarterback Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia rushed for 216 yards and four touchdowns against the Lions in Week 1.
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ABOUT THE EAGLES
• The Eagles (1-0) held on to beat the Lions 38-35, running for two first downs in a game-sealing drive that saw the clock expire. Led by running back Miles Sanders and quarterback Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia ran for 216 yards and four touchdowns. The Eagles offense had 39 carries, tied with the Browns for the league's most.
• Receiver A.J. Brown, acquired via trade this offseason from the Titans, had four catches for 62 yards on a single drive in the first half of his Eagles debut. He finished with 10 catches for 155 yards, which trailed only Justin Jefferson's 184 yards among all receivers.
• The Eagles defense allowed holes in the running game, surrendering 6.5 yards per carry, including a 50-yard run by D'Andre Swift on the second play. Philadelphia missed 15 tackles, trailing only the Panthers' 16 in Week 1, per Pro Football Focus. Defensive end Derek Barnett suffered a season-ending knee injury.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT | QB Jalen Hurts
• Hurts led all quarterbacks last season in rushing yardage, and the former Alabama and Oklahoma star again led the position with 90 rushing yards against the Lions. The dual threat also threw for 243 yards, including a 54-yard deep toss to Brown.
• Hurts, 24, is in his third NFL season – second as Eagles starter – and is playing to establish himself as Philadelphia's franchise quarterback. The former second-round pick is signed through 2023 and is eligible for a contract extension after this season.
• Hurts on the flagged helmet-to-helmet hit by Lions safety Tracy Walker: "It's not the first time it's happened, it's probably not the last time it's going to happen. It just comes with the game. Just get right back up and keep going on the next play."
COACH SPEAK | Nick Sirianni
• Sirianni, in his second season as Eagles head coach, has a 10-8 record (.556) in the regular season and 0-1 in the playoffs – a 31-15 loss to the Buccaneers in last year's NFC wild-card round. Sirianni, the 41-year-old former Colts offensive coordinator, oversaw an improved 14th-ranked offense in his first season.
• Sirianni employs two former Vikings assistants on his coaching staff: defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who was Minnesota's assistant defensive backs coach from 2014-2017, and linebackers coach Nick Rallis, the ex-Gophers linebacker and Vikings quality control coach.
• Sirianni on Hurts' vulnerability during 17 runs, more than half on scrambles: "I never want Jalen to take unnecessary hits, but we got to remember, too, one of the things that makes Jalen special and that's the ability to create when something's not there."
The Food Network host is in town filming episodes of “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.”