The Pass is Back!

The Eagles put a halt to their two-game skid Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium, upending the Minnesota Vikings, 28-22, in a game that featured plenty of offensive fireworks on the Philadelphia side.

GETTY IMAGES: QB Jalen Hurts posted a perfect passer rating in the Philadelphia Eagles’ 28-22 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

A 37-yard kick return from WR Xavier Gipson granted the Eagles’ field position at the 43-yard line, up 28-22 with 1:52 remaining. In the end, with the game essentially hanging in the balance, it was Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts — on a third-and-nine– delivering a 46-yard drop in the bucket to wide receiver A.J. Brown, silencing a raucous stadium. The Eagles salted away the remaining 1:35 to improve to 5-2 on the season.

Hurts, in his best performance of the season, completed 19 of 23 pass attempts for 326 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith turned in a career-best performance, hauling in 9 of his 11 pass targets for 181 yards and a touchdown that went for 79 yards. The 79-yard reception, by the way, was the longest of Smith’s career. Brown also eclipsed the 100-yard receiving threshold, accumulating 121 yards and two touchdowns on four receptions.

Carson Wentz, who committed two first half turnovers, got into a rhythm late, completing 26 of 42 pass attempts for 316 yards while adding another 28 yards on the ground. Wide receivers Justin Jefferson (79 yards) and Jordan Addison (128 yards) accounted for 22 targets and 14 receptions.

The Vikings, who entered the red zone six times, only cashed in once.

Defensively, Zack Baun notched 10 tackles, OLB Josh Uche picked up his first sack of the season and DT Moro Ojomo collected his team-leading third sack of the season. Jalyx Hunt produced a 42-yard pick-six, and rookie safety Drew Mukuba snared his second interception of the season.

Inactive for the Eagles were QB Sam Howell (3rd QB), CB Mac McWilliams, RB A.J. Dillon, C/G Drew Kendall and TE Grant Calcaterra.

Ahead of Sunday’s game, the Eagles elevated TE E.J. Jenkins from the practice squad. It was the first of three eligible elevations for Jenkins.

Let’s get to the observations.

*A lot to like about the Eagles’ first offensive series. The offensive line, a much-discussed topic of late due to the struggles in the run game, blew the Vikings off the ball. Saquon Barkley was decisive and nifty, picking up 24 yards on five carries. Rather than try to do too much, the unit looked poised, taking what the defense was allowing and keeping the offense on schedule. The 12-play, 75-yard drive was punctuated by a 37-yard touchdown connection from Hurts to Brown.

*Hurts turned in his best game of the season, exceptionally navigating the pocket and throwing the ball all over the yard with anticipation against the Vikings secondary. Hurts pushed the ball vertically, with touchdowns of 37, 79 and 26 yards, and was unflappable in the pocket. He completed 19 of 23 pass attempts for 326 yards and three touchdowns, good for a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3. The running game couldn’t get going (Barkley picked up 44 yards on 18 carries), putting the onus on Hurts and the passing offense — and this week, the group delivered.

Interesting approach from Vikings DC Brian Flores, who showed a unique look in an attempt to stop the Eagles’ “push play.” OLB Tyler Batty aligned horizontal at the line of scrimmage, with defensive linemen Jalen Redmond and Levi Drake Rodriquez hovering on both sides and positioned to go over the top. It was close, but the Eagles ultimately converted.

*The offense would sputter in the ensuing first half drives, running lanes difficult to come by and penalties that put them in third-and-six (Brown false start) and third-and-20 (Barkley offensive holding). The consecutive drives resulted in three-and-outs. It’s also worth noting C Cam Jurgens exited the game with what was deemed a knee injury and Brett Toth entered the game as his replacement. The offensive line looked disjointed after Jurgens left and had to go under center at a greater frequency. The offense needs to drastically improve upon its third-down success rate, as the Eagles converted just three of 10 third downs.

* Dillon being inactive meant the Eagles went into the game with Barkley, Will Shipley and Tank Bigsby at running back. That both Shipley and Dillon had factored into the offensive equation suggested that Bigsby could also be involved. The third-year pro, on the opening drive, saw his first offensive touch as an Eagle go for 11 yards, the team’s longest of the afternoon. Curious to see if Dillon starts to become phased out in favor of Bigsby. In theory, both Dillon and Bigsby provide a similar power dimension, with Bigsby being the younger, cost-controlled player whom the Eagles acquired for a 2026 fifth and sixth round pick.

*Very well executed sim pressure (the Eagles brought Baun and dropped Hunt) on the Hunt 42-yard pick-six of Wentz, though it likely doesn’t happen without disruptive interior pressure from DT Jalen Carter, who split his double team and planted Wentz as he released the throw. Heads up play by Hunt to react quickly, securing the football, heading upfield and finishing the play. The pressure was also evident on the Mukuba interception, forcing Wentz to roll to his right and hoist up a dangerous throw deep toward the right sideline. CB Quinyon Mitchell and Mukuba converged on Addison, with Mukuba high-pointing the throw for his second interception of then season.

Speaking of Mukuba, this is the second consecutive week the rookie failed to make a tackle along the sideline. In Week 6, Mukuba couldn’t wrangle WR Wan’Dale Robinson en route of his 35-yard touchdown and on Sunday afternoon, he couldn’t wrap up Jefferson on a 2nd-and-11 that resulted in a 40-yard play. The ball skills are apparent, but Mukuba’s tackling inconsistencies, specifically the past two weeks, have burned the Eagles. It should be acknowledged that Mukuba also showcased his physicality, coming down to thump RB Zavier Scott at the on-yard line following a four-yard run.

*The 2nd-and-1 back shoulder throw in the left corner of the end zone to Jefferson couldn’t have been defended any better than how Cooper DeJean played it. The second-year defensive back didn’t panic and played through the catch, forcing the incompletion. Rather than concede a touchdown on the drive, the Eagles’ defense held the Vikings to a 34-yard field goal.

*Interested to see what the snap count looks like, but fourth-year LB Nakobe Dean, in his second game back from the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list, saw his first defensive snaps of the season. Dean appeared to be on the field quite a bit at linebacker, alongside Baun. He dropped Scott for a four-yard loss in the third quarter and added noticeable energy to the unit. Rookie Jihaad Campbell saw expanded reps off the edge due to a numbers shortage that took another hit when Azeez Ojulari (hamstring) exited early and was subsequently ruled out.

*After a strong start to the season, it was surprising to see Jake Elliott miss a 42-yard field goal, indoors no less. One of Elliott’s kickoffs also failed to reach the landing zone.

*Still far too many penalties, as the Eagles were penalized 8 times for 64 yards.

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com