Minnesota is ruining things
Head coach Kevin O'Connell said Carson Wentz and JJ McCarthy were recovering from injuries at QB as of Thursday afternoon (Wentz suffered a left shoulder injury in Week 5 against Cleveland and McCarthy suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 2 against Atlanta).
A month ago, Wentz's NFL journey came full circle when the North Dakota native and longtime fan made his U.S. debut in purple and gold at Bank Stadium.
Wentz's career will come full circle again on Sunday when he makes his fourth straight start at quarterback in Minnesota - this time against the team that drafted him nearly a decade ago.
Prior to his Minnesota debut against Cincinnati in Week 3 last month, Wentz had not appeared in a game at U.S. Bank Stadium since 2019, when the hosted the Eagles and the QB completed 26 of 40 passes for 306 yards. On Sunday, Wentz could play the team that drafted him No. 2 overall in 2016 nearly nine years after he started for the Eagles against the Vikings.
Or, if MCCarthy returns to action, the 2024 first-round pick will make his third career start.
However, many experts seem to disagree with this bias.
Let's see who gets the pundits' game:
Eagles 24, 22 - Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
The Eagles have lost two straight and it doesn't look right.That will come and maybe have quarterback J.J.McCarthy back.If not, it's Carson Toz.No problem.It will come down to the Eagles taking Soquon Barkley, and they will run through the Vikings.The Eagles will win a tight one.
Eagles 28, 24 - Bill Center, Sports News
Is J.J.McCarthy (ankle) back here?The Eagles haven't lost three games in a row since 2023, but the key will be to improve their run defense, which ranks 27th in the NFL. Saquon Barkley has been held to 88 rushing yards or less in every game this season.He breaks down the road here and Jalen Hurts does the rest.
Eagles 23, 20 - Vinnie Iyer, Sports News
The Eagles need to stop slipping after two consecutive losses against the Broncos and Giants.If they can protect the ball in Minnesota, it should happen.
Out of 5 out of 5 experts from APL.
Analysis by Brooke Cersosimo on NFL.com:
There's no breathing room in the NFC North, and the sand is ticking Minnesota to figure things out offensively.Fortunately, some key players had a bye week to recover.However, JJ McCarthy isn't "100 percent" yet, so Carson Wentz could face the team that drafted him where the Eagles won the franchise's first Super Bowl.Won — with an injured Wentz watching from the sidelines.That should be plenty of fuel for Wentz's fire.It will help if guard Donovan Jackson, tackle Brian O'Neal and backup center Michael Jurgens — all of whom practiced in some capacity this week — are able to play.They will need to stay on their Ps and Qs with Jaylen Carter for Philly.Regardless, Wentz is expected to rely on Justin Jefferson, who averaged nearly four more catches and 45 more yards per game with Wentz at QB than McCarthy this season.Another major story here is Philly's offensive struggles in back-to-back losses.Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo wants to run the ball more — and frankly, he needs to.Saquon Barkley has that offense.Has rushed for less than 90 yards in all six games of the season.This could be the week the Eagles start their ground attack, with Minnesota ranked third down against the run.Brian Flores' unit is struggling without leaders Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel, but if they're both healthy and on the field Sunday, the defense should be able to stave off questions about Philly's offense for another week.is
0 of 7 experts choose Bleacher report
Bleacher Report analysis by Ian Hanford:
I'm a little surprised the whole crew is here on the Eagles because they're struggling in every way possible right now.They're still 4-2 though, and I expect them not to be happy after taking a beatdown at the hands of the Giants last week.
The defense has been good this season, but has struggled to stop the run, so this is a game where the Philadelphia team can rely on those field goals.
Bleach Report MOE MINE STANDING:
This feels true with all the panels on the shingle side, but the focus is at this point.
They have two sick quarterbacks going into this matchup.
Head coach Kevin O'Connell hasn't named a starter, but that may not matter in terms of distribution.The Eagles only need to win on the road by a field goal, which shouldn't be difficult against a team with a broken QB room and three returning offensive linemen also coming back from injuries.
0 out of 7 experts chose MMQB
2 of 10 pundits (1 of 11 total did not submit) chose, espn
0 of 6 experts chose it, USA Today
The Eagles and Eagles have met 31 times in their history, including four postseason games, with Philadelphia holding a 16-15 advantage in the series.Minnesota won seven straight to start the streak from 1962-78, but Philadelphia has won 12 of the previous 17 contests dating back to the 1989 season, including the last two meetings (24-7 wins).and 34-28 Week 2 and 2020 in 2020).
Despite their recent success, the Eagles were 8-4 in home series, including winning four of the final six games of the 1988 season in Minneapolis.Minnesota enters Sunday having scored at least 38 points in two straight home games against Philadelphia (48-30 win in 2013, 38-20 win in 2019).Philadelphia went three straight games without a loss, losing to Arizona and the New York Giants at the end of the regular season before losing to Tampa Bay in the wild-card round.
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