Vikings vs Eagles Odds: Philadelphia Large Favorites at Home

The Minnesota Vikings visit the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFL Week 2 Thursday night game. Minnesota has already lost more close games this year than it did all of last season. The Eagles edged New England in their opener and now head home for a prime time encounter with the Vikes. The Vikings vs Eagles odds have Philadelphia -7 and the total is 48.5. The Eagles are -330 on the moneyline.

Vikings Their Own Worst Enemy

Minnesota lost 20-17 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a game it shouldn’t have lost. The Vikings had a 369-242 yardage advantage and came away empty handed on a pair of 60-yard drives that ended with a fumble and an interception. Minnesota also turned the ball over on its 18 that resulted in a Tampa Bay field goal.

If Minnesota wants to return to the playoffs, it can’t be losing to the likes of Tampa Bay at home. The Vikings went off as 4-point favorites, but it didn’t matter. The Minnesota Vikings standings show 0-1 on the season.

Kirk Cousins was the primary culprit in the loss. He enjoyed a decent day throwing the ball, going 33 of 44 for 344 yards and two touchdowns. He did have the one costly interception. But even worse, he was sacked twice and fumbled the ball away both times. You expect a little more from a veteran quarterback.

Cousins could be throwing a lot this season, as Minnesota definitely missed Dalvin Cook. Alexander Mattison had 11 carries for 34 yards and a long run of nine yards. He had three receptions for 10 yards and a touchdown. But he needs to do more as Minnesota’s featured back or the NFL scores will look like they did against Tampa Bay quite a bit.

Minnesota’s defense played well. The Bucs were held to 73 rushing yards on 33 carries and had a long gain of six yards. It’s not often you see an NFL game that doesn’t have a single run for at least 10 yards. But that was the case in this one. The Vikings didn’t force a single turnover, which didn’t help, and had just one sack.

Eagles Hold Off New England

Philadelphia jumped out to a 16-0 lead in the first quarter against New England. But in the end, it took a pair of fourth-quarter stops to preserve the 25-20 victory for the Eagles. Philadelphia was favored by 3.5 points at kickoff, but covered the spread for their backers.

The Patriots had a 382-251 yardage advantage. But the Eagles returned an interception for a touchdown and recovered a fumble on the New England 26. Those types of miscues aren’t easy to come back from. The Patriots tried, but couldn’t quite get there.

Jalen Hurts was average by his standards, throwing for 170 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 37 yards. Kenneth Gainwell led the Eagles with 54 rushing yards.

Philadelphia’s defense came up with the two big turnovers and also kept Mac Jones in check. The Patriots threw for 316 yards, but attempted 54 passes to get those yards. New England was held to 76 rushing yards on 22 carries.

The Eagles came out of the New England game a little banged up. Linebacker Nakobe Dean is expected to miss several weeks with a foot injury and starting cornerback James Bradberry is in concussion protocol. His status for Thursday’s game is unclear.

What to Expect

The Vikings vs Eagles odds are quite a bit different than they were in Week 2 of the 2022 season. Minnesota visited Philadelphia for the Monday night game and the line was Eagles -2.5. Philadelphia won 24-7 in a game that saw all 31 points scored in the first half.

The Vikings have to get more out of their running attack. Since the start of the 2000 season, NFL teams which rush for fewer than 50 yards are 180-790-1 straight-up and just 190-758-23 against the point spread. It’s no surprise the Vikings lost and failed to cover. If anything, Minnesota did a fair job of staying in the game despite not moving the ball on the ground.

If Minnesota is forced to pass almost every down, Cousins will feel some pressure and needs to take better care of the ball.

The Eagles aren’t going to change up much from their opening game. They’ll try to establish the run and let Hurts do his thing. Minnesota’s pass defense was pretty bad last season and a good effort against Baker Mayfield and Tampa Bay doesn’t change that.

Who to Bet On?

The Vikings vs Eagles odds of Philadelphia -7 might be a shade high. But you can see why the sportsbook has the Eagles favored by a touchdown. But the setup isn’t a bad one for the Vikings. Minnesota was unlucky to lose, while the Eagles caught a few breaks to get the victory over the Patriots. With the NFL odds this week showing Philadelphia -7, there’s a bit of value with Minnesota. So take the Vikings +7 on Thursday night.

For NFL betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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