There's a certain sense of déjà vu for Minnesota going into Week 2.
The opponent is the same (the Philadelphia Eagles), as is the location (Lincoln Financial Field) and setup (prime-time matchup). The only modifications this time from last season are that the Vikings face the Eagles on a short week (Thursday Night Football instead of Monday) and Minnesota will try to notch its first victory of the season after a tough 20-17 loss to Tampa Bay this past Sunday.
The Vikings and Eagles have met 30 times in their history, with an even split between the two teams. Minnesota is just 7-11 in Philadelphia, however, including 0-4 in postseason games. The Vikings two-game win streak against the Eagles was snapped with a 24-7 loss last season.
Let's see who the experts are picking to win the game:
Eagles 27, Vikings 17 – John Breech, CBS Sports
If the Vikings were smart, they would have asked the NFL not to schedule them for any prime-time games this year and that's because their quarterback can't win in prime time. When it comes to late games, Kirk Cousins isn't as bad as Daniel Jones, but he does always seem to melt down under the spotlight. Cousins has a 12-20 career prime-time record, and this week, he has to go up against an opponent who never loses: Jalen Hurts.
If the Vikings couldn't stop Baker Mayfield in Week 1, I'm not sure how they're going to stop Hurts, who is 18-1 in 19 regular-season starts. I picked against the Eagles last week and after watching that backfire in my face, I'm not sure I'll be picking against them again all season.
The Eagles have a better offense, they have a better defense and I think they even have better special teams. I have no choice but to pick Philly.
Eagles 30, Vikings 16 – Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
The Eagles didn't look good in beating the Patriots last week, which will change here. They are back home and have a game to get the rust off. The Vikings lost to the Bucs at home in a game where they moved the ball, but just turned it over too much. This is a prime-time game, which isn't good for Kirk Cousins. Eagles big.
Eagles 34, Vikings 27 – Staff, Bleacher Report
The Vikings will go on the road and try to shake off the stench of a turnover-ridden 20-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they face a tougher challenge in the Philadelphia Eagles who earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC and represented the conference in the Super Bowl last season.
This offseason, the Eagles lost both their coordinators, but they opened the campaign with a 25-20 road victory over the New England Patriots.
Eagles 27, Vikings 17 – Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News
Kirk Cousins and the Vikings did this in Week 2 of last season in Philadelphia and it was a 24-7 domination as the Eagles were well on their way to rolling to the NFC Championship. Cousins' prime-time woes are well known, and he played messy in the opener. So did the Eagles with Jalen Hurts, but they are better positioned to correct things offensively with their talent vs. a much weaker defense than their own.
Eagles 27, Vikings 20 – Bill Bender, Sporting News
The Eagles routed Minnesota 24-7 on Monday Night Football last season, and the Vikings are in danger of a 0-2 start. Kirk Cousins' prime-time record is always a discussion topic, but he's 4-5 on Thursday Night Football. The problem for the Vikings will be generating a running game on the road. Philadelphia wins, but it's closer on a short week.
0 of 7 experts pick the Vikings, The MMQB
1 of 10 experts pick the Vikings, ESPN
"Straight-up consensus" from seven experts: Eagles, Bleacher Report
2 of 12 experts pick the Vikings, The Athletic
