Eagles-Vikings predictions: Monday Night Football picks from the local and national media

Prognosticators are split over Monday night's game at the Linc. So who is backing the Birds and who is predicting a Vikings upset?

Eagles safety Marcus Epps yells after a stop against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Will the Birds defense step up against the Vikings on Monday night?Read moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer

by Matt Mullin

Published Sept. 19, 2022, 5:00 a.m. ET

For the second straight year — and the sixth in the last seven — the Eagles are off to a 1-0 start. But they shouldn’t get too comfortable in the wake of that Week 1 win, since a season ago that victory was followed by three consecutive losses.

They return home for a prime-time Monday Night Football matchup at Lincoln Financial Field, but things aren’t getting easier for Nick Sirianni, Jalen Hurts, and the rest of the Birds, as they’ll face a Minnesota Vikings team that should present even more of a challenge than the Lions did in the opener. Why? For starters, Justin Jefferson, the receiver the Eagles passed on — you know what? We don’t need to rehash that here. But let’s suffice it to say that the Vikings offense has even more dangerous weapons than the Detroit team that just dropped 35 points on the Birds.

Oddmakers are expecting a close but high-scoring affair, as the Birds are favored by 2.5 points with a total of 50.5 according to FanDuel. And the predictions back that up, with writers and analysts largely being split over which of these two teams will start the season 2-0 — the picks we found actually favored the Eagles, with about 55% taking the Birds.

So who is picking the Eagles? And who is picking against them? Here’s a look at some predictions from the local and national media, starting right here with our own Eagles beat writers ...

Inquirer beat writer predictions

After a unanimous Eagles pick last week, our writers are split on the outcome of this one, but all three see it being a close game. Even Jeff McLane, who picked against the Birds, doesn’t sound too confident in his pick.

I think this is a toss-up game. Cousins may not always dazzle, but he doesn’t make many stupid mistakes. He’ll take sacks rather than force throws, so it’s imperative that the Eagles generate a more consistent pass rush. Gannon has yet to deliver an above average performance against a quality offense, so there is genuine reason to wonder how he’ll be able to contain a Vikings team with multiple studs. But the Eagles offense will pose its problems and Monday night could turn into a shootout. I picked the Vikings in my preseason predictions, so I’m sticking with them after getting the opener against the Lions correct, but I don’t feel very strong about it.

Jeff McLane

But what do EJ Smith and Josh Tolentino think? Check out our full predictions here.

National media predictions

Here’s a look at what those around the country have to say about Monday night’s Eagles-Vikings game ...

· ESPN.com: Seven of their 10 experts like the Birds to win, but it appears that Jeremy Fowler and Seth Wickersham, who picked against the Eagles last week, learned their lesson.

· NFL.com: For the second week in a row, Gregg Rosenthal has the Eagles winning (and barely covering the spread) in a high-scoring affair.

· CBS Sports: Last week, all eight of their experts correctly picked Philly straight up. This week, there’s a bit less confidence, with just six of the eight picking the Eagles to win outright — and just five thinking they’ll cover the 2.5-point spread.

· Yahoo! Sports: Frank Schwab wrongly predicted a Lions’ cover in Week 1, but this week he thinks the Eagles win and cover against the Vikings.

· Sports Illustrated: Over at the MMQB, three of the five football writers are picking the Birds to beat the Vikings.

· The Ringer: Sheil Kapadia, like many others, has this as “a toss-up game.” That being said, he thinks the Vikings cover a 2.5-point spread. And while he doesn’t pick a traditional winner, he did have the following to say as to why he’s going with Minnesota: “The bottom line is I have very little faith in the Eagles defense after what we saw last week.”

· The Athletic: Seven of their 10 experts are picking the Eagles, one fewer than last week.

· USA TODAY: While most outlets have been leaning more toward the Eagles, the staff at USA TODAY is going the other way, with just three of their seven writers taking the Birds.

· Pro Football Talk: Mike Florio and Michael David Smith are split over this one, with the former picking the Eagles to win their home opener.

· The New York Times: David Hill only picks against the spread, and this week he thinks the Vikings will cover the 2.5 points.

· Bleacher Report: It’s another pro-Minnesota crowd, with five of the seven NFL experts picking against the Birds.

Local media predictions

And last but not least, here’s a look at what those closest to the teams believe will unfold Monday, starting with a trip to enemy territory ...

· TwinCities.com: All four of the website’s Vikings writers are picking the team they cover to win. Homers.

· NBC Sports Philadelphia: In his game-by-game predictions for this season, Reuben Frank had the Eagles falling to 1-1 with a loss to the Vikings.

· PhillyVoice: Just three of the site’s seven writers are picking the Birds.

· Bleeding Green Nation: Four of six writers are going with the Eagles.