What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 7 vs. the Vikings

The Eagles have lost back-to-back games for the first time since 2023. Is it time to sound the alarm?

There’s a whole lot of season left. But something’s got to give on all three phases — offense, defense, special teams — after a complementary-in-the-worst-way loss to the New York Giants on Thursday night. This week, the listless Eagles offense is tasked with rebounding on the road against a 3-2 Minnesota Vikings team that boasts one of the league’s better defenses.

At this point, though, it seems as if it doesn’t matter who the Eagles are playing against — they keep beating themselves with their self-inflicted issues, from a lack of execution to costly penalties to a lackluster offensive scheme.

Here’s what we know (and don’t) about the Eagles ahead of their Week 7 matchup against the Vikings:

Last year, the Week 5 bye was a turning point in the season for the Eagles offense and, in essence, the entire team.

Key members of the Eagles offensive line approached Nick Sirianni that week and suggested the offense lean into the run game behind the dynamic Saquon Barkley. Sirianni made it happen. The Eagles predominantly took a run-first approach for the rest of the year, running the ball at will and leading the league in rushing attempts (621) and ranking second in rushing yards (3,048).

A little over one year later, the 4-2 Eagles arrived at the “mini-bye” with 10 days between games, providing an opportunity for self-scout and self-reflection. The Eagles shouldn’t need an intervention with a record like that, but the way the offense has looked through the first six weeks of the season isn’t reflected in their wins and losses.

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With all of their talent, the offense still lacks an identity. Lane Johnson posited after the Giants loss that the offense looks too predictable. Jalen Hurts shouldered some of the blame for a lack of execution on missed opportunities. Sirianni said the team didn’t play or coach up to their standard.

So, if an intervention is needed, what is the salve for the Eagles’ offensive woes? It still doesn’t seem like there are many easy answers for Hurts in the passing game that incorporate all three levels of the field. Especially in this last game against the Giants, Hurts was forced to make plays out of structure to keep the offense afloat.

The answers aren’t going to come easily against the Brian Flores-coached Vikings defense. The group leads the league in expected points added per play allowed (-.20), which measures the average points a defense gives up on a play. That figure is heavily influenced by their success against the pass (-.42 passing EPA per play allowed, No. 1 in the NFL), thanks in part to the strong play of former Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rodgers.

Leading up to the draft, Jaxson Dart, the Giants’ No. 25-overall pick out of Mississippi, mentioned Hurts as a player he has tried to emulate. Both players have dual-threat abilities in terms of their skill sets as passers and as ball carriers.

Dart embodied that archetype on Thursday night. He was dynamic on the ground, especially as a scrambler, finishing the night with six scrambles for 46 yards and a touchdown (he had a total of 13 carries for 58 yards and the score).

He also successfully pushed the ball downfield for the first time in his young NFL career. Dart threw for 117 yards and a touchdown on downfield attempts, according to Next Gen Stats, which comes after he totaled 91 yards and one touchdown on downfield throws in his first two career starts.

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But even Hurts in 2025 doesn’t quite look like the same Hurts that Dart has modeled his game after. One of the qualities that has made Hurts so special throughout his career — his rushing capability — has been missing for most of this season. Hurts has seldom been used on designed runs aside from the Tush Push.

Out of Hurts’ 50 carries through six games this season, per Pro Football Focus, he has 19 scrambles, 15 sneaks, seven kneel-downs, and one fumble. That leaves him with just eight designed runs for 41 yards (5.1 yards per carry).

Perhaps the Eagles are trying to protect their franchise quarterback from injury. As the Eagles search for answers to ignite the offense, though, they ought to consider one of the facets that has made Hurts such an asset at the quarterback position throughout his career.

Adding Hurts as a threat on the ground could help the running game get back on track, especially against a Vikings defense whose greatest weakness might be stopping opposing rushers. The group has allowed 4.5 rushing yards per carry this season, which ranks No. 21 in the NFL and is just a tick greater than the league average (4.4).

Meanwhile in Minnesota, Carson Wentz might be at the center of another quarterback controversy, again.

Starter J.J. McCarthy has been sidelined for the last three weeks while recovering from a high ankle sprain. But before he sustained his injury in the Vikings’ Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, things weren’t looking so great for the second-year quarterback.

After a shaky first three quarters of the Vikings’ season opener against the Chicago Bears, McCarthy led the Vikings to a 27-24 comeback victory in the fourth quarter. McCarthy faltered the following week against the Falcons, though, going 11 for 21 for 158 yards and two interceptions.

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Improved health alone won’t earn McCarthy the start against the Eagles. He must also prove that he’s capable of executing the Vikings offense at a high level. Otherwise, coach Kevin O’Connell may turn to Wentz for a fourth consecutive game if the 32-year-old quarterback is healthy (he suffered a shoulder injury in the Vikings’ Week 5 win over the Cleveland Browns).

The Eagles had Wentz’s number the first time he ever played against them in 2022 as a member of the Washington Commanders. Wentz was overwhelmed all afternoon, taking nine sacks and going 25 of 43 for 211 yards. Wentz has taken 12 sacks in his last three starts, but he’s been an upgrade over McCarthy, which isn’t saying all that much.

Still, he has one of the best receivers in the league at his disposal in Justin Jefferson, who has posted over 120 receiving yards in both of his last two games.

If he’s healthy enough to play, Quinyon Mitchell (hamstring) will have his work cut out for him against Jefferson.

The two-time All-Pro receiver is a candidate for Mitchell to travel with on Sunday, a responsibility that the cornerback is undertaking for the first time this season.

But Jefferson isn’t the only receiver who is capable of making plays. Jordan Addison returned two weeks ago from a three-game suspension after he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge to settle a DUI case in California over the summer. He made an impact on the offense right away, catching four passes for 114 yards in the Vikings’ narrow 24-21 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Who will start at outside cornerback opposite Mitchell? Last week against the Broncos, it was Kelee Ringo, the 2023 fourth-rounder out of Georgia. Ringo got a quick hook in favor of Adoree’ Jackson by the fourth Giants possession of the evening after he conceded a 26-yard pass to Wan’Dale Robinson on a mesh concept and had a brain lapse when he forgot to tackle the receiver.

Ringo returned when Mitchell exited with the hamstring injury. He had a rough showing overall, conceding four receptions on five targets for 73 yards, according to Pro Football Focus. He was also flagged twice, once for illegal contact and once for defensive pass interference.

“I didn’t play to my standard entirely,” Ringo said after the game. “I feel like that’s not a secret. I’m not going to be delusional with myself and just say I played [to it], you know what I mean?”

Jackson was marginally better in coverage. He allowed five receptions for 38 yards, plus he had a pass breakup on third down against Giants tight end Theo Johnson in the third quarter.

But cornerback isn’t the only position where the Eagles are feeling a lack of depth on defense this season. Both Jalen Carter’s and Nolan Smith’s absences were felt along the defensive front on Thursday night. The Eagles missed their toughness as they got bullied on the ground by Dart and Cam Skattebo.