Sunday’s matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Philadelphia Eagles is pivotal for both teams as they are at an inflection point during their seasons.
For the Vikings, they are coming off a much-needed Bye Week as they healed up and looked to turn the page on some inconsistencies in their game. Players like Andrew Van Ginkel, J.J. McCarthy, and Donovan Jackson have all been pivotal to their success in 2025, but have missed time over the last few weeks, affecting both sides of the ball. Despite all the injuries, this team does seem to be ready for the matchup at hand with the Eagles in Week 7. They will welcome the defending Super Bowl champions to their home and hope to send them back to Philadelphia with another loss on their record.
While looking at the game, we wanted to identify areas where the team might have advantages over the Eagles. Three areas stood out to us that should allow the Vikings to rely on and secure a win on Sunday.
Safety
The Vikings’ safety duo of Theo Jackson and Josh Metellus have been playing great football for the team in 2025. When Harrison Smith missed the start of the season, many people expected the group to take a step back, especially after losing Camryn Bynum in free agency as well. What has happened instead is a group that is great in run support, helps in pass coverage, and has covered up the missing pieces they have had on defense throughout the year. The Eagles have some playmakers at the position, but none like the duo the Vikings have.
Pass Rushers
The Vikings’ pass rushers have been dealing with injuries on and off all year, but Jonathan Greenard has remained a reliable piece in their defense. What they have seen take a big step in 2025 is the pass rush of their interior guys, especially Jalen Redmond. The second-year defensive lineman has become a constant presence in opposing backfields, and as a result, the team has been able to not miss Andrew Van Ginkel as much as they would have last year. And on that note, there is a potential for Van Ginkel to return this week, and if he does, then this pass-rushing group is better than the Eagles by a country mile.
Quarterback
Based on how they are playing right now, I am favoring either J.J. McCarthy or Carson Wentz over Jalen Hurts. The Eagles quarterback has struggled to get the team’s passing game going much, to the point that A.J. Brown has made more social media posts than he has receptions this year. It feels like that. Whereas, despite all the ups and downs the quarterbacks have had in Minnesota, Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison have remained threats to opposing defenses.
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