By Patrick Del Gaone, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
The Philadelphia Eagles return home this weekend in search of a bounce back performance against Sam Bradford and the undefeated Vikings. Minnesota is currently favored by three points, with 79 percent of betters siding with Mike Zimmer’s squad, according to Vegas Insider.
In Philadelphia’s last three contests, the favorite has been the pick of choice by a vast majority of gamblers. In all three cases, the underdog won the game outright.
With that in mind, let’s take a deeper look into this Sunday’s matchup of NFC heavyweights.
Vikings Offense vs. Eagles Defense
Through four starts, Bradford has performed quite admirably since being thrust into the starting role just a week after being traded to Minnesota. While the former Eagle has been tremendously efficient, completing 70 percent of his passes and hurling six touchdowns against no interceptions, the Vikings offense actually ranks near or at the bottom of the league in pass yards (25th), rush yards (32nd) and total yardage per game (30th). Despite their lack of firepower, Norv Turner’s offense has managed to score nearly 24 points per contest (14th in NFL).
With Adrian Pederson out of the lineup since week 2, Turner has showed tremendous patience with a running game that has struggled mightily. The Vikings average just 2.5 yards per carry, but rank 6th in the NFL in rushing attempts. Look for the veteran coach to give tailbacks Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata another hefty workload on Sunday. Zimmer, a defensive-minded head coach, is preparing his team for a Super Bowl run led by his vicious defense. With many years of experience coaching in cold-weather cities, he knows the Vikings will need to grind out yardage on the ground in order to win playoff games in Minnesota’s frigid winter climate.
Philadelphia’s defense receives a favorable matchup this weekend following a horrendous performance against the Redskins. Jim Schwartz’s unit was bullied by Washington’s stout hog-mollies for the majority of last weekend's game, allowing seven yards per carry and 230 rushing yards to Jay Gruden’s stable of backs. To make matters worse, defensive tackle Bennie Logan suffered a groin injury in the nation’s capital, and is listed as questionable for this weekend’s tilt.
Minnesota’s offense will run an assortment of play-action passes on Sunday. 6’6”, 260 lb. tight end Kyle Rudolph will be a difficult matchup for Philadelphia’s linebackers and safeties, and speedy wideout Stefon Diggs’ ability to stretch a defense could cause problems for the injury-plagued Eagles secondary.
Eagles Offense vs. Vikings Defense
Zimmer’s vaunted No. 1 ranked defense in the NFL is the reason the Vikings have been able to surmount an underwhelming offensive unit through the first quarter of the season. They rank 2nd in the NFL allowing only 287 yards per game, lead the league with only 12.6 opposition points per game and are tied for 2nd in the NFL with 12 takeaways.
Minnesota’s defense is predicated on their Double A-gap pressure scheme. The look is commonly referred to as a “mug” front, and involves two linebackers lining up on the line of scrimmage in the A-gaps, directly between the center and guards. Two “muggers” showing blitz up the middle makes for six potential rushers, which gives the offense two most likely options: they can slide protection to the left or right, leaving the running back vulnerable in one-on-one protection against a bull-rushing defensive end, or assign the center and tailback the responsibility of blocking the A-gap blitzers.
While Zimmer’s concepts are masterful, the execution of his personnel is second-to-none. Defensive ends Everson Griffen and Brian Robison are among of the best tandems in the NFL, while defensive tackle Linvel Joseph is a ferocious run-stuffer on the inside. Quite frankly, Halapoulivaati Vaitai will need regular help blocking Robison. The former Texas Longhorn is a tactician on the edge with relentless effort and a propensity to swipe the ball from the quarterback when the opportunity is presented.
Darren Sproles has received limited touches in the past two games, and it doesn’t seem to be a coincidence that the Eagles are at their best when they get the shifty back lathered up. The Waterloo, Iowa native ranks 2nd in the NFL in yards after catch per reception (12.6), and is averaging over four yards per rush, but has received just 28 total carries this season. Look for Doug Pederson to enhance Sproles’ role in the offense this weekend, and the undersized runner to navigate his way into the endzone.
Matchup to Watch: Eagles Offensive Line vs. Vikings Double A-gap pressure
Player of the Game: Fletcher Cox
Prediction: Eagles win 13-9
