Nick Foles was 27-for-44 with 393 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in the Eagles 41-30 loss to the Vikings. (Photo Courtesy of ESPN.com)
From the beginning, something didn't seem right about the Philadelphia Eagles. Whatever it was, there was no rhythm.
Poor defense, poor coaching decisions, a disappointing performance by the offense. It all went south for the Eagles in a hurry.
The tell-tale signs were there. Nick Foles threw his second interception of the season on a deep ball to DeSean Jackson. An end-around double-reverse run by Jackson was negated by a personal foul on Foles. The mental mistakes were everywhere.
Thus ended the Eagles five-game winning streak, as they lost to the Minnesota Vikings at Mall of America Field on Sunday, 48-30.
The Vikings opened the game with the ball and put together a nice drive before ending it with a missed field goal from 55 yards. The Eagles first possession lasted just 56 seconds and three plays.
That was where the Vikings gained fire. Matt Cassel completed his first eight passes of the game, including a 57-yard touchdown strike to Greg Jennings.
Minnesota would add a 21-yard field goal and a one-yard touchdown run by Matt Asiata, filling in for the injured Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart.
At the half, the Eagles had managed just three field goals and trailed 17-9.
They did open the second half with the ball, but again, ran just three plays in 1:19. The Vikings got the ball back and turned their first possession into a four-play touchdown drive.
One drive after Foles' second interception of the game, the Eagles decided to take a huge gamble, going for it on 4th and 1 from their own 25. They failed to convert, turning the ball over on downs. The ensuing drive resulted in another Vikings field goal.
The Eagles did start to cut into the lead late in the third. Much like last Sunday's win against the Lions, Foles caught fire with three straight passes, including a 30-yard strike to Jackson for a touchdown. An interception by Mychal Kendricks resulted in another touchdown drive with Zach Ertz making an excellent one-handed grab for a three-yard touchdown. After a failed two-point conversion, the lead was cut to five as the fourth quarter began.
That wouldn't stop the Vikings. They would charge ahead for two fourth-quarter touchdowns as the Eagles lost their composure. The absence of Peterson and Gerhart as well as three other starters made little difference.
The Eagles did add a late touchdown, Foles to Jason Avant, to cut the lead to 11. Asiata added a touchown with 1:09 left, his third of the day, to finish off the scoring.
Despite the early struggles, Foles did finish 30-for-48 with 428 yards passing. He threw three touchdowns and one interception.
Perhaps the biggest factor was the lack of rushing attempts for LeSean McCoy. McCoy finished with just eight carries for 38 yards. He also had five catches for 68 yards.
Cassel was easily the best player on the field. He finished 26-for-35 with 382 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. He also had 19 yards on the ground with one rushing touchdown. In relief of Peterson and Gerhart, Asiata finished with just 51 yards on 30 carries but three very important touchdowns.
Also starring on offense with a career day was Jennings, who finished with 11 catches – a new career high – for 163 yards and a touchdown.
As the Eagles await the result of Dallas-Green Bay to see where they stand after 15 weeks in this NFL season, they make the trip home to Philadelphia, having to prepare for the Chicago Bears next Sunday night sitting at 8-6 after one of their most disappointing games of the season.
Kevin Durso is a contributor for Eagledelphia. Look for his Monday Review the morning after every Eagles game. Follow him on twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.
