The Philadelphia Eagles enter Week 7 coming off their worst performance of the season, a 17-point loss to the New York Giants on Thursday night. It capped off a disastrous night for Philadelphia sports, as the Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies will not have a chance to rebound, but there is still a lot of season left for the Eagles.
Several questions need to be answered about this iteration of the team. A once-feared run defense just got ran over, and the offense is not clicking. Now they are traveling to Minnesota to play a Vikings team that can exploit their biggest weaknesses. It will be interesting to see how Justin Jefferson and the Minnesota passing attack choose to attack the Eagles’ secondary. No matter their plan of attack, something has to change for the Eagles. With that in mind, let’s dive into this game preview.
Keys to a Philadelphia Eagles Week 7 Victory
Reverse the Course
The offense is on quite a downswing; and things are getting worse, not better. What once was a promising half to build off of, or a tough win, feels like years ago at this rate. It is clear nobody is happy, and after a loss to a division rival, they have a good reason to be disappointed.
Two stats that stand out the most when diving into their early-season tendencies are the offense being 30th in play action and 28th in motion. Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo needs to show innovation with his offense. At the moment, he is just being largely predictable with his play calling and someone like Brian Flores with his exotic looks will eat that right up.
The Vikings’ defense is currently second in estimated points added per play. Their unit is clearly one of the best in the NFL. This game feels like a mismatch heading into a must-win game for the Eagles.
Kevin Patullo should be incorporating more misdirections, motion, and play action into his playbook. He also needs to call some designed runs for Jalen Hurts to keep the defense honest. Saquon Barkley only has 23 touches in his past two games. He is one of the league’s best, and regardless of game script, he needs to be getting the ball more.
Getting Healthy
The Eagles have been struggling with injuries. It’s something they were lucky to avoid last season, but it’s been different this year.
Jalen Carter was forced to miss the game against the Giants with a heel injury. Quinyon Mitchell hurt his hamstring, and Landon Dickerson is still healing from his preseason injury, in addition to hurting his ankle. It is clear when watching the game live that these absences are hurting the Eagles. Giants running back Cam Skattebo was able to score three times on this defense, while Jaxson Dart added a rushing touchdown as well. Getting these players healthy would go a long way in improving the team.
Trade Deadline Splash
The Eagles are seem to be missing all of those pieces they lost in the offseason. It was always going to be a retool year, especially with all the picks in the 2026 NFL draft. Those wins in the beginning of the year started to paint a different picture, but the bad losses have brought it back into perspective. Don’t get me wrong, they are competitors and at the top of the pack. No team has really separated itself in the early going of the NFL season.
However, in addition to getting healthy, Howie Roseman needs to make a splash. Trey Hendrickson and Denzel Ward are at the top of everyone’s list and for good reason. They are star players at positions of need, and it was already reported that Roseman was in on Micah Parsons, trying to get him back to Pennsylvania. It will be interesting to see how they navigate the trade deadline. My prediction is they bring in one of the Miami Dolphins’ edge rushers, either Bradley Chubb, who has experience with Vic Fangio, or Jaelan Phillips.
Either way, the Eagles need to get healthy and make a splash at the deadline with the current state of the roster. Many fans trust Howie Roseman, and there is no reason to stop believing in the man who helped deliver two titles to the team.
Final Thoughts
The Minnesota Vikings are a tough matchup for this Philadelphia Eagles team. It feels like the Eagles currently lack an identity on offense, and that spells trouble against an elite defense. Patullo and company need to figure things out fast. Many fans want Patullo gone, but they should give him one or two more weeks before pressing the panic button. However, one or two more bad weeks in a row may mean looking towards 2026, unless they make changes with the staff and at the trade deadline. The Vikings should be the favorites, but it would not surprise me to see the Eagles pull out a victory. However, my confidence level is way lower than it was last week or even two weeks ago.
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