During Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Vikings offense racked up nearly 400 yards of total offense (season-high 387 yards), had as many passing first downs as the Eagles tallied as a team (13), and recorded only one punt and three total penalties on the afternoon (both season lows).
The defense also sacked Philadelphia QB Jalen Hurts three times and limited RB and reigning OPOY winner Saquon Barkley to just 2.4 yards per carry and 44 total rushing yards on 18 attempts.
That all sounds like a recipe for success, especially against the defending Super Bowl Champions. Instead, Minnesota's offense struggled in the red zone, while the Eagles used two Vikings turnovers – including a pick six – and multiple explosive plays through the air to their advantage to earn a 28-22 victory at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Entering Week 7, the Vikings (3-3) ranked tied for eighth in the NFL in red-zone touchdown rate, going 10-for-15 (66.7%) in their first five games. That percentage has now dipped to 52.4% (dropping Minnesota to 22nd in the league in the category) after a 1-for-6 outing inside the 20-yard line on Sunday.
Minnesota also lost the turnover battle for the fourth time this season, falling to 1-3 when doing so, after having just two such instances all last season (going 1-1). Defensively, the Vikings haven't been able to replicate their takeaway success from a year ago. After recording at least one takeaway in every single game in 2024 – including leading the league in interceptions (24) and finishing tied for first in total takeaways (33) – Minnesota has failed to have a takeaway in three consecutive games, marking the longest such streak since Weeks 15-17 of the 2018 season.
Sunday's loss caused some movement for Minnesota in this week's Power Rankings. Here's a look at where the Vikings landed heading into Week 8:
No. 22 (down 3 spots): Eric Edholm, NFL.com
Carson Wentz wasn't able to vanquish his former team, throwing two interceptions, including a pick six, against the Eagles. The Vikings moved the ball readily almost all game but trailed throughout because of a poor red-zone showing (1-for-6) and their minus-two turnover ratio. In short, this wasn't the kind of performance that should give [Head Coach] Kevin O'Connell any sort of hesitation to go back to J.J. McCarthy; a move that we've expected all along feels certain now. The Vikings have ping-ponged back and forth this season, and now a gauntlet of tough opponents awaits.
No. 18 (up 1 spot): Kris Knox, Bleacher Report
The Minnesota Vikings didn't immediately turn back to J.J. McCarthy in Week 7, which was absolutely the right call.
The second-year quarterback has been out since suffering an ankle injury in Week 2. He's still an inexperienced signal-caller who should be 100 percent healthy and have ample practice time before being thrust back onto the field.
While Carson Wentz's two interceptions – including a pick-six – hurt Minnesota during Sunday's loss, he's played well enough to keep the offense afloat.
The Vikings aren't playing like title contenders, but McCarthy's development should be more important than any potential Wild Card run.
No. 16 (no change): Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
The quarterback situation bears watching.
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No. 21 (no change): Nate Davis, USA Today
Been a while since a quarterback took apart Brian Flores' defense the way Jalen Hurts did on Sunday. Justin Herbert and Jared Goff, Flores' next two assignments, surely took note.
No. 20 (down 3 spots): Josh Kendall, The Athletic
It's not just brutal for Vikings fans having to watch their team figure out its quarterback situation because so much of the rest of the roster is ready to win now.
No. 20 (down 3 spots): Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News
The Vikings broke down defensively only a handful of times against the Eagles, but the focus on stopping the run cost them big-time vs. the pass. Carson Wentz is a gamer, but they should welcome back J.J. McCarthy with open arms.
No. 21 (down 2 spots): Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports
There's not much positive to come out of Sunday's game. Carson Wentz's two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, cost the Vikings dearly. Their defense, the strength of the team, allowed Jalen Hurts to post a perfect 158.3 passer rating. The Vikings seem to be fading.
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