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Eagles take an unfamiliar losing streak on the road to face the refreshed Vikings

Philadelphia (4-2) at Minnesota (3-2)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox.

BetMGM line: Eagles by 2.

Against the spread: Eagles 3-3; Vikings 3-2.

Series record: Eagles lead 16-15.

Last meeting: Eagles beat Vikings 34-28 in Philadelphia on Sept. 14, 2023.

Last week: Eagles lost at Giants 34-17; Vikings had bye, beat Browns 21-17 in London on Oct. 5.

Eagles offense: overall (30), rush (25), pass (29), scoring (15)

Eagles defense: overall (21), rush (26T), pass (12), scoring (19)

Vikings offense: overall (25), rush (21), pass (19T), scoring (12)

Vikings defense: overall (6), rush (24), pass (2), scoring (5)

Turnover differential: Eagles plus-2; Vikings minus-2.

Eagles player to watch

CB Cooper DeJean. After capping a promising rookie season with an interception return for a touchdown in the Super Bowl victory over Kansas City, DeJean is one of the few Eagles standouts who hasn't had a noticeable drop-off in performance while serving as the anchor of a tenuous secondary. The Eagles have only three interceptions in six games and just one by a defensive back, rookie safety Andrew Mukuba.

Vikings player to watch

WR Jordan Addison. After being benched for the first quarter in London for missing a walk-through practice, Addison delivered the go-ahead touchdown catch with 25 seconds left to beat the Browns. He's been targeted 14 times in two games since returning from a three-game suspension for an offseason drunken driving arrest and will undoubtedly continue to be a key part of the passing attack moving forward. Addison had a 62-yard touchdown reception against the Eagles in 2023.

Key matchup

Eagles RB Saquon Barkley vs. Vikings front. The 2024 AP Offensive Player of the Year award winner hasn't come close to the rushing production he enjoyed during his 2,000-yard season while averaging a sluggish 3.4 yards per attempt. Meanwhile, the Vikings have slipped badly with their run defense after ranking second in the NFL last season in rushing yards allowed per game and fourth in yards per attempt. Injury absences of LB Blake Cashman and OLB Andrew Van Ginkel have played a significant part in the decline.

Key injuries

LG Landon Dickerson (ankle) missed the previous game along with backup TE Grant Calcaterra (oblique) and DT Jalen Carter (heel). CB Quinyon Mitchell (hamstring) was injured during the Giants game and didn't return. Dickerson, Carter and Mitchell were all back at practice on Wednesday. ... With Nolan Smith (biceps) on injured reserve for at least one more game and the unexpected retirement of Za'Darius Smith, the depth at edge rusher is thin behind starters Jalyx Hunt and Azeez Ojulari.

Vikings: Five original starters, QB J.J. McCarthy (ankle), RT Brian O'Neill (knee), LG Donovan Jackson (wrist) on offense and Cashman (hamstring) and Van Ginkel (neck), returned to practice on Wednesday after missing varying numbers of games. McCarthy's status will be judged just as much on his readiness and mechanics as his foot, after missing a month's worth of practices. ... C Michael Jurgens (hamstring), who had taken over for sidelined starter Ryan Kelly (concussion), was also back in the mix after sitting out in London, but the Vikings could opt to keep Blake Brandel there after a successful debut at the position. ... RB Aaron Jones (hamstring) must miss at least one more game on injured reserve.

Series notes

The Eagles last beat the Vikings in Minnesota in the wild-card round of the 2008-09 playoffs, a 26-14 victory at the Metrodome. They're 4-0 in the playoffs against the Vikings. ... The Vikings won in 2019 the only game to date between the teams at U.S. Bank Stadium, where the Eagles won Super Bowl 52 after beating the Vikings in Philadelphia in the NFC championship game after the 2017 season. ... The Eagles have won nine of the past 13 matchups with the Vikings, including the only two between current coaches Nick Sirianni and Kevin O'Connell in 2022 and 2023.

Stats and stuff

The Eagles have lost consecutive games for the first time since dropping three straight from Dec. 31, 2023, to Jan. 15, 2024, including a wild-card round playoff loss at Tampa Bay. ... The Eagles despite their loss last week are tied with Kansas City for the best road record (26-11) in the NFL since Sirianni was hired in 2021. ... Sirianni is 8-0 against NFC North teams, including the playoffs. ... Eagles QB Jalen Hurts threw his first interception of the season last week and just the second, counting the Super Bowl he won as MVP, in his past 15 games. Hurts did pass for a season-high 283 yards against the Giants. ... Eagles WR DeVonta Smith had 131 yards and a touchdown on four catches in the previous matchup against the Vikings in 2023. ... The Eagles lead the NFL in red zone scoring rate, with touchdowns on 14 of 16 trips inside the 20-yard line, the best by any NFL team through six games this century. ... The Eagles have held opponents to the fourth-lowest completion rate (58.9 percent) in the league. ... With McCarthy missing the past three games, Carson Wentz led the Vikings to two wins. Wentz was the second overall pick by the Eagles in the 2016 draft. ... Vikings WR Justin Jefferson has eight catches of 20-plus yards this season and leads the NFL since 2020 with 140 such plays. ... Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson had a season-high six receptions in the most recent game against the Browns. ... Vikings CB Isaiah Rodgers, who has two defensive touchdowns, two forced fumbles, an interception, a fumble recovery and a blocked field goal over his first five games with the team, spent last season with the Eagles. ... Vikings OLB Dallas Turner had a career-high seven tackles in the previous game against the Browns. ... The Vikings have a plus-24 points differential in the last two minutes of both halves this season, second best in the NFL behind Tampa Bay. ... The Vikings have held each opponent to 200 passing yards or fewer for the team's best five-game average to start a season since 1993.

Fantasy tip

Eagles TE Dallas Goedert, who had nine catches for 110 yards and a touchdown last week against the Giants, has been targeted 20 times by Hurts over the past two games. Goedert has a touchdown catch in four straight games.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

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