Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni has been king of the north since taking over in 2021, leading the Eagles to an 8-0 record against the NFC North.
He’ll try to make it nine straight wins, including playoffs, when the Eagles (4-2) visit the Minnesota Vikings (3-2) on Sunday in Minneapolis.
The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles have been traveling south in the standings since a 4-0 start. They still lead the NFC East despite consecutive lackluster losses, including 34-17 at the New York Giants last Thursday.
Perhaps the good vibes at U.S. Bank Stadium can spark Philadelphia, which won Super Bowl LII there against the New England Patriots on Feb. 4, 2018.
Under first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, the Eagles have been outgained in all six games. They rank 27th in the NFL in third-down conversions at 34.7% and 29th in passing at 179.2 yards per game.
“There was a little of rest and relaxation and (a) lot of trying to figure things out,” Sirianni said Monday when asked what the team did during its mini-bye week.
The key complaint about the offense has been its predictability, particularly the running game with Saquon Barkley. With 325 yards through six games, he would need to average more than 150 yards in the final 11 games to record a second straight 2,000-yard campaign.
“Around the league, there’s a lot of teams that are still finding their way, whether it’s personnel, whatever it is, and I think that’s kind of where we’re at,” Patullo said Tuesday. “We’ve got great players and they’re all into it and the energy is high and we know we can be what we want as we work forward.”
Sirianni’s success against the NFC North includes a 3-0 mark against Green Bay, 2-0 against Minnesota, 2-0 against Detroit and 1-0 against Chicago. The Eagles play the Packers, Lions and Bears in November.
The Vikings are coming off a full bye week after alternating wins and losses through five games. Following back-to-back games in Dublin and London, this will be their first home game since a Sept. 21 blowout win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The big storyline this week is whether quarterback J.J. McCarthy will see his first action since a Week 2 ankle injury, or if Carson Wentz will get a revenge game against the Eagles.
Wentz, drafted No. 2 overall by Philadelphia in 2016, played his first five seasons with the Eagles before being traded to the Indianapolis Colts in the 2021 offseason. Wentz was injured when backup Nick Foles led Philadelphia to its first Lombardi Trophy in Minneapolis.
McCarthy, a 2024 first-round pick who missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury, returned to practice Monday for the first time since his Sept. 14 injury against the Atlanta Falcons.
“His energy, his enthusiasm. He’s been great,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said Tuesday. “… Great to see him out there throwing. His arm is nice and rested. The ball is spinning out pretty good.”
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell declined to name a starter Wednesday. “They’re both gonna get work, both gonna get reps (this week),” he said.
“I’m having a blast kind of coaching him,” O’Connell said of McCarthy. “It started last week when he was able to really start ramping up a little bit as he gets there.”
Wentz is dealing with an injury to his left (non-throwing) shoulder but was a full participant on Wednesday while McCarthy was listed as limited. Offensive linemen Donovan Jackson (wrist) and Brian O’Neill (knee), defensive tackle Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (hip) and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (neck) were also limited.
For the Eagles, left guard Landon Dickerson (ankle) and cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (hamstring) were limited on Wednesday, while tight end Grant Calcaterra (oblique) did not practice. Defensive tackles Jalen Carter (heel) and Jordan Davis (shoulder) and linebacker Zack Baun (finger) were full participants.
