'Learning stage:' Vikings off to disappointing 0-2 start after loss to Eagles

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PHILADELPHIA — Justin Jefferson contorted his body toward the end zone and reached.

Big mistake.

As the Minnesota Vikings wide receiver attempted to give his team a lead over the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles on "Thursday Night Football" with halftime less than one minute away, Eagles safety Terrell Edmunds collided with Jefferson. While stretching the ball, Jefferson lost control of it, and a replay review determined the ball sailed over the front-left pylon for a touchback. To add insult to injury, Eagles kicker Jake Elliott tied a career high by kicking a 61-yard field goal as time expired on halftime and Philadelphia went into the locker room up 13-7.

"I'm putting a lot of blame on myself," Jefferson said after the game.

The play was not only unfortunate in the moment and had scoring implications in the Vikings' 34-28 loss. It was a symbol of how Minnesota played all night, turning the ball over four times – all fumbles – to start the season 0-2. Last week, in a home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Vikings turned it over three times to the Bucs' zero, putting their point-differential at -9 and their turnover margin at -6 to open the year.

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“You’re not going to win too many games like that in this league,” Jefferson said. “If we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot, we’re pretty much 2-0.”

In 2022, the Vikings didn't lose their second game until Week 11. But this team won't have the same stroke of fortune that helped them go 11-0 in one-score games a year ago. And turning the ball over is an easy way to succumb to the regression predictions experts enacted on Minnesota ahead of this season.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell said the team will re-emphasize ball control and deploy different types of drilling, because whatever is being practiced now is not carrying over into games. In the case of Jefferson's play, O'Connell said he recognized the 2022 Offensive Player of the Year doing his most to win.

“Nobody’s more torn up about that one than Justin,” O'Connell said. "But that was incredibly unfortunate at the time."

It was also the second week in a row the Vikings coughed up a chance to take the lead before halftime – another easy way to take steps backward.

"We can move the ball on anybody," said tight end T.J. Hockenson, who caught two touchdown passes (seven catches, 63 yards). "We can be in any game. We just have to clean things up."

Byron Powell wasted an opportunity for prime field position by returning the first punt he fielded 20 yards into Philadelphia territory, only to have the ball punched loose from behind by the Eagles' Justin Evans. Running back Alexander Mattison fumbled on the first play of the next drive.

The Eagles escaped unscathed after those fumbles, thanks to a Jalen Hurts interception and Elliott missed field goal, respectively. Eventually, the dam broke.

On the second play of the third quarter – two offensive plays removed from Jefferson's fumble – Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat stripped quarterback Kirk Cousins on a sack fumble. The Eagles scored two plays later to go up 20-7.

For Cousins, each turnover should be looked at as its own entity, he said.

"Is there a pattern?" he rhetorically asked. "In some cases, there isn't."

The Eagles, a football team built from the inside out, exposed the Vikings as their inverted and inferior opponent. Philadelphia's front had its way with a depleted Vikings offensive line and hit Cousins 10 times (Sweat had five of those) on 44 dropbacks; Minnesota was without its starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw (ankle) and center Garrett Bradbury (lower back).

Defensively, the Vikings wore down against Philadelphia's offensive line, which proved why it's the most respected unit in the game. The Eagles dominated time of possession (39:28) and running back D'Andre Swift had a career-high 175 rushing yards on 28 carries.

Unable to sustain any sort of rushing attack, Cousins' arm and brain kept his team in the game. Twice in the fourth quarter he led touchdown drives to cut the deficit to six points and finished 31-for-44 with four passing touchdowns and 364 yards through the air (zero interceptions).

"I do know this: Kirk Cousins absolutely played well enough for us to win that football game," O'Connell said of his quarterback who has been casually floated as a potential trade candidate should things deteriorate to the point of non-contention this season, albeit a longshot.

Having a receiver like Jefferson helps. For the second straight game, he had at least 10 catches and 150 yards (11 for 159 vs. Philadelphia). Aside from his pivotal faux paus, he was unstoppable.

“It’s a learning stage," Jefferson said. "Of course I would like to take it back and do something differently.”

In 2022, Minnesota was tabbed the "overachiever," reaching a 10-2 mark over the first 12 games. They were a popular Wild Card round upset pick and fell at home to the New York Giants.

This year, there may not be enough wins to hide behind.

“Last  year, I think, there was a lot of times we were winning but you have to go back and say, ‘OK, but this isn’t good enough. This isn’t sustainable,’" Cousins said. "There’s a little bit of the opposite when you lose. You say, ‘Hey, I like what you did here, I like what you did here.’ But obviously there’s a need to coach and fix things anytime you lose.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Minnesota Vikings off to disappointing 0-2 start with loss to Eagles