Homecoming hero D’Andre Swift runs over Minnesota Vikings in Philadelphia Eagles win as Justin Jefferson makes history
D’Andre Swift celebrates with DeVonta Smith after the wide receiver scores a 63-yard receiving touchdown during the third quarter against the Minnesota Vikings. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images CNN —
D’Andre Swift put in a dominant performance as the Philadelphia Eagles punished an error-prone Minnesota Vikings on Thursday in 34-28 win.
In his first home game since joining the Eagles, the Philadelphia native ran for a career-high 175 rushing yards and a touchdown as the team’s rushing attack routinely dissected the Vikings defense.
Swift, who arrived from the Detroit Lions in the offseason, became the first Eagle with 175 yards and a touchdown on the ground since LeSean McCoy in 2013, per NFL Research.
“He just showed vision, explosiveness,” said Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni. “I thought the offensive line did a phenomenal job of pushing them off the ball. So, I was really pleased he protected the ball.
“That was a lot of touches, too. Not only pleased with how he saw it and how he hit it, but also thought he protected the ball. Especially, when they are coming after it in situations at the end of the game like that.”
It was another less-than-convincing performance from last year’s Super Bowl runners-up, with some moments of sloppiness creeping into an offense that was so dynamic in 2022, despite beginning its season with two wins.
However, between Swift and quarterback Jalen Hurts, the Eagles were able to find enough explosive plays to keep Minnesota at bay.
Hurts looked towards his wide receiver DeVonta Smith when he needed a big play, connecting with the third-year pass catcher on two 50-plus passes. It was a 63-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter that gave Philadelphia a 27-7 lead.
Costly Minnesota errors prevented a serious comeback, with the Vikings losing four fumbles and Philadelphia’s dominant defensive line making Kirk Cousins’ life difficult. The Vikings’ quarterback was hit 10 times, including two sacks.
Philadelphia Eagles safety Terrell Edmunds and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox celebrate Cox’s fumble recovery during the second half against the Vikings. Derik Hamilton/AP
The Vikings have lost their opening two games of the season and the team’s head coach Kevin O’Connell bemoaned the sloppy errors.
“You lose the turnover battle 4-1 … 7-1 in turnovers lost in two games, and we’ve lost by a combined nine points to two playoff teams from a year ago,” O’Connell said.
“So clearly, I’ve gotta coach it better from a standpoint of something we talk about every single day – ball security is a major, major focus in our football philosophy, but clearly I need to do a better job.
“And our staff, we need to go back and continue to find ways to re-emphasize how important it is when you have the football in your hands playing for the Minnesota Vikings.
“Because like I said, we’re really not giving ourselves clean opportunities to win these games, the way we’ve started.”
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, making his debut with the New York Jets, is sacked by Buffalo Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd. Rodgers suffered an ankle injury and was carted off the field after the play, which occurred during the team’s first drive in the first quarter. Before being traded in the offseason, Rodgers had spent the first 18 seasons of his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers. Elsa/Getty Images
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey looks for space to run the ball in the second half of a 30-7 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on September 10 in Pennsylvania. Justin K. Aller/Getty Images
Carolina Panthers tight end Hayden Hurst tries to stiff arm Atlanta Falcons safety Richie Grant in the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It was all for naught as the Falcons won the game 24-10. Dale Zanine/USA Today Network/Reuters
Las Vegas Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers pulls in a touchdown past Denver Broncos CB Damarri Mathis in the first quarter at Empower Field at Mile High. The score would be important as the Raiders edged the home side, 17-16. Ron Chenoy/USA Today Network/Reuters
It was a rough day for Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals as they got trounced by the Cleveland Browns 24-3. The highest paid quarterback in the league had a tough start to the season, throwing 14-for-31 for 82 yards and being crushed here by Browns safety Grant Delpit. Sue Ogrocki/AP
Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Deven Thompkins runs with the ball during the fourth quarter of a 20-17 win against the Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
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Baltimore Ravens wide receiver/punt returner Zay Flowers catches a deep pass in the first quarter during the Houston Texans. Baltimore fans had plenty of action to cheer as their team thoroughly handled the Texans 25-9. Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker TJ Watt sacks San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. It was to be one of the only highlights for the home fans as the Niners won 30-7. Matt Freed/AP
It was a rough start to the year for the Kansas City Chiefs and superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes as they were shocked by the Detroit Lions 21-20 in Missouri. Still, many are predicting the Chiefs will repeat this year. Jay Biggerstaff/USA Today Network/Reuters The best photos from the 2023 NFL season Prev Next A silver lining
Amid the gloom, there was a moment to celebrate for the Vikings with their superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson reaching a historic NFL milestone.
Jefferson became the fastest player to reach 5,000 career receiving yards in 52 games, surpassing the previous record set by Odell Beckham Jr. which was 54 games.
Jefferson makes a catch against the Eagles while Darius Slay defends. Michael Owens/Getty Images
The 24-year-old finished the defeat against Eagles with 159 receiving yards, after racking up 150 yards in the Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In his first three seasons in the NFL, Jefferson has surpassed 1,400 receiving yards in each of them, finishing with a mammoth 1,809 yards last year.