PHILADELPHIA -- Jalen Hurts had 301 total yards in the first half in the breakout game of his young career, finishing with three total touchdowns as he led the Philadelphia Eagles to a 24-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.
Trying to prove he is the franchise QB for the Eagles in his second year, Hurts looked downright unstoppable from the opening drive.
Hurts hit five receivers on 5-for-5 passing -- highlighted by a 19-yard strike to A.J. Brown -- and finished the drive himself with a 3-yard scoring run. In the opening win against Detroit, Hurts failed to complete a pass on five attempts and the Eagles turned the ball over on downs on the first drive of the game.
Turn the ball over on downs? That seemed like just a rumor against the Vikings. The TD was just the liftoff for the 24-year-old Hurts throwing, running, imposing his will with all his available tools against a Vikings defense that could not solve him in his 21st career start. He finished with 333 yards passing and a touchdown, and 57 yards and two scores on the ground.
On the first play of the second quarter, Hurts connected on a wide-open Quez Watkins for a 53-yard TD and the 14-0 lead.
Slay, who picked off a hapless pass by Kirk Cousins in the third quarter, had called each of the Eagles' trio of talented receivers Batman.
There was, Brown, the "swole" Batman who had five catches for 69 yards; DeVonta Smith was the "skinny" Batman who had seven for 80 yards; and Watkins was the "fast" Batman who had the burners on for the easy score (and 69 total yards receiving).
Why are they all Batman?
"No Robins. We've got no sidekicks," Slay said.
Hurts had one more play for the highlight reel with just under two minutes left in the first half. Hurts rolled to his right and scampered toward the end zone. He dragged two defenders with him, lowered his head and muscled his way in for a 26-yard touchdown that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Jake Elliott kicked a 38-yarder and the Eagles took a 24-7 lead into halftime.
In a Week 2 full of improbable comebacks, perhaps it wasn't wise to totally count out the Vikings.
But Cousins and wide receiver Justin Jefferson - famously passed over by the Eagles in the 2020 draft - never got anything going of substance against the Eagles and maligned defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. Slay had his second interception of the game in the fourth quarter as the scoreboard soon flashed "Big Play Slay."
Hurts had 50 yards rushing and 251 yards passing in the first half. Cousins finished the game 27 for 46 for 221 yards and three interceptions. Jefferson had six catches for 48 yards a week after he had 184 receiving yards and two TDs in a win against Green Bay.
PHILLY CELEBS
Bryce Harper (wearing an Eagles hat), James Harden (who was handed the ball by Slay after his first interception) and Bradley Cooper (wearing an Allen Iverson T-shirt) were among the jam-packed and fight-song singing crowd at the Eagles' home opener.
Harden was pumped with his souvenir, posting an Instagram photo of his left hand holding the ball with the caption "Gimme That!" The Philadelphia 76ers star snapped selfies with fans before he left late in the game.
FAMILIAR RING
Dick Vermeil received his Hall of Fame ring at halftime. In his third season in Philadelphia, the coaching great led the Eagles to their first playoff appearance in 18 years. He guided the Eagles to their first Super Bowl appearance in the 1980 season only to lose to the Oakland Raiders, 27-10.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Vikings safety Harrison Smith was evaluated for a concussion.
UP NEXT
Vikings: Return home Sunday to play the Lions.
Eagles: Start a reunion tour Sunday when they head out to play the Washington Commanders and former QB Carson Wentz. The Eagles return home Sunday, Oct. 2 and play the Jacksonville Jaguars, led by coach Doug Pederson. Wentz and Pederson, of course, played pivotal roles in helping the Eagles win the Super Bowl after the 2017 season.
Eagles continue 24-7 lead over Vikings going into 4th quarter
Neither team gained ground in the third quarter, with Vikings QB Kirk Cousins throwing two interceptions.
Eagles up 24-7 over Vikings at halftime
The Vikings finally got on the board in the second quarter, but the Eagles continued their domination -- with QB Jalen Hurts running in a 26-yard touchdown himself.
Near the end of the quarter, Irv Smith Jr. dropped an easy touchdown pass from QB Kirk Cousins.
Eagles lead Vikings 7-0 after 1st Quarter
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles dominated the Vikings in the first quarter, with the Vikes only managing to gain 10 yards with just a handful of offensive plays.
What Eagles fans are going to be looking out for
The Eagles have the home field advantage Monday against the Vikings, and here's what Philly fans are going to be paying attention to during the game.
Can Jalen Hurts spread the love?
Last week against the Detroit Lions, the Jalen Hurts-A.J. Brown connection got off to a hot start. The duo hooked up for 10 catches for 155 yards through the air, including a 54-yard bomb late in second quarter.
Will the Eagles contain Justin Jefferson?
Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and the Eagles' defense will have their hands full after Jefferson went nuclear in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers with a stat line of nine catches, 184 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Where's the pass rush?
Staying on the defensive side of the ball, the Eagles' pass rush was nearly non-existent in 2021, and the group didn't get off to a good start against the Lions. Last season, the Eagles only had 29 sacks, which ranked second-to-last in the NFL.
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Vikings call up cornerback Duke Shelley from practice squad
The Minnesota Vikings announced a roster move Monday afternoon.
According to the team, Duke Shelly, a fourth-year cornerback, has been moved from the practice squad to the active roster. He went to Kansas State.
Notably, the Vikings' recent second-round pick Andrew Booth Jr. -- also a cornerback -- will not play Monday evening due to an injury.
Recent first-round pick, safety Lewis Cine, will play after missing week 1 with an injury.
4 things to watch
It's early in the season, but plenty of storylines are already surrounding the Vikings. Here are four to watch during Monday night's matchup.
- Kevin O'Connell's first road game
First year head coach O'Connell impressed in his first game, scheming up a varied gameplan on offense that kept the talented Packers defense on its toes. The Vikings totaled nearly 400 yards of offense and didn't turn the ball over. Will O'Connell be able to repeat the performance against another strong defense, this time without the home fans on his side?
- NFC North race
It's never too early to start tracking the race for the division. The good news for the Vikings is no matter what happens Monday night, they'll still be No. 1 in the NFC North. The Packers beat the Bears Sunday night to move to 1-1, but even if the Vikings lose and match that record, they'll own the tiebreaker over the Packers.
- Jalen Reagor returns
You must have heard by now that ex-Eagles receiver Jalen Reagor, whom the Vikings traded for just before the season, was taken one spot before Justin Jefferson in the 2020 NFL draft. Ever since, Reagor's relatively pedestrian career has been compared to Jefferson's ascendance to stardom. Now, Reagor returns to his former home for the first time. Reagor saw limited action last week, returning one punt for seven yards and playing no offensive snaps. While it's highly unlikely he has what would be considered a traditional "revenge game," Reagor will no doubt have some extra motivation Monday night.
- Philly fans
Eagles fans are notoriously brutal to opposing teams (and fans... and Santa Claus). You'll no doubt see plenty of "38-7" signs, a reference to one of the most demoralizing defeats in Vikings history. Though the Vikings have won their last two games against the Eagles (including one in Philadelphia), a drubbing in the NFC championship game isn't easily forgotten. Will the Philly fans be able to get into the head of Kirk Cousins and the offense? Or can Jefferson, Dalvin Cook and the rest quiet them early on?