Eagles Grind Out Late TD Drive, Lead Vikings at Halftime

The Philadelphia Eagles hosted the Minnesota Vikings at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday night, marking the second straight season that the two teams have met during prime time in Week 2 in Philly.

However, the first half of Thursday's contest was nothing like last year's meeting, as both defenses came to play. This resulted in four combined turnovers in the first half, but the Eagles forced three of those and took a 13-7 lead headed into the locker room. Jake Elliott hit a 61-yard field goal as time expired.

The Eagles leaned heavily on the run, but got things started with a downfield shot to DeVonta Smith, who jumped over his defender for a 54-yard grab .

But similarly to Week 1, the Eagles stalled in the red zone and had to settle for a field goal from Elliott to take a 3-0 lead after the game's first drive.

From here, the two defenses stepped up with quick stops over the next two possessions. And om an ensuing Eagles punt, Vikings receiver Brandon Powell looked like he was going to have Minnesota set up with solid starting field position right outside the red zone after a nice return, but he fumbled and gave it right back.

Unfortunately for coach Nick Sirianni's group, they weren't able to capitalize on the momentum of the takeaway. The drive started with three straight carries from D'Andre Swift, but the Eagles offense quickly got backed up into a 3rd and 16 after a sack. Jalen Hurts forced one into traffic and was picked off by Theo Jackson.

A chance at redemption came surprisingly quickly, but then disappeared just as fast.

Vikings running back Alexander Mattison fumbled on Minnesota's first play of the drive. This was recovered by safety Justin Evans, who had forced the earlier fumble.

The Eagles went three-and-out after the takeaway and looked set to take a 6-0 lead with Elliott's leg. But he hooked it right on a 55-yard attempt as the Eagles came up empty.

The Vikings seized momentum as a result with a quick nine-play drive that ended with a five-yard touchdown from tight end T.J. Hockenson to put Minnesota in front, 7-3.

Philly responded with a scoring drive of its own that came on the back of the running game. After a 16-play drive that saw the Eagles run the ball seven straight times, Hurts was pushed in for a one-yard touchdown to give Philly a 10-7 lead.

The Vikings seemed like they'd respond quickly, but their best player was responsible for Minnesota's third first-half turnover. Justin Jefferson had a 30-yard catch-and-run that saw him dive to the goal line, but he fumbled out of the end zone to give the Eagles the ball back.

This led to Elliott's field goal after a six-play drive. The Vikings will receive the second-half kickoff.