Miscues haunt Vikings in 28-22 loss to Eagles, fall to 3-3

Vikings locker room reacts after 28-22 loss to Eagles

Vikings players T.J. Hockenson, Jonathan Greenard, Jalen Redmond, Jonathan Allen, Will Reichard, Justin Jefferson, Christian Darrisaw, Isaiah Rodgers and Josh Metellus react from the locker room after Sunday's 28-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Vikings have nobody to blame but themselves after a 28-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles to fall to 3-3 on the season, and now they have to head to the West Coast on a short week.

Carson Wentz threw for 313 yards, but was intercepted twice, with one returned for a touchdown. The Vikings got in the red zone six times Sunday, but the results were one touchdown and five field goals. The Eagles made all the plays when they needed to happen.

The next question for Kevin O’Connell and company is if J.J. McCarthy’s ankle will be 100% for Thursday Night Football in L.A.

The big play

How it happened:

The big play Sunday was a pair of big connections between Jalen Hurts and his two favorite receivers. In the first quarter on a 4th-and-4, A.J. Brown beat Josh Metellus in coverage, and Hurts hit him for a 37-yard touchdown. Then midway through the third quarter, Hurts hit Devonta Smith for a 79-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 28-19 lead with 6:35 to play.

Hurts and Brown connected in the fourth quarter for a 27-yard touchdown. The two iced the game with a 35-yard connection for a first down with less than two minutes to play.

Hurts threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns, and had a perfect 158.3 rating against the Vikings’ defense. Brown and Smith combined for 13 catches, 304 yards and three scores.

Critical offensive miscues

What we know:

The Vikings got five field goals from Will Reichard, largely because the offense couldn’t find the end zone. Carson Wentz also threw a pick-6 to Jalyx Hunt, trying to hit Justin Jefferson on a slant in the first quarter as the Eagles took a 14-3 lead.

"Obviously I’ve got to not throw the ball to the other team. That would be great. Obviously don’t throw it right to his chest. I saw the guy at the last second as I was releasing the ball, then I was looking up at the scoreboard seeing him run. Not a good feeling," Wentz said.

The Vikings had to settle for a field goal in the third quarter to get within 14-9 after Wentz was flagged for intentional grounding.

Wentz had a touchdown to Jalen Nailor wiped away after a questionable penalty on Blake Brandel for holding, and T.J. Hockenson had a fourth quarter touchdown overturned after a replay showed the ball hit the ground, and he didn’t finish the catch.

Wentz finished the day 26-of-42 for 313 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. But the Vikings went 1-for-6 in the red zone. Five drives that could've ended in touchdowns finished with 15 combined points in a game they lost by six.

"Had no issues moving the ball, it was points. A lot of self-inflicteds did show up in the red zone to make it hard to put the ball in the end zone. Interceptions for points the other way are massive plays in a game," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said after the game.

Will Reichard’s big day

Why you should care:

With the Vikings' offense unable to find the end zone outside of a Jordan Mason 1-yard touchdown run, Will Reichard kept the game close with his leg. He was a perfect 5-of-5 on field goals, with makes from 59, 34, 28, 35 and 29 yards.

Reichard’s only miss so far this season was in London, a kick that deflected off a cable and should’ve been tried.