2025 NFL Picks – Week 7: Eagles at Vikings

The Matchup. Edge: Eagles.

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PHILADELPHIA OFFENSE: The Eagles had a pathetic performance on Thursday night, to say the least. They could barely move the ball against one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Jalen Hurts looked like he was playing in slow motion, as he inexplicably ran just one time in the second half. Philadelphia mailed in that game entirely.

We’ll see a better effort from the Eagles following two consecutive losses. Their mini-bye will be crucial, as it’ll allow a key player to return from both the offensive and defensive lines. Landon Dickerson’s absence was felt versus the Giants, so his potential return will be needed against a Minnesota defense that has logged 97 pressures through five weeks.

Dickerson’s presence will be vital in the running game. Saquon Barkley has a great matchup against a Minnesota run-funnel defense that couldn’t contain Kenneth Gainwell two weeks ago. Eagles fans will be hoping that their offensive coordinator doesn’t forget to utilize Barkley like he did in the Denver loss.

MINNESOTA OFFENSE: It’s unclear at this time if the Vikings will go back to J.J. McCarthy or stick with Carson Wentz. While Wentz hasn’t been great, he’s been good enough to accumulate some wins, and he’s certainly been better than McCarthy.

Whether it’s Wentz or McCarthy, the Minnesota quarterback will be hoping for two things. The first is the return of several injured offensive linemen who weren’t able to play versus the Browns in a near-loss in London. The second is Jalen Carter’s injury designation. Carter was a late scratch against the Giants, and his absence was felt, just like it was versus the Cowboys in the opener when he spit at Dak Prescott. If Carter returns and battles a Vikings offensive line missing several starters, the Eagles will have a huge edge.

One advantage the Vikings will have on this side of the ball is their receivers battling Philadelphia’s secondary. The Eagles have a couple of injuries in the defensive backfield, so containing Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison will be problematic. This is why the status of Carter and the Minnesota offensive linemen is so vital.

RECAP: We’ll have to wait on the status of the aforementioned players to make a definitive pick, but I’m inclined to side with the Eagles. The advance line was Philadelphia -3, and yet the line has dropped because of an overreaction to a game in which the Eagles didn’t try hard. Philadelphia has lost two in a row, so we’ll see much more effort this week.

Of course, it must be noted that the Eagles aren’t as good as they were last year, so there’s still a spread tax on them of sorts. Had they rightfully lost ATS versus the Rams, they’d be 2-4 against the spread right now, which would match their decline. Now, there’s plenty of room for improvement because there’s so much talent on the roster, so there’s a chance the Eagles will be a terror in the second half of the season like they were in 2024. We just need to see some proof of that first.

I’m going to list the Eagles for no units right now, but I’ll adjust based on the injury report. If the Vikings are missing half of their offensive line again, Philadelphia will probably have an easy cover.

THURSDAY THOUGHTS: All of the injury reports look positive. Jalen Carter and the injured Minnesota linemen all practiced Wednesday.

SATURDAY NOTES: I was hoping for clarity from the final injury report, and we have some. What we know is that Andrew Van Ginkel will be out again. However, the Vikings may get a defensive boost with Blake Cashman possibly returning from IR. Elsewhere, we don’t really know. Brian O’Neill is questionable after being limited all week. The same applies to Jalen Carter. We’ll have to wait until Sunday morning for our answers.

FINAL THOUGHTS: We were awaiting the status of both Jalen Carter and Brian O’Neill. Both are active. One interesting thing is that A.J. Dillon is a healthy scratch, as the Eagles finally realized how terrible he is. The sharps have not played this game. The best line is -1.5 -109 at Bookmaker. You can Bet on WalterFootball’s favorite sportsbook, Bookmaker by clicking the link.

The Motivation. Edge: Eagles.

The Eagles have lost two in a row.

The Spread. Edge: Eagles.

WalterFootball.com Calculated Spread: Eagles -2.5.

Westgate Advance Point Spread: Eagles -3.

Computer Model: Vikings -1.

The Vegas. Edge: Eagles.

Decent lean on the Eagles.

Percentage of money on Philadelphia: 65% (115,000 bets)

The Trends. Edge: Eagles.

Jalen Hurts is 10-15 ATS as a road favorite.

Eagles are 8-19 ATS before playing the Giants since December 2010.

Nick Sirianni is 3-6 ATS after losing as a favorite.

Vikings are 50-39 ATS at home since 2014 (19-24 ATS since 2020).

Opening Line: Eagles -2.5.

Opening Total: 42.5.

Weather: Dome.