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D'Andre Swift, Eagles run over Vikings, improve to 2-0

Philadelphia Eagles running back D'Andre Swift (L) celebrates with quarterback Jalen Hurts after scoring a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
1 of 5 | Philadelphia Eagles running back D'Andre Swift (L) celebrates with quarterback Jalen Hurts after scoring a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Running back D'Andre Swift ran for a career-high 175 yards, helping the Philadelphia Eagles outgain the Minnesota Vikings 259 to 28 on the ground in a 34-28 win in Philadelphia.

Swift logged 28 carries and scored in the victory Thursday at Lincoln Financial Field. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scored two rushing touchdowns and logged a passing score.

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Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns in the loss. The Eagles forced four turnovers and used their strong running game to edge the Vikings by nearly 20 minutes in time of possession.

"You are talking about four [forced] turnovers and 250 rushing yards," Hurts told reporters, when asked about the Eagles effort. "That's pretty impressive."

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Kicker Jake Elliott put the first points on the scoreboard with a 24-yard field goal on the game's opening drive. Cousins threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end T.J. Hockenson about 4:21 into the second quarter to help the Vikings take a 7-3 edge.

Hurts responded by leading a 16-play, 75-yard drive. He ended that possession with a 1-yard quarterback sneak for a score.

The Vikings then used seven plays to get to the Philadelphia 31-yard line. Cousins threw a pass to star wide receiver Justin Jefferson the next play. Jefferson caught the ball and nearly found the end zone, but fumbled the ball over the goal line for a touchback.

Elliott then made a 61-yard field goal just before halftime to push the Eagles lead to six points at the break.

Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat sacked Cousins and forced a fumble on the first drive of the second half. Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox recovered the loose ball. Hurts ran for a 1-yard score two plays later for a 20-7 Eagles lead.

The Vikings punted on the next drive. Hurts threw a 63-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver DeVonta Smith about 1:30 later, giving the Eagles a 20-point edge.

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Cousins answered with a 62-yard pass to rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison about two minutes later. The Vikings cut the deficit to 27-21 when Cousins threw a 10-yard score to wide receiver K.J. Osborn midway through the fourth quarter.

The Eagles bounced back with an eight-play, 75-yard drive. Swift ended that possession with a 2-yard score.

Cousins then found Hockenson for a 5-yard touchdown with 74 seconds remaining, cutting the deficit to six, but the Vikings did not score again. That touchdown toss ended a 10-play, 75-yard drive.

The Eagles outgained the Vikings 430-374 in total yards and 24-19 in first downs. Hurts completed 18 of 23 passes for 193 yards, one score and an interception. Smith totaled 131 yards and a score on four catches.

Defensive end Danielle Hunter totaled three sacks for the Vikings

Jefferson totaled a game-high 11 catches for 159 yards. That total helped the All-Pro become the fastest player in NFL history to reach 5,000 career receiving yards.

But after the game, his costly fumble was the key sequence on his mind.

"I'm putting a lot on myself, with fumbling in the end zone like that, when we need points and driving and having momentum," Jefferson told reporters.

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"I'm putting a lot of blame on myself. Being a captain, I have to know the situation and take care of the ball."

The Vikings also struggled with turnovers in Week 1, losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers despite providing 369 yards of offense. They fumbled twice and threw an interception in that setback.

"Just across the board, very much similar to last week," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said. "Turning the football over [against the] NFC champions from a year ago, at their place, in their home opener, and you lose the turnover battle 4-1. ... We are really not giving ourselves clean opportunities to win these games."

The Eagles (2-0) will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) at 7:15 p.m. EDT Sept. 25 in Tampa, Fla. The Vikings (0-2) will host the Los Angeles Chargers (0-1) at 1 p.m. Sept. 24 in Minneapolis.

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