Vikes undone by Philly ‘D’

PHILADELPHIA — A strong defense can only do so much.

Josh Huff returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, Carson Wentz outplayed Sam Bradford and the Philadelphia Eagles handed error-prone Minnesota its first loss, 21-10, yesterday.

The Vikings relied on excellent defense and a mistake-free offense to start 5-0. But the Eagles exposed several of their weaknesses.

An offense missing both starting tackles and running back Adrian Peterson — not to mention QB Teddy Bridgewater — had big trouble against Philadelphia (42). Bradford was pressured all game and struggled for the first time in five games for his new team.

“We turned the ball over, we didn’t block people, we dropped balls, we got the quarterback hit, we gave up a 98-yard kickoff return, we fumbled a punt,” coach Mike Zimmer said. “So if you’re going to do those things, you have no chance to win.”

The Vikings have to figure things out quickly because they suddenly don’t look like the team to beat in the NFC North. They play at Chicago next Monday, and then four of their next five opponents have a winning record with the other game against Arizona.

Meanwhile, the Eagles got back on track after two straight losses. They have a first-place showdown at Dallas next Sunday night, and their next five opponents have winning records.

Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz used the blitz far more than usual, and it worked. The result was 19 hits on Bradford, six sacks, two recovered fumbles and one interception. Bradford seemed more concerned with avoiding the rush than keeping his eyes on downfield receivers.

“We knew traps would give him in trouble,” linebacker Connor Barwin said. “We knew when he gets pressure he likes to get the ball outside right away. And so we brought some of that pressure.”

Wentz had a rough first half, throwing two interceptions after only one pick in his first five games. He also missed some open receivers. But the No. 2 overall draft pick settled in nicely and led a couple scoring drives.