The Vikings defense lined up with the Eagles going for it on six separate fourth downs and issued a statement of denial on each play.
Minnesota had several young defenders flash in the team's third and final preseason contest, leaving Philadelphia with a comfortable 26-3 win.
A huge part of the Vikings victory can be credited to their late-down stops. In addition to five turnovers on downs, Jay Ward recorded an interception on another fourth-down play.
Minnesota also held the Eagles to 4-of-12 (33 percent) in third-down situations.
Undrafted rookie Dwight "Nudie" McGlothern was an especially active member of the Vikings defense Saturday, making plays on two of the fourth-down attempts.
Late in the first half, Eagles running back Lew Nichols tried to convert on fourth-and-1 but instead was taken down by McGlothern for a loss of 1. He showed up later on a cornerback blitz. On fourth-and-6 from the Vikings 11, he nearly recorded a sack of Tanner McKee and pressed the QB into an incompletion.
Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell, who was mic'd up for the duration of the third quarter, joked with "Voice of the Vikings" Paul Allen:
"He looked like he was trying to take me down out there," quipped O'Connell of the 185-pound McGlothern trying to drop McKee, who is listed at 6-foot-6 and 231 pounds.
"He was a big bird, for sure," McGlothern said. "I really wanted the sack. It was my first time being in that position. But we got off the field, which is really all that matters. I've just got to get him on the ground next time. He's big, for sure. I was hanging on for my life.
"I had him. Then it felt like a long time when I was on the ground," he said with a chuckle. "But we were able to go ahead and get off the field again. That's a victory for us."
Though McGlothern wasn't credited with a sack, his efforts ensured another no-points drive by Philadelphia.
"I thought he had him in the grasp," O'Connell told Twin Cities media members following the game. "But [McGlothern] has shown up. He's shown up all camp – not only just the cover skills that we knew he had, but his fit in the defense, and he's definitely put himself right in the conversation to have a chance to make our football team.
"We've got a lot of tough decisions at that position," O'Connell added.
