Neal: Can Blake Cashman save the Vikings against the defending champs?

Here’s the weekly 3-2 Pitch: Three observations and two predictions regarding the local sports scene.

The Philadelphia Eagles are trying to rediscover themselves.

They are 4-2 but aren’t displaying the Super Bowl-winning excellence they did a year ago. They can’t succeed with Saquon Barkley averaging 54.2 yards a game.

There is a sense of urgency as they head to U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.

While the Eagles spent their mini bye week addressing this issue, Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman came off the bye week climbing through a practice window.

Great timing for the Vikings. Bad news for the Eagles.

Cashman is off injured reserve — he lasted 43 plays before suffering a hamstring injury in Week 1 against the Bears — and will be in the middle of it all on Sunday when the Vikings host an Eagles team desperate to find their identity.

The Vikings defense has been a mixed bag.

The pass defense has been stingy, but they are 24th in rushing yards allowed. It makes defensive tackle Harrison Phillips’ trade look like a head-scratcher.

In reality, they haven’t had Cashman roaming from sideline to sideline, hassling opposing quarterbacks and marshaling the defense. He’s smart, decisive and a reliable tackler — and tackling has been an issue for fellow linebacker Ivan Pace Jr.

Outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel continues to recover from a neck injury but was a limited participant in practice during the week. Missing both Cashman and Van Ginkel has been a blow to Brian Flores’ defense.

Now that Cashman’s hamstring is bulletproof — his word — again, the Vikings’ defense is closer to being whole.

Stop Barkley and the Vikings are 4-2. Cashman will be an important figure in that cause.

“I think a guy like Blake Cashman coming back is critical as well because he assumes that green dot position,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. “And we have just seen since we got Blake, when he’s out there and we’re playing the type of defense that we’ve been accustomed to seeing; Blake’s got a lot to do with it. So very excited to get him back.”

Bottle up Barkley. Challenge quarterback Jalen Hurts to hurl them through the air.

Cashman, the Vikings leading tackler a year ago, will make a difference on Sunday.

While the recovery of quarterback J.J. McCarthy and members of the offensive line dominated the discussion during the week, Cashman’s return cannot be understated.

They interviewed Nick Punto to be their next manager. If hired, he would have players diving into first base and battling their tails off in no time.

It got me thinking.

What if the Twins have Punto and his former Twins teammates reset the franchise?

Here’s a potential staff:

Bench coach: Mike Redmond

First base coach: Tommy Watkins

Pitching coach: Johan Santana

Bullpen coach: Joe Nathan

— Hitting coach: Torii Hunter

Derek Falvey, make this happen.

At $4.24 billion.

That means new owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez have watched the Wolves’ value rocket 182% since they agreed to the initial deal in 2021, which required three tranches of payments over a three-year period.

A couple things here.

• The NBA has indicated it won’t approve a sale of this structure in the future. Buyer’s remorse is inevitable as values rise before the ink dries on the document.

• This is one reason why Major League Baseball is headed for a labor showdown when the collective bargaining agreement expires following the 2026 season. Its franchise values aren’t rising as fast as other professional sports. And MLB believes it is because other professional leagues have salary caps. The Yankees are worth $8 billion. The Golden State Warriors? $11.3 billion.