Game Preview – PHI at GB

Is the season on the line? No. It is way too early for that type of talk. That said, this is a crossroads game. If the Eagles win, they are 2-2 and have extra time to get healthy for the next game. Lose and you fall to 1-3. That puts you in a tough hole for at least the next few weeks, possibly a lot longer.

The Packers are 3-0 and playing well for new head coach Matt LaFleur. The offense is struggling, but they only have 2 turnovers and they’re making enough key plays to win games. The defense is second in the league in points allowed. They lead the league in takeaways.

Aaron Rodgers is no longer the elite QB that dominated the league for much of the past decade, but he is still a very good player. Jim Schwartz will have a big challenge in trying to handle him. The Eagles will hope to pressure him with the front four. If that doesn’t work, you blitz, which is risky against a QB like Rodgers. He’s not as good against the blitz as he used to be, but he can still make you pay.

Rodgers has been sacked 7 times. He hasn’t thrown any picks so far this year. Even with a good rush, Rodgers isn’t likely to panic and make desperation throws like Matt Ryan did a couple of weeks ago.

With Ronald Darby out, it will be up to Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas to cover well on the outside. This won’t be a defining game for them, but it can give us a big hint as to whether these guys are meant to be starters. You know they will test Douglas deep.

The Packers are starting a rookie at OG. Maybe this will be the game where Fletcher Cox breaks out and makes some big plays. Vinny Curry has had some success rushing up the middle. He could also be a player to watch.

The Eagles offense will be in for an interesting night. While the Packers have the #2 scoring D, they are 25th in run defense and allow 4.9 yards per carry. This could be the perfect week to feed Jordan Howard, Miles Sanders and Darren Sproles the rock. Let the OL tee off and let those guys run.

The Packers know their run defense is an issue and you can bet they’ll be doing whatever they can to fix it. Doug Pederson has to have a good plan for throwing the ball. Luckily, Alshon Jeffery has practiced this week and is expected to play. Dallas Goedert, too. The Eagles won’t be at full strength, but they’ll be better than the previous two weeks. Pederson said he designed the gameplan with the idea Jeffery would play.

Pederson has had some good success when facing top defenses. It seems to bring out the best in his gameplanning. Pederson hasn’t lost a Thursday night game so far. He seems to have a good feel for how to get a team ready in a short week. Let’s hope that advantage makes a difference this week as well.

Pass protection will be critical. Green Bay has 12 sacks, led by OLBs Zadarius Smith and Preston Smith. The Eagles need Jason Peters to be healthy and to stay on the field the whole game.

There really are two keys for the offense. Catch the ball and hold onto the ball. Do that and the Eagles should be able to move the ball and score some points.

This is absolutely a winnable game. Pederson and his players know just how important this is so I expect them to play better than last week.

*****

The Eagles don’t have a lot of good memories in Green Bay, but the 1993 game was one.

https://twitter.com/nflthrowback/status/1176988485363949568

That was a great moment. Hated to see Reggie in a different uniform, but it was fun to beat him. They also beat him in 1994 and 1997.

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