The Green Bay Packers put on a clinic in their 53-20 trouncing of the Philadelphia Eagles at Lambeau Field. The Packers made big plays on offense, defense, and special teams while demoralizing a Philadelphia team that came into the game with a 7-2 record. Aaron Rodgers threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns, and the Packers scored five touchdowns of 27-yards-or-more in the win which saw the Packers wear jerseys commemorating their first ever championship team of 1929. Here’s the story of how the Packers trounced the Eagles behind big plays on both sides of the ball.
Packers Trounce the Eagles Behind Big Plays: The Buildup
The Packers entered the game with a 6-3 record. They started the season 1-2 but had won five of their last six games, including a 55-14 blowout over the Bears the previous week.
Rodgers was on his way to his second NFL MVP season. The Packers franchise quarterback hadn’t thrown an interception at home all season. Rodgers had a chance to break Tom Brady’s NFL record for the most consecutive attempts at home without throwing a pick.
Meanwhile, the Eagles were coached by Chip Kelly who was in his second season with the team. Kelly had introduced his innovative, fast-paced college offense to the NFL. The Eagles had won their previous two games and put up 45 points on the Panthers the previous week.
They entered the game in first place in the NFC East. Philadelphia was starting Mark Sanchez at quarterback instead of the injured Nick Foles.
This game promised to be a matchup between two NFC contenders as the season headed towards the homestretch.
A Fast Start
The Packers offense wasted little time getting started. On their third play from scrimmage, Rodgers found Jordy Nelson deep down the right side for 64 yards which gave the Packers first and goal at the Eagles 9. The Packers had to settle for a field goal and a 3-0 lead.
The Packers scored again the next time they had the ball with big plays contributing to the 13-play, 88-yard drive. The big gains included a 22-yard pass from Rodgers to Randall Cobb and a 24-yard toss to tight end Andrew Quarless. Rodgers found Davante Adams for a six-yard touchdown pass and the Packers led 10-0.
Mike Neal sacked Sanchez to force an Eagles punt, and the Packers took full advantage. Micah Hyde ran the Donnie Jones kick back 75 yards for a touchdown. The first quarter wasn’t over yet and the Packers led 17-0.
The Eagles moved the ball for the first time on their next drive and reached the Packers 5. Clay Matthews sacked Sanchez, and the Eagles settled for a field goal by Cody Parkey to pull to within 17-3 early in the second quarter.
The Packers scored again when they got the ball back, moving effortlessly downfield. This drive ended with a 27-yard pass from Rodgers to Nelson. The score was 24-3 Green Bay.
Each team touched the ball once more in the first half. The Packers scored on a one-yard plunge by Eddie Lacy and the Eagles answered with another field goal on the final play of the half. The score was 30-6 after Mason Crosby missed the extra point.
Packers Trounce the Eagles Behind Big Plays: The Pack Keeps Rolling
Crosby kicked another field goal midway through the third quarter to add to the Green Bay lead. The Eagles almost reached midfield on their next drive, but Packers linebacker Julius Peppers picked off a Sanchez pass intended for Brent Celek and ran it back 52 yards for a pick six. The Packers lead was 39-6 after Crosby missed another PAT.
The Packers and Eagles started to trade scores, but the game was well out of reach. Rodgers found Lacy for a 32-yard touchdown pass to make it 46-13. The final Packers score came on a 49-yard fumble return by Casey Hayward. That made it 53-13 before the last Eagles score made the final 53-20.
Rodgers broke Brady’s record of 288 straight passes at home without an interception. Both Nelson and Cobb had more than 100 yards receiving.
The Aftermath
The Eagles head coach was impressed with Rodgers. “He was as advertised,” Kelly said. “I think he is playing as good as anybody in the league. You look at some of the balls he throws, extremely accurate [and] on target. If you blitzed him, he got it out quick. If you didn’t, he held it until guys got open. He got it to everybody.”
“This is not easy,” Rodgers said after the game. “There’s a lot of preparation that goes into it. It takes 11 guys to win, to do the job to make something like that happen.”
Packers head coach Mike McCarthy was obviously pleased with his team’s performance. “We felt strongly that this game was going to come down to big plays, the big-play opportunities,” he said. “I thought our players did an excellent job in all three phases.”
The Eagles slumped down the stretch with Sanchez as their quarterback and missed the playoffs despite finishing 10-6.
The Packers finished the season 12-4 and won the NFC North. They beat the Cowboys in the divisional playoffs before losing a heartbreaker to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game.
This was the first time in Packers franchise history that the team scored 50 points in back-to-back games.
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