The Green Bay Packers look to bounce back Monday night when they host the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles at Lambeau Field. Green Bay enters this week’s game with a 5-2-1 mark while the Eagles are 6-2. The Packers were upset by the Carolina Panthers last week, 16-13. The Eagles are coming off their bye week. They defeated the New York Giants in their last game, 38-10. Here are the keys to victory for the Packers in their Week 10 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Packers lead the all-time series between these two teams 28-17-0 in the regular season. The two teams first met during the regular season in 1933. The Packers have lost three of the four postseason meetings between the teams including last season’s wild card game.
Here are the keys to victory for Monday night’s game at Lambeau Field:
Packers Keys to Victory vs Eagles, Number One: Contain Saquon Barkley
The Eagles are a strong running team, and Saquon Barkley has been a challenge for the Packers in recent matchups. He hasn’t been as explosive this season as he was a year ago, but he’s getting healthy after the bye and is always dangerous.
The Packers run defense was unable to stop the Panthers and Rico Dowdle last week and must do a better job against the Eagles. Edgerrin Cooper and Quay Walker must stay in their lanes and make sure tackles. The edge defenders also need to keep contain on the outside.
If the Eagles can control the football on the ground, they will keep the Packers offense off the field and take control of the game. The Packers front seven will have to do a better job of containing Barkley to have a chance to win the game.
Number Two: Contain Devonta Smith and A.J. Brown
The Eagles have two very dangerous wideouts in Devonte Smith and A.J. Brown. The Packers are thin at cornerback with Nate Hobbs set to miss at least the next two games due to injury. That leaves Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine as the only healthy and experienced boundary corners on the roster.
Smith leads the team with 44 catches while Brown has 29. The Green Bay defense also needs to account for tight end Dallas Goedert who has 30 catches and seven touchdowns. The Eagles look for him in the red zone.
The Packers predominantly play zone defenses and like to keep things in front of them and prevent splash plays. They will need to do that effectively if they hope to slow down the Eagles explosive offense.
Packers Keys to Victory vs Eagles, Number Three: Force Jalen Hurts to Beat You with His Arm
The Packers cannot allow Jalen Hurts to beat them with his legs. He is the Eagles second leading runner with 207 yards gained. While the Philadelphia coaching staff wants to reduce the number of times Hurts runs the ball intentionally, he is still dangerous when he runs with the football.
The Packers will usually play a zone defense which means they will have eyes on the quarterback. They need to stop Hurts from picking up key first downs on scrambles. They also have to keep out of 3rd and 4th and one situations to prevent the Eagles from using the dreaded tush push.
The best thing for the Packers is to contain the running of Hurts and force him to beat the defense solely with his arm.
The Eagles have also allowed 25 sacks so far this season. The Packers need Micah Parsons and Rashan Gary to bounce back from their uneventful performances last week.
Number Four: Establish the Running Game
The Packers run defense needs to be balanced to succeed. Getting Josh Jacobs and the running game going will help set up play action passes.
Of course, it would also help if Matt LaFleur’s play calling wasn’t so predictable.
The Eagles run defense ranks 19th in the NFL by allowing 120.4-yards per game. They are allowing an average of 4.4-yards per carry, so the Packers should be able to move the football on the ground.
The Green Bay offensive line has struggled to run block this season. Injuries have played a role in those struggles. Green Bay is averaging just 4.0-yards per carry. The interior of the Packers offensive line will have to effectively block defensive tackle Jalen Carter.
If the Packers can run the ball more effectively, they can keep the Eagles offense off the field and open things up for the passing game.
Packers Keys to Victory vs Eagles, Number Five: Protect Jordan Love
The Packers offensive line may struggle to run block, but they’ve done a good job protecting quarterback Jordan Love. The Packers have allowed just 11 sacks through eight games this season.
The Eagles have a balanced pass rush without one star player. Moro Ojomo leads the team with four sacks followed by Zach Baun and Jordan Davis with three each.
If Love has time to throw, he should be able to find some success against the Eagles 17th-ranked pass defense.
The Eagles have tried to improve their secondary which lacked cornerback depth. This week, they acquired two corners, Michael Carter II, and former Packer Jaire Alexander. It’s unclear how much either of them will play on Monday, but the move was needed.
Look for the Packers to try to create mismatches against the depth defensive backs of the Eagles.
Number Six: Win in the Red Zone
The Packers struggled mightily in the red zone last week against the Panthers. The Packers made five trips inside the opponent’s 20 but only scored one touchdown. They will have to be much better than that if they have any hope to defeat the Eagles.
The absence of Tucker Kraft will hurt the Packers in the red zone. Look for Jacobs and Romeo Doubs to get more opportunities in the red zone. Maybe Love can get Matthew Golden his first NFL touchdown on Monday night. Someone will have to step up and give the Packers red zone production.
Prediction:
The Packers usually play up or down to the level of their competition. That means we should see a better version of the Packers against the defending champs.
Stopping Barkley has long been a problem for the Packers, even dating back to his time with the Giants and it remains a challenge.
Jordan Love has already referred to this as a revenge game as the Packers lost to the Eagles in the playoffs last season.
This game will have major playoff implications. The Packers will play better, but the Eagles will be the better coached team and find a way to win a close one.
Eagles 30, Packers 27
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