The Eagles are under 24-hours away from a game against the Green Bay Packers in a matchup that could go a long way in dictating just how competitive the Eagles will be in the race for the NFC East title. Here are five things to watch.
Darius Slay vs DaVante Adams
Less than one week after DK Metcalf put up 177 yards on 10 receptions against him, Darius Slay now faces another top-5 wideout and a familiar foe in the way of DaVante Adams. The duo have squared off in some classics in the past, but this will be the first time they clash with Slay in Midnight Green.
Obviously, the Eagles run a different scheme and a lot could change. They had difficulties slowing down Adams last year, who torched the Eagles secondary for 107 yards in the first quarter alone. His night ended prematurely with a toe-injury, but with a lockdown corner now standing in his way, the Eagles will be hoping to nullify his impact as much as humanly possible.
If the offense has any hope of hanging around in this matchup, they’ll need the defense to stagnate an offense that ranks 4th in the NFL. Slowing down DaVante Adams, who already has 908 yards on the year, will be a huge part of that.
The Eagles are strong when it comes to Situational defense
The Eagles have shown some defensive resilience over the past few weeks. They forced Seattle into a pair of early fourth downs and held strong on both occasions. Over their last three games, they’re only allowing 28.95% of third-down conversions and rank 5th overall on the entire season.
Unfortunately, the Packers are averaging 8.1 yards per play on third-down this season – the most in the NFL. In a game of David meets Goliath, this is absolutely key for the Eagles. If they cannot get off the field on third down, this game could get out of hand quickly.
Pressuring Aaron Rodgers and making him come off of his primary read are going to be crucial, but ensuring he’s contained and isn’t able to run around like a Human Video game will be even more so. And that comes down to one group.
It’s won and lost in the trenches
Believe it or not, the Eagles still rank third in the NFL when it comes to sacks this season, with a total of 36. They also have 83 quarterback hits. Much of this comes from a deep defensive line that has (somehow) been able to remain healthy throughout. Brandon Graham has been having a career-year and Fletcher Cox has seen an uptick in production over the last month, riding a four-game streak of sacks.
Green Bay are allowing just 1.1 sacks per game, ranking third in the NFL. They’ve allowed 0.7 in their last 3 (2nd) and 0 last week (1st). It’s going to take a mammoth effort from the defensive front to get to Aaron Rodgers, whose 33 TD’s and 4 INT’s sum up just how lethal he can be behind a competent O-line.
The Eagles defensive line has been rampant this season and it’s going to need its biggest game yet on Sunday afternoon.
Eagles offense vs Two minute drills
There was a lot of noise this week about two minute drills. According to a report from Jeff McLane, Rich Scangarello had been taking play-calling duties in these situations and the Eagles had looked better. This is obviously circumstantial and probably not indicative of better coaching etc because it depends so heavily on what the objective is.
However, now that we know that 2-minute drills are likely being coached by Scangarello, there are bound to be more eyes on how the Eagles offense looks. Is it the same bland play-calling, or will we see more rollouts and creative ways to get players open? If there is a stark contrast then hello coaching controversy!
Running the ball
We all remember the week 4 win last year. Jordan Howard’s hat-trick of touchdowns and a backfield amassing 176 total rushing yards. Ah, *chefs kiss*, the good times.
The good news is, there could be a sign of hope here. The bad news is, it requires the Eagles committing to the run for more than 4 plays. Green Bay allowed 121 yards on the turf against Chicago last week, as David Montgomery rolled back time to 2019 to show shades of what another former Bears running back once did.
The Eagles have a dynamic threat in Miles Sanders who is yet to see more than 20 touches in a single game this season. Jordan Howard is active. Something’s gotta give.
Run. The. Ball.
Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
