Packers vs Eagles: The NFL playoffs are finally here. After a tough start to the year that actually began with a win over the team they’re set to face this weekend, the Philadelphia Eagles rallied in euphoric fashion to secure the NFC East and the #2 seed in the conference. To keep their Super Bowl hopes alive, they’ll need to fend off Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers.
Packers vs Eagles: How to watch
When: Sunday, January 12th, 4:30PM EST
Where: Lincoln Financial Field
How: FOX
Packers vs Eagles: NFL Playoff Betting preview
An eye on the Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles come into this game with a few question marks, with the most prominent being the health of Jalen Hurts, who has missed the last two games due to a concussion. While he’s expected to play this weekend, the team is doing a good job of keeping cards close to their chest.
Hurts ended the regular season ranked 20th in passing yards, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Saquon Barkley claimed the rushing title in his maiden Philadelphia campaign, leaving Hurts without much need to push the ball downfield. Instead, he limited turnovers, throwing only 5 interceptions all year, while registering a career-high 68.7% completion rate and matching a career-high in yards per attempt. He’s as surgical as ever, and the Packers would be foolish to discount what he brings to the offense.
Barkley is undoubtedly the biggest star on the field from an Eagles perspective. Green Bay might rank 7th against the run, but it’s not like the Penn State Prince has struggled against top-tier defenses, gashing the likes of Baltimore en-route to a staggering 2,005-yard campaign. The offense is likely going to flow through the running back, and the Packers have to be wary of that.
Defensively, Philadelphia’s resurgence under Vic Fangio needs no introduction. The Eagles ended the season ranked 10th against the run and 1st against the pass. This is bad news for a Packers offense that has been known to sputter on occasion. Jordan Love has thrown at least one pick in each of his last 8 games (11 in that span), and a failure to protect the football at the Linc could yield disastrous results.
An eye on the enemy
The Eagles are already familiar with Green Bay’s structure after a win in the opening week, but the Packers have kicked into another gear since then. Josh Jacobs ended the regular season with a respectable 1,392 yards, but between weeks 12 and 16, he only averaged around 68 yards per game. This gives the Eagles a slight edge given how Love has proven to turn the ball over frequently. If they can eradicate the run and force Love to pass aggressively in what is only his third playoff game, they have a great chance of dictating the tempo.
The Packers do have an underrated defense. Their run-stopping has improved as the year has worn on, and a secondary containing the likes of Xavier McKinney and Keishon Nixon has to be respected. Green Bay is forcing an interception per game on average, ranking 3rd in the NFL. While Hurts isn’t likely to gift many opportunities, the Packers proved in their week 1 clash that they have all the pieces to cause problems for this high-octane offense.
Why the Eagles can win
The Eagles still have the better team on paper. Saquon Barkley is an MVP candidate and this young defense is only getting better with time. In front of a roaring home crowd as opposed to the bumpy Brazilian turf, this will be a difficult game for the Packers to win.
Why the Packers can win
Despite all of their success, the the Eagles have struggled to come out of the gates swinging, ranking 21st in 1st quarter points. The Packers, conversely, rank 3rd. If they can get off to a hot start, it might force the Eagles away from their tried and tested rushing attack, opening up further opportunities to seize control of the game.
Packers vs Eagles prediction:
I like the Eagles here. The team is too talented across the board and have already beaten the Packers. You could argue that the win was one of their weakest performances of the entire season, and this is a very different beast now.
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
