The Philadelphia Eagles opened up their playoff journey by hosting the Green Bay Packers in South Philly. The Linc was as packed as it’s ever been as fans awaited the return of Jalen Hurts and Eagles football. As if Philadelphia fans needed a reason to get more hyped, Oren Burks forced a fumble on the kickoff which led to a big touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts to Jahan Dotson.
This followed a big first down run by Saquon Barkley that shook the ground in South Philly. Jalen felt the pressure in the pocket but instead of bailing, he kept his eyes on Dotson as the Eagles wideout broke free in the back of the end zone. And so the hunt began for the NFC East champs.
This would be the second matchup between the Eagles and Packers with both of them being primetime games. The first matchup took place in Brazil where the Eagles defeated the Packers 34-29 on the back of Saquon Barkley’s three-touchdown performance.
Following the Eagles scoring drive, Jordan Love and the Packers offense would look to find their footing against the Eagles’ defense. Love nearly threw a pick on his first pass attempt and was then held in check as the Packers would go three and out on their first drive.
The Packers and Eagles would go back and forth on their next couple of drives as the Eagles’ defense continued to pressure Jordan Love. Nolan Smith had a drive-ending sack that led to a punt. The defensive stand led to an impressive drive by the Eagles offense. More specifically the two big runs by both Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts.
Both runs looked like they were going to pop for much more but it put the Eagles’ offense in the right position to add to their 7-0 lead with a Jake Elliott field goal that put the Eagles up 10-0 to end the first quarter.
The Packers’ defense coordinator switched to a more aggressive style of play-calling as he continued to heavily blitz on that drive. Kellen Moore and Jalen Hurts had to find a way to counteract that if the Eagles were to come out victorious. Luckily for them, Big Play Slay came to do what his name says and play as he intercepted a deep pass from Jordan Love.
Philadelphia’s defense continued to do what they did all season long as they gave their offense a chance to add some breathing room. Unfortunately, the Packers continued to pressure Hurts as the Eagles had no response to the change in the opposing defense.
Green Bay fought back to what the Eagles’ defense continues to bring against Jordan Love. The Packers would march down the field against a Slay-less Eagles defense but would be forced to kick a field goal due to great play by Philly. Unfortunately for Green Bay, Brandon McManus would miss his attempt which kept the Packers at zero points midway through the second quarter.
It looks like the struggles of the Packers offense were contagious. Philadelphia’s offense continued to struggle against the Packers’ defense as it seemed like they had no answers for the pressure. Saquon was not very involved while the passing lanes were non-existent due to the pressure.
With the Packers knocking on the door of getting their first score of the half, Jordan Love made another big mistake as he threw a pass in the middle of the field that was intercepted by Zack Baun. Baun had a huge breakout during the season and continues to show up to the Eagles when they need him most.
The Eagles’ offense continued to carry the offensive struggles with them as they looked as dysfunctional as it gets on their first drive of the second. Philly would go three and out and allow a very dangerous Packers team to feel like they’re still in it.
Green Bay clawed their way back into the game after several first downs as they efficiently made their way downfield and were bailed out of a 3rd and 13 play after Quinton Mitchell was flagged for pass interference. Even with the new breath of life for the offense, Love and company couldn’t score a touchdown and had to settle for a field goal to bring the get on the board. With 5:46 left in the game, Green Bay would be a touchdown away from a tie as the Eagles led them 10-3.
With the pressure building up against the Eagles offenses, Hurts found DeVonta Smith for a 28-yard gain to get the offense rolling. He later found Dallas Goedert for a 24-yard touchdown pass to bring the lead to 16-3 after Jake Elliott missed the extra point. It’s been a very weird season for a kicker who was once automatic from anywhere.
Unfortunately for the Eagles, Jordan Love and the Packers’ offense were just as motivated as they were. Jordan Love relied heavily on Josh Jacobs and Dontayvion Wicks to help them get down the field. Josh Jacobs broke off a 32-yard run that looked like it could’ve been a touchdown but Jacobs was down at the one-yard line. The Packers would try again and Jacobs would run in for a touchdown to bring the score to 16-10 at the start of the fourth quarter.
Philadelphia would attempt to fight back and answer the Green Bay’s previous score by marching downfield. Unfortunately, the Eagles were penalized multiple times for holding when they got into the red zone. This would push them back and force them to settle for a field goal to extend their lead to 19-10. The Eagles would need luck to be on their sideline after that drive and I don’t mean Andrew Luck. Fortunately, the defense held their own until it was 4th and 3. Love’s next pass would be caught out of bounds which forced a turnover on downs with 4:58 left in the fourth quarter.
This was the Eagles moment to put their foot on the throat of the Packers. They needed to rely on the run game and keep the Packers’ offense off of the field at all costs. With the stadium roaring, the Eagles’ offense called on Saquon Barkley to lead the way. After a 5-yard run on the first play, Saquon was then thrown down by the the defenders on his next run which led to an unnecessary roughness call on the defense for a key first down.
After several run plays, the Eagles’ offense would walk off the field with the upmost faith in Jake Elliott to help extend the lead further. Philly a would drown the clock further to 3:15 before the allowed Jake Elliott to attempt his kick. Elliott would then nail the much needed field goal to extend the lead to 22-19 and help push the Eagles to the divisional round.
The icing on the cake? Rookie CB Quinyon Mitchell recorded his first ever NFL interception, picking off Jordan Love for the third Eagles’ interception of the day, and cementing Philly’s spot in the next round.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
