The Green Bay Packers are set for a Wild Card Round matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles following their 24-22 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Had the Packers won the game, they would have been traveling out West for a rematch with the Los Angeles Rams because former head coach Mike McCarthy and his Dallas Cowboys upset the Washington Commanders on Sunday. A win over Chicago, therefore, would have moved Green Bay up to the sixth seed in the NFC.
As it stands, though, they are the seventh seed, which means they will travel to Philadelphia to take on the 14-3 Eagles, who are the second seed in the NFC after the Detroit Lions finished the year 15-2.
Of course, this will be a rematch of Week One in which the Eagles defeated the Packers 34-29 in Sao Paolo, Brazil, a game that saw quarterback Jordan Love leave on the second-to-last play of the game due to suffering a knee injury on the torn up field.
The Green Bay Packers Run Defense Will Have to Try and Stop Saquon Barkley
Obviously, the initial thought regarding facing the Eagles is that the Packers defense needs to find a way to at least limit Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley.
In 16 games this season, Barkley rushed for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns, running away with the NFL rushing crown.
In Week One, he had 109 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Green Bay’s defense.
Now that the regular season has ended, the Packers officially have finished with the seventh-best run defense in the NFL, allowing 99.4 rushing yards per game. They also finished with the sixth-best scoring defense in the league, allowing 19.9 points per game.
The Green Bay Packers Must Stop Philadelphia Eagles Wide Receiver AJ Brown
While stopping, or at least limiting, Barkley should be a focus of the Green Bay defense, one player that they need to be especially aware of is Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown.
According to NFL insider (and Wisconsin Sports Heroics contributor) Matt Lombardo:
“The Eagles are 6-1 in games that Brown either catches a touchdown pass or surpasses 100 receiving yards. Brown may be the most important player on the Eagles’ offense, which also includes Saquon Barkley.”
Unfortunately, the Packers will be without cornerback Jaire Alexander who had season-ending knee surgery. That means that Eric Stokes and/or Carrington Valentine will be tasked with limiting Brown on the boundary and keeping him out of the end zone.
This is, of course, a tall task, but one that Green Bay must meet if they hope to advance.
More Green Bay Packers News from Wisconsin Sports Heroics
- “He Needs to Be Gone Now;” Packers Fans Quit on Fan-Favorite Amid Loss to Bears
- Green Bay Packers Named Ideal Landing Spot for 3x Pro Bowler Who Was Just Released by Lions
- “Caught Off Guard;” Packers Fans Explode After Matt LaFleur’s Excuse for Loss to Bears
- Former Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers Hit with 5-Figure Fine by NFL, Former Teammate
- Packers Announce Season-Ending Injury Just Before Matchup with Bears
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
