The Green Bay Packers have a strong chance of being the NFC’s 7th seed in the playoffs, which means they would play the 2nd seed Philadelphia Eagles. In the opening game in Brazil, the Pack lost 34-29. September 6 seems ages ago, and there is a new season called the playoffs.
The Struggle
Green Bay has struggled all season against the most elite teams this year. This includes detrimental losses to the Vikings twice, Lions twice and the Eagles once.
This past Sunday, the Packers struggled against the Vikings. They lost in close fashion once again with a score of 27-25. Star quarterback Jordan Love was quite honest about their play.
“When they’re playing man coverage, it comes down to winning that one-on-one as a receiver. As a quarterback, you’ve got to have great ball placement and make plays,” said Love, via reporter Ryan Wood. “But it’s one-on-one coverages, so guys just got to go win. We didn’t do a good enough job of that, but it’s on everybody. There’s not one guy that it falls on. It’s a whole team thing.”
Jordan Love needs to step up in order for Green Bay to make a run in the postseason. Decision making in the pocket is something that has stood out for the most of the season. As Love mentioned though, it’s not just on him. The entire team needs to improve in order to be ready to potentially face a dangerous Philadelphia team.
The Matchup
In the opening game, the Packers played Philadelphia relatively close. A huge issue they dealt with was containing the best running back in the league in Saquon Barkley. Barkley had 109 rushing yards and 3 total touchdowns that game. The threat of former All-Pro quarterback Jalen Hurts is also on the table. Not to mention, AJ Brown and Devonta Smith being the receivers. Green Bay has to contain this explosive attack from Philly. They did a solid job by snagging two interceptions from Jalen Hurts, but it wasn’t enough to win the game.
On the offensive side of the ball, Jayden Reed had a scorching stat line of 138 yards and a touchdown. In recent games, Reed has been a ghost in the offense. If the Pack can open up their passing attack, get Christian Watson back and Jordan Love cuts back on turnovers, they can thrive.
Philadelphia’s defense has been one of the best this year, but they are not perfect. Green Bay succeeded against Philly in the opener by attacking their zone coverage. Star running back Josh Jacobs also dominated their defense in the second half.
The Keys
- Don’t be afraid to air it out: The Eagles’ zone coverage has been exposed multiple times this season.
- Use Josh Jacobs: He doesn’t have 1,285 yards and 14 touchdowns for no reason.
- Involve multiple receivers in the passing attack: Watson, Reed, Doubs and Kraft are all threats; spread the ball around.
- Jordan Love must be smart with the football: They cannot afford to turn the ball over against an elite team.
- Pressure Jalen Hurts: He tends to hold the ball longer under pressure, which can ultimately slow down their passing game.
- Coaching: Matt LaFleur must be aggressive but simultaneously smart to put his team in the best position to win.
