NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the NFL Playoffs on Sunday afternoon. The Eagles finished the regular season 14-3 while the Packers’ record stood at 12-5. This is a rematch of Week 1 in which the Eagles drafted the Packers 34-29.
Will the Eagles’ defense contain the arm of Jordan Love and the legs of Josh Jacobs? Can the Packers defense stop Saquon Barkley and the Eagles’ offense? This is the first week in a while where the Eagles offense will be on the field as a full unit with the return of TE Dallas Goedert.
Here are 3 keys to victory for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Green Bay Packers.
Confuse Love
Many will point to the Philadelphia Eagles defeating the Packers in Week 1 but both were different teams back then. It was a close game but this Eagles defense was still learning each other and the scheme that Vic Fangio was putting in place. In that game, the defense registered just 2 sacks on Love while surrendering 441 yards of total offense. This unit has improved mightily throughout the season.
Love is a star in the making but he is not without mistakes. If the Eagles can fluster the young QB and with Christian Watson out due to injury, there is a good chance the Eagles will advance. They will have to confuse Love with different looks. Make him think they are blitzing then drop back into coverage. Take away his vision. Jalen Carter needs to rush with an urgency. It’s hard to beat the Eagles on the outside with their great play in the secondary.
Spread The Ball
The offense of the Philadelphia Eagles should be in full force come Sunday afternoon with the return of Jalen Hurts. Dallas Goedert returned last week and it couldn’t have come at a better time. AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith are back to being problems for opposing defenses and Saquon Barkley, fresh off a 2000-yard season is ready to put his best foot forward for a real Super Bowl Run.
Kellen Moore has to get all his weapons involved. Brown and Smtih should be targeted heavily in this matchup and Goedert should see opportunities in the middle of the field. As for Barkley, nothing changes. Feed him the ball, especially in the second half, and let the clock become a factor. To beat the Eagles, you must let them beat themselves. But when they are clicking, watch out.
Stop Gambling
With Nick Sirianni at the helm, the Philadelphia Eagles are not shy from going for it on 4th down. At times, they do leave points on the field. While that has been their MO during his tenure, the regular season is over. This is do or die and the Eagles cannot afford to leave points on the field at any point.
The Tush Push is a major weapon for them but are they ready to gamble advancing to the second round for a yard when 3 points will suffice? Green Bay is not a pushover and while the game is at The Linc, the team must focus on one goal and that is to win the game and advance. Jake Elliott has had his struggles this season but he’s a veteran kicker and the playoffs are where he shines.
