On the Road to Victory
There should be no easy games in the playoffs, but Eagles fans shouldn’t be complaining about their first-round matchup on 4:30 p.m. Sunday against the visiting Green Bay Packers. The Eagles opened as a 4.5 point favorite.
Green Bay finished with an 11-6 record, but the key stat is that the Packers were 0-5 against the teams with the NFC’s three best records, the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Eagles.
In addition, Green Bay is coming off arguably its worst showing of the season, a 24-22 home defeat against the Chicago Bears.
That is a Bears team that entered the matchup with a 10-game losing streak.
Worse, Green Bay saw two of its key offensive players injured. Wide receiver Christian Watson, a major big-play threat, left the game with a knee injury. Quarterback Jordan Love suffered what he said was an elbow injury that caused tingling in his hand.
Even if Love is ready to play against the Eagles, one has to wonder how effectively he will be able to throw after suffering the injury.
If Love isn’t 100 percent, the Packers appear to have little chance.
Even at full strength, this will be a tough matchup for the Packers.
This will be a rematch of the Eagles opening night 34-29 win over Green Bay in Brazil.
In that game neither quarterback played particularly well.
Love completed 17 of 34 for 260 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. His passer rating was just 83.0.
The Eagles’ Jalen Hurts completed 20 of 34 for 278 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions and a passer rating of 80.3.
The difference in the game was what has been the difference in many Eagles wins – running back Saquon Barkley, who scored three touchdowns, two on the ground and one in the air.
Barkley also rushed for 109 yards on 24 carries.
The Packers only chance against the Eagles would seem to be if they are able to run the ball, have long drives and keep the Eagles offense off the field.
In the first game, Josh Jacobs rushed for 84 yards on 16 carries against the Eagles. Those are solid stats, but he will need to be more dominant.
Jacobs had a great year, rushing for 1,329 (4.4 avg.) and 15 touchdowns. He added 36 receptions for 342 yards and one touchdown.
It still doesn’t compare to what Barkley did–2,005 yards rushing (5.2 avg.) and 13 touchdowns. Barkley also caught 33 passes for 278 yards and two scores.
Both running backs could be major threats as receivers in this game, which will be something to watch.
Another thing is how Hurts will bounce back after missing the final two games of the season with a concussion. (At press time, it was assumed he would be ready and the same is the case for Love).
The difference in the two teams is that Hurts doesn’t have to be superman for the Eagles to win, especially with a well-rested Barkley. Love really does.
Anyway, the Eagles have an excellent chance not only to win this game, but to get to the Super Bowl. Detroit is the top seed, but the Lions still have a banged-up defense.
The Lions still should be formidable, but the Eagles match up well with them.
Yet we’re getting ahead of ourselves on this.
Despite Green Bay’s lack of momentum heading into the postseason, having lost their last two regular season games, this is not a team to take lightly.
Plus, Green Bay is one of the few NFC playoff teams this year that won’t have trouble playing in cold weather.
Still, the Eagles should be well rested after seeing most of the regulars get the day off in their season-ending 20-13 win over the New York Giants.
Those who suggested that Barkley should have played in the season finale in an attempt to break the single-season rushing record, would have been crushed if he got hurt. Now he should be fresh and ready to resume his domination.
Home field, well rested, the deeper team: it is all in the Eagles favor. It likely won’t be easy, but the Eagles depth should prevail and help them pull away in the fourth quarter, as they should take a significant first step toward their goal of a second Super Bowl appearance in three years.
Photo: Saquon Barkley in the Eagles opening win over Green Bay / Courtesy Philadelphia Eagles
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Author: Marc Narducci
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