4 burning questions answered as Eagles look to beat Jordan Love and Packers in NFL playoffs' wild card round
The Philadelphia Eagles wrapped up their 2024-25 regular season with a 14-3 record after taking down the New York Giants on Sunday with their third-string quarterback Tanner McKee getting the start. Now, as the NFC's No. 2 seed heading into the playoffs, the Birds will prepare to host the No. 7 seed Green Bay Packers (11-6) […]
The Philadelphia Eagles wrapped up their 2024-25 regular season with a 14-3 record after taking down the New York Giants on Sunday with their third-string quarterback Tanner McKee getting the start.
Now, as the NFC's No. 2 seed heading into the playoffs, the Birds will prepare to host the No. 7 seed Green Bay Packers (11-6) at Lincoln Financial Field.
Philly enters the matchup as 4.5-point favorites over Green Bay with the over/under total set at 46.5 points.
The Eagles last faced the Packers in Week 1 in Brazil where they pulled off a 34-29 international victory. However, a lot has changed for both teams since then.
A to Z Sports' Packers beat writer, Wendell Ferreira, answers how the Packers have evolved since their last meeting and more in four burning questions ahead of this NFC East rivalry matchup.
1. What's the current injury updates on quarterbacks Jordan Love and Malik Willis?
Both are healthy enough to play. Matt LaFleur and Jordan Love said that the starting quarterback could have returned to the game against the Bears, but there was no need to risk it. It's a matter of pain management, but doctors indicate it won't be a big issue with a full week to recover. Malik Willis suffered a thumb injury during the game as well, which almost forced Love back in. However, he was able to keep playing. It's been a tough season for Jordan Love in terms of injuries, but it looks like the Packers dodged a bullet in this one.
2. The last time these two teams faced off was in Week That was a long time ago in the football work. How have the Packers evolved since then?
Probably not as much as Packers fans would like. The offense got better throughout the season after Jordan Love got healthy and Josh Jacobs had more rhythm within the structure, but the wide receivers keep making the same mistakes. Drops, fumbles, inability to get open. They are not helping Love whatsoever. The defense, though, showed important signs of improvement. That game in Week 1 was in Brazil, so I was in the stadium. And I left it somewhat concerned with how the Packers' defense operated. It was a super vanilla, single-high defense, and it only functioned when they generated turnovers against the Eagles. Week after week, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley implemented new concepts. There have been a lot more cover 2, a lot of post-snap disguises, and more willingness to send extra bodies to pressure the opposing quarterback.
3. Packers' star cornerback Jaire Alexander is a nightmare to opposing offenses. With him now on Injured Reserve, how does Green Bay proceed?
Jaire had a rough game in Week 1 when matched up against AJ Brown and allowed some big plays, but he did have a pick in the endzone. He is by far their best cornerback. Without Jaire, the cornerback room doesn't have great answers, but Carrington Valentine and Keisean Nixon are playing decent football. If rookie safety Evan Williams gets back from a quad injury, that will free up Javon Bullard to play as a full-time nickel, and that helps a lot. When asked how to overcome Jaire's absence, Jeff Hafley mentioned everything else. They don't have the horses at corner, but they are doing just fine in the secondary anyway. The problem is the inability to generate pressure with the defensive front, and that puts even more stress on an already depleted unit.
4. What is your final prediction for this matchup where the Packers are pegged as a clear underdog?
The Packers have an absurdly high ceiling and a depressingly low floor. In Week 1, my feeling was that the Packers were the better team on the field, but shot themselves in the foot so many times. But that has been a theme throughout the season. The matchup is not exactly bad for Green Bay either, and the talent level is similar. Jalen Hurts hasn't played a full game since December 15, and his rust might be a factor. If the Packers start faster, which has been rare, they have a real shot. But if they play like they did over the last few weeks, there's simply no chance. The Eagles are certainly the favorites and should win, but this Packers offense has an impressive ability to be unpredictable.
