If the Green Bay Packers-Philadelphia Eagles rematch is as good as the first meeting this season, it’ll be a pretty good playoff game.
The Eagles beat the Packers, 34-29, in the second game of the season on a Friday night in Brazil. There were plenty of big plays as both offenses were operating at a high level. That game was the first glimpse at one of the top storylines of the NFL season, as Saquon Barkley scored three touchdowns. He’d go on to be an MVP candidate and a 2,000-yard rusher.
When the two teams met in early September, it was clear that we might see them meet up again in the playoffs.
The matchup
No. 7 Green Bay Packers (11-6) at No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
Lincoln Financial Field
Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET
How to watch Packers at Eagles
The game will be broadcast by Fox and Fox Deportes.
Betting odds
The Eagles are 4.5-point favorites at BetMGM. There has been some line movement. It opened at Eagles -3.5, moved to -5.5 for a short time and then fell back to -4.5. The total is 45.5.
X factor
The Packers rely on an explosive passing game. They had 59 pass plays of at least 20 yards, fourth in the NFL, and are tied for the NFL lead with 14 pass plays of 40 or more yards. That won’t be so easy without Christian Watson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 18. It also won’t be easy against the Eagles, who gave up just 35 pass plays of 20 or more yards, which was best in the NFL. The key for the Packers could be Jayden Reed. He was second to Watson on the Packers in yards per reception. He also has been very quiet for weeks. Reed has just 19 catches for 237 yards over Green Bay’s past eight games, with six games of 34 yards or less. The Packers need Reed to make some plays.
How the Packers can win
Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry got most of the attention as top running backs who changed teams in the offseason. Josh Jacobs was also a big find for the Packers. He had 1,329 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. He has a rushing touchdown in eight straight games. The Eagles’ defense wasn’t vulnerable against the run or pass this season, but it would help Green Bay if it could have some success on the ground early. It might be paramount if Jordan Love’s elbow injury that knocked him out of last weekend’s game is still affecting him at all, or if the passing game isn’t as effective without deep threat Christian Watson.
How the Eagles can win
The big question is if Jalen Hurts is healthy and effective. Hurts missed two straight games after suffering a concussion, and was still in the protocol at the start of the week before returning to practice Wednesday. He was expected to be ready for Sunday’s game. It’s not ideal to miss almost three full games due to a concussion and then return for a playoff start. The Eagles need Hurts to be effective. Perhaps more than that, they need to take pressure off Hurts with Saquon Barkley chewing up yards in the run game and the defense playing like it has most of the season. Hurts doesn’t need to do it all to win, just to be productive when needed.
Prediction
The Eagles have been very good for months. They’re 12-1 since the end of September. They won by a combined 61-20 score the past two weeks despite starting their second-string and then third-string quarterback. They have stars on offense and a defense that led the NFL in yards allowed and was second in points allowed. The Packers are good but there are questions about their ability to beat good teams. They played the Lions, Vikings and Eagles five times and went 0-5. Assuming Jalen Hurts is at his normal level, the Eagles are the superior team. And they’ll soon start to get the attention they’ve earned. Eagles 24, Packers 17
