Eagles come to Green Bay after beating Packers twice last season
The Associated Press
Philadelphia (6-2) at Green Bay (5-2-1)
Day/Time/TV: Monday, 7:15 p.m. CT, ESPN/ABC
Series record: Packers lead 28-20
Last meeting: Eagles won 22-10 in NFC wild-card playoff game at Philadelphia on Jan. 12.
Last week: Eagles were off last week after beating New York Giants 38-20 at home on Oct. 26; Packers lost 16-13 at home to Carolina.
Eagles offense: overall (24), rush (19), pass (25), scoring (10)
Eagles defense: overall (23), rush (19), pass (17), scoring (19)
Packers offense: overall (8), rush (16), pass (8), scoring (11)
Packers defense: overall (5), rush (5), pass (9), scoring (8)
Turnover differential: Eagles plus-4; Packers even
The Green Bay Packers’ playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last season offered a stark reminder of how far they must go to catch up with the NFL’s top teams. Ten months later, the Packers will get an indication of how far they’ve come since. Green Bay hosts Philadelphia on Monday night after losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles twice last season. The Packers opened their 2024 campaign with a 34-29 loss to the Eagles in Brazil before falling to them 22-10 at Philadelphia in an NFC wild-card playoff game “Obviously, two losses against them last year, so it’s going to be a test,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “We know that.” Both teams are on pace to return to the playoffs.
The Packers (5-2-1) gained star power since that postseason loss by acquiring defensive end Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys shortly before the season. Green Bay leads the NFC North but has endured surprising losses to the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers. “I think they play hard,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “They play with good fundamentals. They have good schemes with good, talented players. A lot of respect. A lot of good players throughout every layer of their defense, a lot of good players through every layer of their offense and special teams.”
Philadelphia (6-2) owns a commanding lead in the NFC East and shares the conference’s best record with Tampa Bay, Seattle and the Los Angeles Rams. With such a crowd of teams at the top of the NFC standings, this game could help determine playoff positioning. For the Packers, it’s also a measuring stick. “That’s exactly what it is,” Packers defensive lineman Colby Wooden said. “It’s a new opp. That’s all you can ask for is an opportunity. They’re the defending champs.”
Eagles’ new faces
The Eagles were busy around the trade deadline and added some key pieces, including edge rusher Jaelan Phillips from Miami. They also landed two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander from Baltimore. Alexander played seven years with the Packers before his stint with the Ravens this season. The trio of bye-week trades started with the acquisition of nickel cornerback Michael Carter II from the New York Jets. Brandon Graham also returned to the Eagles after the 37-year-old defensive end concluded his brief retirement. Graham has 76 1/2 career sacks to rank third in team history.
Tush push drama
Green Bay was the team that proposed a ban on the tush push that the Eagles have used so effectively in short-yardage situations for years. A ban on offensive players pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping or encircling a runner was supported by a 22-10 vote — two votes short of the three-quarters majority required under league bylaws. “The key to defending it (is) don’t let them get third-and-short, obviously,” Wooden said.
Losing Kraft
The Packers will be playing their first full game since losing star tight end Tucker Kraft to a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Kraft had 32 catches for a team-high 489 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Luke Musgrave is likely to take over as the first-string tight end. The Packers took Musgrave in the second round and Kraft in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft.
Count on Brown
A.J. Brown is still an Eagle after rumors swirled around the trade deadline that the franchise was open to trading the wide receiver. Brown missed the Giants game with a hamstring injury and has been vocal — both in the locker room and on social media — about his unhappiness over his decreased production this season. Brown has 29 catches for 395 yards. Brown has twice this season had less than 10 yards receiving in a game, and the five-time 1,000-yard receiver is well off that pace. “I think that when you’re trying to be a great team, it’s hard to trade great players, and A.J. Brown’s a great player,” general manager Howie Roseman said. “He wears the ‘C’ for a reason. He’s an important part of this team, of this organization.”
Packers’ kicking issues
Green Bay's Brandon McManus has gone 4 of 7 on field-goal attempts since returning from a quadriceps injury that sidelined him for two games. The Packers still have kicker Lucas Havrisik on their active roster. Havrisik booted a franchise-record 61-yard field goal while McManus was sidelined.
Eagles player to watch
LB Zack Baun is one of only three players in the NFL along with Detroit's Jack Campbell and Miami's Tyrel Dodson to have at least 60 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble and one takeaway this season. Pro Football Focus gives him the top pass-rushing grade of all NFL linebackers. Baun delivered big performances in Philadelphia's two wins over Green Bay last season. He had two sacks in the Eagles' regular-season victory in Brazil and had an interception in the playoff matchup.
Packers player to watch
TE Luke Musgrave is going to have to help the Packers pick up the slack now that they've lost Tucker Kraft, who was having a Pro Bowl-caliber season before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament against Carolina. Kraft had been leading the Packers in yards receiving (489) and touchdown catches (six). Musgrave has nine catches for 88 yards this season. He was selected in the second round during the same 2023 draft in which Kraft was taken in the third round.
Key matchup
Packers passing game vs. Eagles pass defense: Jordan Love completed only half his pass attempts in a season-opening loss to the Eagles last season before leaving with a knee injury late in the game. With injuries decimating Green Bay's offensive line and receiving group, Love threw three interceptions without a touchdown pass in the Packers' playoff loss at Philadelphia. Love will need to be better for the Packers to win Monday. He failed to throw a touchdown pass in a game for the first time this season against Carolina.
Key injuries
Eagles: C Cam Jurgens (knee) didn't practice Thursday… RB Saquon Barkley said there was nothing to worry about after leaving the Giants game with a groin injury. He was a full participant in Thursday's practice.
Packers: Kraft is out for the season… DL Lukas Van Ness (foot) and WR Dontayvion Wicks (calf) have missed two straight games, though Wicks practiced on a limited basis Thursday… CB Nate Hobbs (knee) and WR Savion Williams (foot) didn't practice Thursday.
Series notes
The Eagles have beaten the Packers three straight times, including the 34-29 win at Brazil and the wild-card playoff game last season during their run to a Super Bowl title. Barkley had 132 yards from scrimmage (109 rushing, 23 receiving) and three touchdowns against Green Bay in the regular-season game, and he rushed for 119 yards in the playoff matchup. The Eagles also beat the Packers 40-33 in Philadelphia in 2022. Green Bay's most recent win in this series was a 30-16 triumph at home during the pandemic season of 2020.
Stats and stuff
The Eagles enter Week 10 as one of four teams in the NFC with a 6-2 record. The only other NFC team with two losses or fewer is Green Bay, at 5-2-1. This is the fourth straight year in which Philadelphia has won at least six of its first eight games… The Eagles ran for a season-high 276 yards — the second-best single-game total by any NFL team this season — against the Giants in their most recent game… Eagles QB Jalen Hurts has 15 TD passes and only one INT this season. He has 20 combined TDs (15 passing, five receiving) to rank third in the NFL, Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes and the Los Angeles Rams' Matthew Stafford… Eagles WR DeVonta Smith is averaging 10.7 yards per target this season. The only receiver with a higher average is Seattle's Jaxon Smith-Njigba (12.0). Smith's 588 yards receiving rank eighth in the NFL… Eagles TE Dallas Goedert has seven TD catches, putting him in a tie for second in the league. Davante Adams of the Rams has eight… Eagles OT Lane Johnson hasn't allowed any sacks or quarterback hits this season… This marks the third time in four years that the Packers have faced the defending Super Bowl champions in Lambeau Field. Green Bay won the other two matchups, 24-12 over the Los Angeles Rams in 2022 and 27-19 over the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023… The Packers are trying to bounce back after losing to Carolina as a 13-point favorite. According to BetMGM, that was the first time the Packers had lost as a double-digit favorite since falling to Arizona when they were favored by 13½ in 2018. ... Packers RB Josh Jacobs has 10 TD runs this season. The only NFL player with more TD runs is Indianapolis' Jonathan Taylor, with 12. Jacobs has an NFL-leading 25 TD runs since 2024. He's the first Packer to have at least 10 TD runs in back-to-back seasons since Jim Taylor did it in three straight years from 1960-62… Packers S Xavier McKinney had both a sack and an interception against Carolina. The sack and interception came in a span of three plays… Packers DE Micah Parsons has 44 quarterback pressures this season, according to Next Gen Stats. The only player with more is Detroit's Aidan Hutchinson, with 46… Packers K Brandon McManus has gone just 4 of 7 on field-goal attempts in two games since returning from a quadriceps injury that sidelined him for four games.
