Getty Aaron Rodgers and Carson Wentz met in 2016 in Philadelphia with the Packers winning 26-13.
Some are calling Thursday night’s tilt at Lambeau Field a desperation game, one the Eagles must win to save their season. It’s an exaggeration but not far off base.
Only 14-percent of teams have made the playoffs since 1990 after starting the year 1-3. That’s 26 out of 183, according to ESPN. Not great odds. The Eagles find themselves with their backs up against the dairy farm out in Green Bay, too. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are 3-0 without even getting their offense untracked. In a rare turn of events, the Packers are winning games with stout defense over aerial fireworks.
This is the dilemma facing Carson Wentz and the Eagles. The last time these two rivals met was in 2016 when the Packers stormed into Lincoln Financial Field and beat Philadelphia 27-13. Rodgers went 30-of-39 for 313 yards and two touchdowns in that one, including six carries for 26 rushing yards. On Tuesday, the quarterback joked about using his legs more.
“Lulling ’em to sleep a little bit. Making ’em think I can’t run anymore,” Rodgers told reporters. “I love running. I don’t mind getting out of the pocket extending plays when nothing’s there. But I’d rather throw it first out of the pocket. I’m looking for conversions with my arm instead of my legs.”
Eagles-Packers: Top Seven Storylines to Watch
Remember, Catch the Damn Ball
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said it himself earlier this week when asked what kind of teaching points the team could take out of last week’s performance. Pederson didn’t mince words: “Teaching points? Catch the ball.” His receivers dropped seven passes, maybe eight depending on what constitutes a drop.
#PHIvsGB Status Report
Eagles participated in a walkthrough. Today’s report is an estimation.
DeSean Jackson will miss his second straight game, although the team will get a boost from the return of Alshon Jeffery. Either way, the inability to hang onto the football is inexcusable. Mack Hollins, Nelson Agholor and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside must do a better job in Green Bay.
Remember, Protect the Damn Ball
Fundamentals are killing the Eagles. They own the NFL’s 11th-worst turnover ratio at minus-2 after laying the ball on the carpet four times and losing three of them. Blame Miles Sanders for two fumbles and Nelson Agholor for another one last week. Those two costly turnovers led to six Detroit points.
And don’t let Carson Wentz off the hook here. The quarterback has chucked two interceptions, both in the Atlanta loss. Conversely, Wentz didn’t throw his second pick until Week 8 last season. On the flip side, the Packers lead the league in turnover differential at plus-6.
Put Pressure on the Quarterback
Unless the Eagles are planning to make a trade for a fresh body — the Jets’ Brandon Copeland or the Steelers’ Bud Dupree might be available — they need to man up and get some pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Their defensive ends have been shut out (zero sacks) through three games. The Eagles’ defense only has two total sacks so far this season. Maybe Chris Long is missing football?
Worse yet, Fletcher Cox has looked like a shell of himself leading many to believe he’s not completely healed from offseason foot surgery. Cox took to Twitter to air out grievances against his critics. He felt he was the victim of a tripping call that wasn’t called. Meanwhile, Brandon Graham is another guy that quickly comes to mind. The Super Bowl hero promised double-digit sacks during training camp. Time to go get it.
Don’t Forget: Cover the Deep Threat
Look, no one was expecting this secondary to be the second coming of Mark McMillian and Eric Allen. There were thoughts the unit would at least be serviceable. Now they are without both Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills as they look to stop the bleeding. The Eagles have surrendered 881 receiving yards. That’s 293.7 yards per game, fourth-worst in the NFL.
Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas will start on the outside against the Packers. They were very much up and down last week. If they struggle, it might be time to throw Avonte Maddox in the mix and give newcomer Craig James an extended look. The other option? Everyone knows the other option is in Jacksonville.
Who’s Blocking the Smith Boys?
Packers linebackers Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith are taking the league by storm. The pass-rushing duo has combined for 7.5 sacks in three games while Green Bay is tied for second in total sacks with 12. It’s a bit of a change in style for a team known for running up the score with future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers.
This isn’t your father’s Packers team. They play with an aggressive edge, totally in line with the other tough defenses in their division in Minnesota, Detroit and Chicago. Another guy to keep an eye on is defensive tackle Kenny Clark. He’s been arguably the best interior pass-rusher in football — and that includes Aaron Donald.
Don’t Sleep on Aaron Rodgers
This should go without saying but we’re saying it. Aaron Rodgers has struggled to develop chemistry with his young receivers in new coach Matt LaFleur’s complicated offense so far. He has gone an efficient 57-of-93 for 647 yards and four touchdowns. Don’t be fooled. He’ll get a healthy Jimmy Graham back this week.
Rodgers is still an elite quarterback and the way he works the hard count and manipulates it into free plays remains legendary. Rodgers told reporters that the offense must and will perform better. “At some point the offense is going to have to wake up and start making some plays,” he said.
Eagles Must Feed Jordan Howard
One of the strangest narratives to start the season has been the unwillingness of the Eagles to stick with Jordan Howard. The team gave up a sixth-round pick for the running back and has limited his usage despite Howard having the third-most rushing yards since 2016. It’s starting to become a thing.
Head coach Doug Pederson hinted earlier this week that the team was going to stick with rookie Miles Sanders as their feature back. They aren’t worried about his ball-security issues. Sanders is a fun toy and should be the franchise’s future. Right now, they need to stop overthinking it and start feeding Howard.
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