8:20 PM EST, NFL Network – Line: Packers -4.5, Over/Under: 45.5
Roles have been reversed in the early stages of the season, as the struggling Philadelphia Eagles travel to Lambeau Field to battle the undefeated Green Bay Packers on a short week for both teams. For the second consecutive season, the Eagles (1-2, 2nd in NFC East) have stumbled out of the gate, dropping each of their last two outings following their victory in the Season Opener, though the margin of defeat was razor thin on both occasions. In a 20-24 defeat at the Atlanta Falcons two weeks ago, Philadelphia managed to take a 20-17 lead late in the affair, only to turn around and give it right back relinquishing a 54-Yard Touchdown to Julio Jones on Fourth Down. Eagles’ Quarterback, Carson Wentz (61.0%, 803 YDS, 6.18 NY/A, 6 TD, 2 INT, 72.7 QBR), would then engineer an 11-Play, 59-Yard Drive all the way to the Falcons’ 16-Yard Line, only to come up short by a single yard on Fourth Down, ending the game. It was a similar situation in last Sunday’s 24-27 loss at home to the Detroit Lions, as the hosts rallied back from a 10-Point Deficit to cut the lead to three points midway through the final stanza. Doug Pederson’s charges forced a Punt and later blocked a Lions’ Field Goal, but ultimately failed to do much of anything when they regained possession, turning the ball over on downs on each of their final two drives, with Wentz struggling to connect with a decimated Receiving Corps that clearly misses it’s First String of targets. Both Alshon Jeffery (5 REC, 49 YDS, 9.8 Y/R, 1 TD) and DeSean Jackson (8 REC, 154 YDS, 19.3 Y/R, 2 TD) left the tilt in Atlanta with various injuries, with the playmakers sitting out last Sunday’s action, coincidentally forcing other players into the spotlight, some for the wrong reasons. While he has flourished in the Slot after a few tough seasons with the club, Nelson Agholor (18 REC, 168 YDS, 9.3 Y/R, 3 TD) has recently drawn the ire of the fan base following some late drops in the two losses, with the towering J.J. Arcega-Whiteside (2 REC, 14 YDS, 7.0 Y/R, 0 TD) earning the same dubious distinction. Neither Jeffery or Jackson has practiced leading up to tonight’s contest, with many believing that Pederson will prefer to take advantage of the following week of rest, before ushering them back onto the field However, while it’s easy to single them out for failing to make some crucial plays, there is plenty of blame to go around in Philly, particularly on Defense, where the Secondary has once again been shredded. Through three games, Defensive Coordinator, Jim Schwartz, has seen his troops get gashed for 293.7 Yards against the Pass (29th Overall) on 7.3 Net Yards per Attempt (25th Overall), yielding Seven Passing Touchdowns (21st Overall). Since arriving in the City of Brotherly Love, Schwartz’s M.O. has been bringing pressure via the Zone Blitz, but that stratagem has been thrown out of the window given his unit’s troubles in coverage. How else can you explain their meager total of Two Sacks? Granted, Defensive Tackle, Malik Jackson (Lisfranc Surgery) is on Injured Reserve, and fellow Tackle, Timmy Jernigan (1 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 QBH, 1.0 SK) is out for four to six weeks with a broken foot, but the depth that this group once possessed appears to be severely taxed. Needless to say, this is not what many expected out of the Eagles in 2019, with many crowning them as one of the favorites to emerge from the NFC and contend for a Lombardi Trophy. For the second consecutive year, they’ve suffered significant injuries in crucial areas, while developing a troublesome habit of falling behind in games; in all three contests, Philadelphia headed into Halftime trailing, as they have been outscored 23-50 in the First Half thus far. Relinquishing big plays has been a real problem during that period of games, with the club yielding three Touchdowns of 30+ Yards, along with Sunday’s 100-Yard Kickoff Return for a score on the affair’s opening play. This is definitely something to keep an eye on heading into this meeting with Packers, whom they’ve beaten just once since 2007, with that lone victory coming back in 2013 in which Green Bay’s Quarterback, Aaron Rodgers was sidelined with a broken collarbone. Furthermore, the aforementioned Wentz has never beaten the Packers, with a 13-27 loss back in 2016 being their only encounter. On that day, a Rookie Wentz completed found himself under duress throughout the night, completing 24-of-36 Passes for 254 Yards and an Interception, suffering Four Sacks, though managed to rushed for Thirty-Three Yards and a score on Four Carries.
Meanwhile, though there have been a number of surprising undefeated teams thus far, you can make a good argument for the Packers (3-0, 1st in NFC North) being the most surprising of them all. This team was a bonafide unknown coming into 2019, with Matt LaFleur looking to revolutionize an Offense that had long stagnated under the previous regime. Given LaFleur’s lack of experience combined with his two-time MVP Quarterback, Aaron Rodgers (61.3%, 647 YDS, 5.92 NY/A, 4 TD, 0 INT, 46.0 QBR), who barely featured throughout the Preseason, nobody quite knew what to expect from Green Bay, who were perceived to be lagging behind the rest of the competition in an improved division. However, here they are, standing unscathed through three games, having already bested two of their rivals, the Bears (10-3) and Vikings (21-16) in successive weeks, followed by a 27-16 victory over the Denver Broncos last Sunday to move into First Place in the NFC North. After trading blows throughout the First Half, the home side gradually managed to settle their opponent down, outscoring them 10-7 in the Second Half, thanks to back-to-back Rushing Touchdowns courtesy of Tailback, Aaron Jones (46 CAR, 174 YDS, 3.8 Y/C, 3 TD), who was otherwise stifled by the Broncos’ Defensive Front, rushing for juts Nineteen Yards on Ten Carries. The young Defense continued it’s impressive start to the campaign, relegating Denver to 310 Total Yards on Twenty First Downs, forcing Three Turnovers, and piling up Six Sacks, one of which resulted in a Fumble Recovery. It was a proverbial showcase piece for General Manager, Brian Gutekunst, and Defensive Coordinator, Mike Pettine, who watched as a number of new acquisitions shined brightly; Rookie Defensive Back, Darnell Savage (14 TKL, 1 QBH, 1 FF, 1 INT, 3 PD), racked up Five Tackles, an Interception, and a Deflected Pass, while his Draft Classmate, Rashan Gary (4 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 QBH, 1.0 SK, 1 FR), notched the first Sack of his career, with a pair of marquee Free Agent signings, Edge-Rushers, Za’Darius Smith (11 TKL, 3 TFL, 7 QBH, 3.0 SK) and Preston Smith (13 TKL, 3 TFL, 7 QBH, 4.5 SK, 1 FF, 1 INT, 2 PD), combined for Five Sacks. It was another stout performance for a promising Defense that has permitted the second-fewest points thus far (11.7 P/G), the second-most Sacks (12), and the most Takeaways (8) in the league. But at the end of the day, all anyone wants to know is how the aforementioned Rodgers is getting along with LaFleur, and while it’s true that they say winning cures just about everything in the world of sports, it would be damn near impossible to cover up any kind of conflict between the two, particularly given how Rodgers’ rapport (or lack thereof) with LaFleur’s predecessor eroded over time. Make no mistake, the Packers’ Defense has absolutely carried the team through the early goings of 2019, while the new-look Offense has certainly been slow to come together. Through three games, this has very much been a work in progress as Green Bay ranks Twenty-Third in Points (19.3 P/G), Twenty-Eighth in Total Offense (305.0 Y/G), including Twenty-Seventh in Passing Offense (215.7 Y/G), and Twenty-Fourth in Rushing Offense (89.3 Y/G), while placing Twenty-Ninth on Third Down (25.0%). Yes, it needs to be stated that they faced the Bears, Vikings, and Broncos, who possess three of the toughest Defenses in the league, so there’s likely nowhere to go but up, but the performance of their Quarterback does merit some concern. Now 36-Years Old, there is an argument to be made that Rodgers may not be the consistently all-world Signal-Caller that he’s been throughout the majority of his illustrious career; his Completion Percentage (61.3%) is his lowest since 2015 and second-lowest since 2008, ditto for his Yards per Attempt (7.0), while his QBR (46.0) is by far and away the lowest of his career. Again, winning cures all ills, but what happens when they start losing some games? Will Rodgers have mastered LaFleur’s scheme by that point? What if he hasn’t? Time will tell…