January 11, 2025
Kirby Lee/Imagn Images
DeVonta Smith and the Eagles will get the Packers at home again in the playoffs – but, like actually at home at the Linc this time. Not in Brazil.
So begins the run with massive hopes for a Super Bowl.
The Eagles will face the Packers in the NFL's Wild Card Round on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field
Both teams faced one another in Brazil all the way back in Week 1, but that feels like forever ago now, and the Eagles will be the first to tell you they're a much different team.
Saquon Barkley, the 2,000-yard rushing champ, will be ready to go, and so will Jalen Hurts in his return from a concussion, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and a roster that pushed the Eagles to a franchise-best 14-3 regular season record.
But it was all or this: a chance for another Super Bowl and the best possible position to go for it.
It's a new season now.
"It's do or die time," center Cam Jurgens said last week about it.
Here are our Eagles-Packers picks for the opening round of the NFL Playoffs...
TV: FOX (Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi)
RADIO: 94.1 WIP (Merrill Reese, Mike Quick, Devan Kaney)
| Sportsbook | Spread | Money Line | Total O/U |
| DraftKings | PHI -4.5 | GB +185 PHI -225 | 45.5 |
| FanDuel | PHI -4.5 | GB +176 PHI -210 | 45.5 |
| BetRivers | PHI -4.5 | GB +190 PHI -235 | 45.5 |
| BetMGM | PHI -4.5 | GB +195 PHI -250 | 45.5 |
| ESPN BET | PHI -4.5 | GB +190 PHI -225 | 45.5 |
Some people like Jordan Love better than Jalen Hurts, and some people like Jalen Hurts more than Jordan Love. Those two guys aside, the Eagles have the better running back, the better receivers, the better offensive line (by far), the better secondary, and the best defensive lineman. They're just better, and they're healthier, and they're playing at home.
They also played earlier this season in a game won by the Eagles in which Hurts played like crap, the Eagles lost the turnover battle 3-1, and their defense was a more than a month away from finding their footing.
The Packers are very tough draw for a 7 seed, but we probably don't need to overthink this one too much..
Yes, I’m picking an emphatic Eagles victory. I think the Packers are a potent opponent and far from an ideal draw for the Eagles, but the health factor can’t be overstated. Essentially every part of Philadelphia's great on-paper roster will be full go Sunday afternoon and with the home crowd in toe, I expect the Birds to start the postseason with a statement win.
It won’t all be easy, but the Wild Card will be.
The rust factor for Jalen Hurts' return might be more concerning if the Eagles weren't the most run-heavy team in the NFL. Hurts' versatility undeniably plays an element in that potent rushing attack, but it begins with the Eagles' maulers on the offensive line and would-be Offensive Player of the Year winner Saquon Barkley on the heels of a 2,000-yard season.
When these teams met in Week 1, it was on a neutral field, the Birds lost the turnover battle, Hurts played poorly and Vic Fangio's defense had yet to reach its final dominant form. All those things are now flipping in the Eagles' advantage.
MORE: Eagles-Packers Wild Card Round injury report, with analysis
They're gonna smoke the Packers, dude.
Everyone is healthy, and for a team that won 12 of its last 13 behind dominant rushing, a pass game that showed it can execute when it needs to, and a defense that has rarely given opponents much since the Week 5.
The Packers are a good team, but I don't think they're contending good just yet. The Eagles are, and it's going to show on Sunday.
MORE: The history of Eagles-Packers playoff games
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