November 26, 2022
The Eagles are 9-1 but have their list of concerns going into the home stretch of the regular season.
Still, it's relatively small stuff compared to what's happening in Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers hasn't been playing great (turns out he's been hurt too) and the Packers' roster has been stretched woefully thin. They're 4-7 and still technically have a shot at the playoffs, but they're only falling further and further back in the NFC North standings at the rate they're going.
PhillyVoice's writers are expecting the Birds to send them back even further. Wrote sports editor Evan Macy:
I can't really explain why I feel like the Eagles are going to dominate on Sunday night — it's just a gut feeling. The Packers have been horrible underachievers, and Aaron Rodgers has been playing with a hand injury. I am a little worried about the Aaron Jones-AJ Dillon duo giving the Packers a time of possession advantage and following the Commanders' playbook to beat the Birds, but I think the idea of being embarrassed by an underdog on back-to-back primetime games is enough to coax the best out of the Eagles offense. I think they explode for 30+ points. [PhillyVoice]
We aren't alone either. Another week, another game that favors the Eagles.
• Inquirer.com: Two of the three Inquirer beats have the Eagles winning. Josh Tolentino writes that while the offense hasn't been all that sharp of late, especially with Dallas Goedert out, it still has enough firepower to take care of floundering Packers squad.
The Packers might be coming off extended rest, but this isn’t the same team that has dominated the NFC North for most of the last two decades. While there’s a lingering impact from Goedert’s injury, the Eagles offense possesses enough firepower to overcome a struggling Packers team, even with a hobbled back-to-back MVP under center.
Prediction: Eagles 27, Packers 17. [The Inquirer, $]
• The Athletic: The Eagles, who are the seven-point favorite heading into Sunday night, haven't covered the spread in a while, but a revamped defensive line with Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph should fix that, writes Vic Tafur:
The Packers are done, and that win over the Cowboys was more about Dallas taking a nap up 14 points than anything else. Rodgers just doesn’t have time to throw and when he does, his receivers stink. And, he hasn’t been as accurate as he has in the past. Maybe a broken thumb has something to do with that.
Green Bay also can’t stop the run. The Packers have surrendered a league-worst 11 drives of 80-plus yards.
The Eagles, meanwhile, haven’t covered the spread three weeks in a row, with close wins over the Texans and Colts sandwiched around their only loss, to the Commanders. Jalen Hurts won’t be bothered by the Packers’ blitzes, as he has six touchdowns to one interception against extra rushers.
The Eagles have the defense — and the coordinator, according to Nick Sirianni — to frustrate Rodgers, and they have addressed their run-defense issues by adding Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh. The Eagles’ 67.9 percent success rate vs. the run in Week 11 was their second-best mark of the season. On the 18 snaps with either Joseph or Suh were on the field, the Eagles allowed just 2.83 yards per carry and 0.72 yards before contact per carry — less than half of the 1.65 yards before contact the first 10 weeks.
The pick: Eagles -6.5 [The Athletic, $]
• Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com: The Packers may have enough to keep the game close, but not win it. Rosenthal is going Eagles, 26-20.
Packers beat writers were questioning after Green Bay's Thursday night meltdown if the team would win another game this season. It isn't that dramatic. It's just been so long since the Packers were average that no one knows what it looks like. Aaron Rodgers is still playing well enough, and the defense has enough talent to win (or lose) any game. Green Bay lacks closing ability, but the ground game can keep the Pack close. [NFL.com]
• Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Same goes for Prisco.
The Packers' playoff chances are barely alive, but this is a real challenge to try and keep them alive. Aaron Rodgers did not play well last week, but I think he plays better here. The Eagles haven't looked great the past two games. The Packers keep it close.
Pick: Eagles 26, Packers 21 [CBS Sports]
• Sheil Kapadia, The Ringer: Another pick for the Eagles to win, but given their struggles from the past two weeks, seven points is a bit too large of a spread for them to cover, writes Kapadia:
The Eagles escaped Indianapolis with a win last week, but it was their worst offensive performance of the season in terms of EPA per drive. The Eagles don’t have a high-volume playbook, and the Colts stayed disciplined against some of their staple concepts. The Eagles definitely felt tight end Dallas Goedert’s absence in both the run game and the pass game.
After last week’s loss to the Titans, the Packers are +660 to make the playoffs. That equates to about a 13.2 percent chance.
I could definitely see a scenario here where the Eagles figure some things out offensively and bury the Packers. But given the struggles we saw last week, I’m not comfortable taking them to cover a number this big. Eagles win, but Packers keep it close.
The pick: Packers (+7) [The Ringer]
ProFootballTalk: The Eagles are still going strong. The Packers look nearly ready to go home.
MDS’s take: The Eagles haven’t been great the last couple weeks, but Aaron Rodgers and the Packers look like they’re ready to pack it in on the season.
MDS’s pick: Eagles 20, Packers 10.
Florio’s take: The Eagles won’t want to see Aaron Rodgers in the postseason. The best way to keep that from happening will be to knock him out of it, now.
Florio’s pick: Eagles 27, Packers 17. [PFT, NBC Sports]
• Bill Bender, The Sporting News: There's just too much going wrong for Green Bay to pull this one off, writes Bender:
Both teams have struggled getting off the field on third down in the last three games. The Packers (46.2%) have struggled more than the Eagles (42.2%) and a stop–and-start offense on the road is not the recipe for victory. Aaron Rodgers' woes continue in a third straight prime-time loss that knocks Green Bay out of the playoff picture.
Pick: Eagles 30, Packers 21 [The Sporting News]
Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News: And still enough going for the Eagles to cover the spread, writes Iyer:
The Packers have been a bad road team this season. The Eagles, except for that Commanders debacle in Week 10, have been a dominant team in Philadelphia. They got away with more sloppy slow-starting play in Indianapolis and will want to keep the up the late-game momentum with Jalen Hurts. His running and passing will confuse a depleted and undisciplined defense. Aaron Rodgers will get ripped by a tough front once the Eagles' newcomers help contain the run.
Pick: Eagles win 31-20 and cover the spread. [The Sporting News]
Follow Nick on Twitter: @itssnick
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
