Good afternoon, everyone. On Sunday night, the Green Bay Packers will take on the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. There’s still a slim chance for the Packers to make it to the playoffs, though it will be tough to pull it off. They just have to win the rest of the games and hope that other NFC teams ahead of him mess up along the way. The goals for now is to go 1-0 every week. The Eagles are not an invincible team, losing to Washington and almost losing to the Colts after starting 8-0. I have a strange feeling that the Packers can pull off an upset. Here are my thoughts on what the Packers need to do to make it possible.
On offense, the focus needs to be on Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. With Aaron Rodgers confirming that the thumb on his throwing hand is broken, the game plan on offense should focus on getting Jones and Dillon as many touches as possible (both in the running and passing game). I know that the Eagles defense added Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh to their front. Even with those additions, the offensive linemen should be able to create the holes for Jones and Dillon to run through. What I don’t want to see is runs out of shotgun, which haven’t gone well. The quarterback needs to be under center so the running back can get a running start to the rushing attempt. If the Packers are able to run the ball well, then the Eagles defense can get fooled by any play-action fakes that the Packers pull off. If there are opportunities for shot plays to Christian Watson, or any other receiver that can catch those passes, both the quarterback and the receiver need to be on the same page (this can be said for any pass play). The throws need to be accurate and they need to be caught by the receivers (other than weird throwaways). This can’t be done if either of these things happen: the offensive line fails to protect Rodgers, or Rodgers holds on the ball for way too long and takes a sack. The Packers need to do these three things to win the time of possession battle: have a consistent running game, convert third downs, and avoid turnovers and penalties. These things, along with completing each drive in the end zone, can help the Packers defense by giving them some rest (in other words, “Complimentary Football”).
Speaking of the defense, they have a tough task in front of them. Jalen Hurts is a quarterback that could hit the deep shot to AJ Brown (if he is healthy) and could scramble for chunks of yardage if given some room. For a Packers defense that is plagued with injuries (Rashan Gary is not suiting up again this year and De’Vondre Campbell is once again out), Hurts will be a tough quarterback to play against. The defensive front needs to keep Hurts in the pocket and get to him before he throws to a wide open receiver. The defensive backs need to be able to cover the receivers and not be forced to play 15 yards off on a short third down play. Jaire Alexander, in particular, needs to be on the Eagles’ top receiver (whether it’s AJ Brown or someone else if Brown is out). In the running game, the defenders need to get to the ball carrier and make a great tackle without diving at the player‘s ankles or throwing a shoulder at them. Stuff like that can help the ball carrier evade the defender and get more yards on a play designed for only a few yards. The Eagles offense isn’t immune to turnovers. Any opportunity for a fumble recovery or an interception needs to be capitalized by anyone on the Packers defense. A pick six, for example, can completely change the momentum of the game in Green Bay’s favor. Most importantly, the Packers defense needs to keep the Eagles from sustaining a lot of long drives. Stopping them on third downs, forcing turnovers, and stuffing the run can help the Packers accomplish this goal. I’m surprised that Joe Barry still has a job after what happened last week against the Titans. If the Packers defense gets blown out the water on Sunday night, then it’s time for him to go, no matter how much Matt LaFleur defends him in the press conferences.
On Special Teams, the Packers need to limit the amount of mistakes to a minimum. The line protecting the field goals and punts, which includes long snapper Jack Coco, needs to keep those kicks from getting blocked. Coco needs to accurately snap the ball to Pat O’Donnell. O’Donnell needs to do his job with punting the ball deep in Eagles territory and securing the hold for Mason Crosby. As long as he is given protection, Crosby should make every field goal and extra point. What I hope is for Crosby to be given a break from kickoffs. Ramiz Ahmed should do the kickoffs from now on for the rest of the season. As for the return game, Keisean Nixon needs to do well on the return opportunities that are not touchbacks or fair catches. As long as he follows the blocks and evades defenders, Nixon should get a good return (hopefully with no weird penalty nullifying it). On the other side, the coverage unit needs to keep the big returns from happening in Philadelphia’s favor. I’m hoping for most of the punts by Pat O’Donnell to be deep and out of bounds and the kickoffs by either Crosby or Ahmed to be touchbacks. At least Rich Bisaccia’s job should be safe after this year. He has done much better than the previous two Special Teams coordinators, even though there are still some screwups.
I’m nervous for this game, especially with it being on NBC for the whole nation to see. Win, lose, or tie, I hope the Packers play with tons of heart and pride against a team that will probably be a Super Bowl favorite. I also hope and pray that no injuries occur for either team during the game. I’ll be here on Monday or Tuesday for the recap of this game. In the meantime, have a great weekend, everyone. Go Pack Go!
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