PHILADELPHIA — The Green Bay Packers don’t like the Eagles. At all.
Last year, the Birds handed the Packers a season-opening loss in Brazil and then ended their season in the Wild Card round of the playoffs at Lincoln Financial Field.
In the offseason, the Packers and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell led a failed effort to outlaw the tush push, which the Eagles have made into one of their signature plays. The Birds visit Lambeau Field for “Monday Night Football” in the teams’ first meeting since the campaign to outlaw Philly’s version of a QB sneak.
“I try not to get wrapped up into things that are out of my control, and so I don’t have an opinion either way,” coach Nick Sirianni said Saturday. “This is the rule, this is what we’ll play by with the rule, and we’ll go from there.”
The Eagles, coming of a bye, will be bringing some newcomers into the Week 10 matchup after acquiring cornerbacks Michael Carter II and Jaire Alexander and edge rusher Jaelan Phillips before the trade deadline.
“It was a good week,” Sirianni said. “Fun to get some new guys out there and watch them go, and it was a really good week for the entire team.”
The Packers are in first place in a competitive NFC North, ahead of Detroit, Chicago and Minnesota. Sirianni is 3-0 as head coach against the Packers and 9-0 against that division. He said he won’t get any goosebumps being in historic Lambeau Field.
“I don’t get wrapped up in that,” Sirianni said. “We play at a lot of great places. This place (Lambeau), no exception. Obviously, this place has the history that it has, and I have a lot of respect for that, but our job is to focus, to lock in. I mean, the Linc’s an awesome place to play nine or eight times a year. If you get yourself wrapped up too much into that, I think it takes away from the things that you need to focus on.
“I have a lot of respect though for the history there and what’s happened there and the great teams and players that have played there, just being around for so long. But no, our job is to go in there and to focus on the things that we can focus on and control.”
Injury report
Eagles: C Cam Jurgens (knee) has been ruled out. He was injured in Week 7 against Minnesota.
Questionable are CB Jakorian Bennett (pectoral), G/C Willie Lampkin (knee/ankle) and OLB Nolan Smith (triceps).
Jurgens was the only non-participant in Saturday’s practice. Full participants were RB Saquon Barkley (groin), CB Jakorian Bennett (pectoral), WR A.J. Brown (hamstring), TE Kylen Granson (abdomen), CB Adoree’ Jackson (personal matter/concussion), G/C Willie Lampkin (knee/ankle), DT Moro Ojomo (concussion) and OLB Nolan Smith (triceps).
Packers: CB Nate Hobbs (knee) and DE Lukas Van Ness (foot) are out.
Questionable are WR Matthew Golden (shoulder), WR Dontayvion Wicks (calf), WR Savion Williams (foot) and RT Zach Tom (back).
Golden didn’t practice Saturday.
Limited participants were EDGE Micah Parsons (pectoral/illness), WR Malik Heath (hip), CB Kamal Hadden (hamstring), WR Christian Watson (knee), WR Wicks, WR Williams and WR Tom.
Full participants were G Aaron Banks (neck), LB Edgerrin Cooper (foot), DL Colby Wooden (shoulder), QB Malik Willis (calf) and RB Josh Jacobs (non-injury).
Kicker Brandon McManus, a North Penn and Temple alum, will be active Monday. The 13-year veteran was 20 of 21 last season but is just 11 of 16 this year while nursing a lingering quad injury.
Key Packers players and trends
The Packers won three in a row against Cincinnati, Arizona and Pittsburgh before losing to Carolina 16-13 last week. They opened the season with wins against Detroit and Washington but lost to Cleveland and tied the Cowboys.
Edge rusher Micah Parsons has made an impact since his trade from Dallas. The Green Bay defense is fifth in points allowed per game (286.4) and have permitted just 89.4 rushing yards per game.
Quarterback Jordan Love has been very good yet not transcendent. Through eight games, he has a 70.8 completion percentage for 2.071 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions for a passer rating of 107.9.
“A lot of respect for Jordan,” Sirianni said. “I think he’s a really good quarterback who’s made a lot of plays, won a lot of games. … A lot of respect for how he runs the offense and how he can read through things. Accurate as a passer, able to make plays with his feet, tough. So I’ve got a lot of respect for him, and I continue to see him get better as we continue to play them.”
Green Bay’s wide receiving corps is banged-up, but Romeo Doubs has been effective. The Packers’ offense is 11th in points per game (25.8), just behind the Eagles (26).
Pregame position grades
Here’s how the teams match up heading into Sunday, based on health and how they’ve been playing recently. Performances will be evaluated postgame.
QB: Eagles A, Packers B+
RB: Eagles A, Packers B
TE: Eagles A-, Packers C
WR: Eagles A, Packers B-
OL: Eagles A-, Packers B
DL: Eagles B+, Packers A
LB: Eagles A-, Packers B-
CB: Packers B+, Eagles B
S: Packers B+, Eagles B
ST: Eagles A-, Packers B
Head-to-head
Records: Eagles (6-2) in first place in NFC East; Packers (5-2-1) in first place in NFC North.
Series record: Packers 28-20. Regular season: Packers 27-17. Postseason: Eagles 3-1.
Streak: Eagles have won the last three meetings.
Last meeting: Jan. 12, 2025, NFC Wild Card Playoffs. Eagles won 22-10.
History: The teams first played Oct. 29, 1933 — the Eagles’ inaugural season — at Green Bay’s City Stadium (also the home of East High School, which still uses the stadium). The Packers, under head coach and founder Curly Lambeau (also the former coach at East), won 35-9.
The teams’ first game in Philadelphia was Dec. 3 of that year at the Baker Bowl. Green Bay won 10-0.
The Eagles beat Vince Lombardi’s Packers 17-13 for the NFL Championship on Dec. 26, 1960, at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.
When the Norman Braman-owned Eagles chose not to re-sign Hall of Fame defensive end Reggie White following the 1992 season, he signed with the Green Bay Packers, ushering in modern free agency. He went on to help them win Super Bowl XXXI in the 1996 season. Andy Reid was an assistant coach under Mike Holmgren during that era and later became the Eagles’ head coach for 14 years.
In the NFC Divisional Playoffs on Jan. 11, 2004, at Lincoln Financial Field, quarterback Donovan McNabb connected with Freddie Mitchell on fourth-and-26 to eventually beat Brett Favre and the Packers 20-17 in overtime. In the NFC Wild Card round at the Linc on Jan. 9, 2011, Aaron Rodgers topped Michael Vick 21-16 to win his first playoff game, launching Green Bay to the Super Bowl XLV title.
The teams opened last season in São Paulo, Brazil, on Sept. 6. The Birds won 34-29 and bookended the Packers’ season by knocking them out of the playoffs.
Green Bay’s effort to ban the tush push last spring fell two votes shy of the 75 percent needed among league owners.
On the air
Eagles (6-2) at Packers (5-2-1), Monday, 8:20 p.m., Lambeau Field.
TV: ESPN: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters and Laura Rutlidge.
Radio/streaming: 94.1-FM WIP: Merrill Reese, Mike Quick and Devan Kaney. Tico: Rickie Ricardo, Oscar Budejen and David Gerhardt. Westwood One: Kevin Harlan and Ross Tucker.
Betting odds
Spread: Packers by 1.5.
Over/under: 46.5.
Money line: Eagles -102, Packers -120.
—
Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc.
Source: Berkshire mont
Be First to Comment