Packers-Eagles Wild-Card Game: Time, TV, Odds, Prediction, Big Matchup
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers won a wild-card game at Philadelphia in 2010 on their way to winning the Super Bowl. On Sunday, the Packers will play a wild-card game against the Eagles.
Who’s going to win? Here’s everything you need to know before kickoff, plus our game prediction.
What Channel for Packers-Eagles?: TV and Radio
TV: The game will be broadcast nationally by Fox, with play-by-play man Kevin Burkhardt joined by analyst Tom Brady in the booth. Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi will report from the sideline.
In Brady’s five-team power rankings, the Packers are not ranked and the Eagles are fourth.
“Saquon Barkley was unstoppable all year long,” Brady said. “I can’t wait to see first-hand how the Packers plan to slow him down.”
Radio: Here’s the list of Packers Radio Network stations, featuring Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren on the call. You can also find their call on Sirius Channels 82 and 226 as well as the Packers app.
Westwood One will have the national broadcast, featuring Tom McCarthy (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (analyst) and Amber Theoharis (sideline).
What Time for Packers-Eagles?: Game Vitals
Date and time: Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
Where: Lincoln Financial Field.
Records: The Packers finished 11-6 and slid into the No. 7 seed with their two-game losing streak. The Eagles are 14-3 and the No. 2 seed.
Coaches: Green Bay – Matt LaFleur (67-33, sixth season). Eagles – Nick Sirianni (48-20, fourth season). LaFleur is 13th all-time in winning percentage but 3-4 in the playoffs. Sirianni is fifth all-time in winning percentage and 2-3 in the playoffs; the two wins came in 2022, when he led the Eagles to the Super Bowl.
Weather: According to Weather.com, it will be sunny and 38 at kickoff and about freezing at kickoff. Precipitation and wind will not be factors.
Tickets: If you live in the Philadelphia area, tickets start at $267 at SI Tickets, where there never are fees.
Power Rankings: In Packers On SI’s Consensus NFL Power Rankings, the Packers are eighth and the Eagles are fourth.
Who’s Favored for Packers-Eagles?: Latest Odds
The Eagles are 5.5-point favorites at BetMGM as of Sunday morning, with the spread moving by a point over the last 24 hours. The public loves the Eagles, with 84 percent of the money.
In the big battle, Saquon Barkley’s rushing over/under is 104.5 yards while Josh Jacobs’ total is 68.5.
The line was also 5.5 at DraftKings but only 4.5 at FanDuel, where about three-fourths of the money is on Green Bay.
For passing, the over/unders are 217.5 yards for Jordan Love and 212.5 for Hurts at DraftKings.
Big Matchup: Jordan Love vs. Eagles on Third Down
There are a lot of big matchups in this game, and they start with the Packers ability to run the ball with Jacobs and stop the Barkley-led Eagles run game.
This is the playoffs, though. Chances are, the Packers aren’t going to be so dominant on the ground that Love can earn the win in a game-manager role. Love is going to have to make plays to win the game, just like he did last year at Dallas.
During the final three games of last season – all must-wins for the Packers – Love fashioned a 123.5 passer rating with a 73.1 percent completion rate and seven touchdowns and zero interceptions. During the final three games of this season – with a chance to help move the team up the standings – Love had a completion rate of 60.0 percent and a passer rating of 87.6.
After a 17-game season filled with bumps, bruises and inconsistent play, is it really possible for Love to become the quarterback everyone expected this year? Against a pass defense that finished first in yards allowed per game and third in opponent passer rating?
That seems far-fetched, but Love at Dallas last year posted the highest passer rating in NFL history in a road playoff game. So, he’s obviously capable.
The key will be on third down. Philadelphia finished third in third-down defense this season (35.6 percent conversions) while the Packers on offense were 15th (39.5 percent).
In passing situations, out of 30 quarterbacks with at least 75 third-down passes, Love was second-to-last in third-down conversions (32.7 percent). The Eagles’ defense was dominant, finishing second (30.7 percent allowed).
The Packers have no chance if those trends continue.
Who will win?: Packers-Eagles Prediction
The odds are stacked against the Packers.
The Eagles are playing better, with a 12-1 record after a 2-2 start, compared to Green Bay’s stumbling finish against the Vikings and Bears.
Green Bay’s strength is Jacobs running behind a quality line. The Eagles are better in that phase, though, with Barkley running behind perhaps the best line in football.
Green Bay’s other strength has been turnovers. The Eagles have dominated in that phase, too, going plus-17 during their final 13 games.
Maybe Hurts will be rusty after essentially missing the last three games. Maybe Love will look like a $220 million quarterback. Maybe the pressure will be too much for the Eagles to withstand. Maybe Green Bay’s defense will force a couple turnovers, like in Week 1, and the offense will turn them into touchdowns, unlike in Week 1.
However, a leopard doesn’t change its stripes and a team that hasn’t reached peak performance through 17 games probably won’t hit that next gear in the playoffs.
The Eagles are too good, and I think they’ll eventually wear down the Packers.
Eagles 30, Packers 17.
Latest Green Bay Packers News
Scouts on Packers-Eagles | Three reasons why Packers will lose | Three reasons why Packers will win | Saturday’s Packers transactions | Packers-Eagles keys to the game | Packers-Eagles final injury report | Xavier McKinney named All-Pro | The biggest problem for the Packers | “Hair on fire” Evan Williams | ESPN’s bold Packers playoff prediction | NFL playoffs, from youngest to oldest | Packers-Eagles game preview | The not-so-secret weapon against Saquon Barkley | Underdogs next week, too | Five most important players for Packers-Eagles | Packers-Eagles: TV, trends, odds, history | Packers remain historically young | Packers-Eagles matchups: Who has the edge? | Common opponents, playoff opponents and more