Packers-Eagles Wild-Card Matchups: Who Has Advantage?

Here is a breakdown of the matchups for Sunday’s NFC playoff game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) celebrates after a touchdown against Green Bay Packers in Brazil. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

As it turns out, we’re right back to where we started.

On Sept. 6, the Green Bay Packers took on the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil to open their 2024 season.

An entertaining, back-and-forth affair saw the Packers on the short end of a 34-29 final score. Saquon Barkley scored three touchdowns for the Eagles while Jordan Love threw two touchdowns for the Packers, including a 70-yard-bomb to Jayden Reed.

Naturally, both teams have evolved throughout the season.

Philadelphia’s defense was a question mark coming into the season but finished the year ranked No. 1 in total defense and No. 2 in points allowed.

Philadelphia’s offense was thought to be in transition with the retirement of center Jason Kelce. Instead, it’s been more of the same, with a powerful offensive line clearing the path for running back Saquon Barkley, who is an MVP candidate in an era in which running backs are seldom looked at as MVP candidates.

For the Packers, their season was in flux after quarterback Jordan Love sustained a knee injury during the final moments against the Eagles. While Love leads a diverse passing attack, Josh Jacobs, who like Barkley was signed in free agency, is the engine to the offense.

Here is how the rest of the matchups shake out for this wild-card showdown.

Rush Offense

In what is the miracle of all Christmas miracles, the Packers were not horrendous against opposing run games this season.

They weren’t even just average.

They weren’t even merely good.

Following Sunday’s performance against the Bears, the Packers finished seventh in the NFL with 99.4 rushing yards allowed per game and third with 3.96 yards allowed per carry.

That is jarring. During the first five seasons of coach Matt LaFleur’s tenure, the Packers were last in the NFL in yards allowed per attempt.

Green Bay’s defense is not widely considered one of the best in football. There will be questions to answer in the offseason, but those are mostly once the ball is put in the air.

The question now is are the Packers up for a Saquon Barkley-sized challenge?

Barkley, the former second overall pick by the New York Giants, left them behind this offseason to sign with their division rival.

Barkley’s career was reborn.

Talent was never a question with Barkley, but he was trapped in an organization that is in a sad state of affairs.

Putting Barkley behind the Eagles’ offensive line, which might be the best in the NFL, and pairing him with the dual-threat ability of quarterback Jalen Hurts was a match made in heaven.

Barkley led the NFL with 2,005 rushing yards. Had he played all 17 games, he likely would have broken Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record. He finished second among running backs with 5.8 yards per carry and ran for 13 touchdowns.  

With Hurts rushing for 630 yards and 14 touchdowns, the Eagles finished second with 179.3 rushing yards per game. Only Derrick Henry, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens averaged more.

Barkley scored three times the first time these teams met. Two of those came on the ground, but he was held largely in check based on the standard he set for the rest of the season. While he topped the century mark with 109 yards, he needed 24 carries. He earned every yard the hard way.

The other portion of the Eagles’ dynamic run game is Hurts, and the Packers held him in check, too.

He carried the ball 13 times for 33 yards. They even stopped him on the famous “Brotherly Shove” quarterback sneak the Eagles have run better than anyone since Hurts became a full-time starter.

Any other year in LaFleur’s tenure, this phase of the game would be a sizable mismatch.

This year, it still tilts in Philadelphia’s favor because of Barkley’s star power, but don’t expect any visits from the ghost of Raheem Mostert, either.

Advantage: Eagles

Pass Offense

While the Eagles’ run game is not the mismatch it would be in the recent past, this phase of the game could spell trouble.

One thing is certain, Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s strategy will have to be completely different this time.

Jaire Alexander drew the primary assignment of A.J. Brown that night, but he is out for the season following knee surgery.

Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine have played well in his absence, but Alexander is a premier player when he has been healthy.

Green Bay Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine (24) forces a fumble by Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (2) on Sunday. / Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The biggest question mark going into this game is the health of Philadelphia’s quarterback.

Jalen Hurts has not played since Dec. 22, when he exited a 36-33 loss against the Washington Commanders with a concussion.

Hurts missed the final two games of the regular season. He reportedly participated in a walkthrough on Saturday but had not cleared the concussion protocol as of Monday.

Sure, the expectation is that he’s going to play, but the concussion protocol is different from other injuries. There are exact benchmarks Hurts needs to hit.

Assuming he does play, he still will not have thrown a pass in nearly a month.

Once he does throw one, the Eagles are as talented at the skill positions as any team in the league.

Barkley is a weapon out of the backfield in addition to his ability as a running back.

Brown and Devonta Smith combine for one of the best duos at receiver in all of football. Tight end Dallas Goedart recently was activated from injured reserve, so he’ll be active on Sunday, giving Hurts another weapon in the middle of the field.

Green Bay’s pass rush comes and goes as the wind blows.

Against the Bears, Rashan Gary had a sack on the first play of the game, but the pass rush essentially disappeared after the first quarter. That was the only sack of a quarterback who had been sacked 67 times.

Hafley and his staff preached discipline as a way to keep Hurts in the pocket and not let him do damage with his legs. That came at the expense of applying pressure.

The Packers sacked Hurts twice, but one came when right tackle Lane Johnson hardly got out of his stance.

Hurts is a tough player to get after because of his mobility and size, as well as the group that is in front of him.

If he has time, he has weapons on the outside to give Green Bay problems.

The key will be forcing Hurts into a couple of mistakes. The Eagles are too talented to stop on offense without a couple of takeaways.

If Hurts plays, the Eagles have an advantage. If not, the pendulum will swing mightily in Green Bay’s favor. 

Advantage: Eagles

Rush Defense

In what turns out to be a bit of a role reversal, the Packers’ offense was better in the run game than the pass this year.

Josh Jacobs totaled more than 1,300 rushing yards, which was a number not seen in Green Bay since Ahman Green ran for 1,883 yards in 2003 – a season that ended during the infamous “Fourth-and-26 Game” in Philadelphia.

Jacobs has been able to get rolling against almost all challengers this year, but they’ll be facing a stiff test from the Eagles.

While the Packers finished fourth in the NFL in rushing, the Eagles finished 10th with 104.2 rushing yards allowed per game and ninth with 4.26 yards allowed per carry.

There’s no question coach Matt LaFleur is going to want to give the ball to Jacobs to settle down his team and his quarterback.

Jacobs carried 16 times for 84 yards in the first meeting, a lofty 5.3-yard average, and is looking to make his mark in the postseason.

There could be some ugly runs in this game, as the Eagles are able to make plays in the backfield with 81 tackles for losses this season.

The Packers cannot allow that to take them out of their game.

In addition, perhaps LaFleur could use the run game as a tie to his passing game. Following Christian Watson’s torn ACL, the usage of play-action passing will need to rise.

That’s where Jacobs’ effectiveness could help in both phases of the offense.

The edge, albeit a slight one, goes to Green Bay due to Jacobs’ brilliance.  

Advantage: Packers

Pass Defense

From one season to the next, the Packers could not look any more different in the passing game.

Going into last year’s postseason against the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay’s offense was rolling.

Jordan Love was taking the league by storm en route to earning a massive payday in the offseason.

His receivers were making contributions, and they were healthy.

None of those things are happening now.

Green Bay’s passing offense was described as “stagnant” by Love after Sunday’s loss to Chicago.

“I think it’s a lot of stuff to clean up,” he said.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed (11) runs against Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun (53) in Week 1. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It’s going to be tough to clean things up with the storm that is facing them on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

Philadelphia’s defense is one of the best in the NFL, led by old nemesis Vic Fangio.

Cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are having outstanding rookie seasons, with Mitchell emerging as the team’s top cornerback.

Darius Slay is a capable veteran on the other side of Mitchell. DeJean has thrived in the slot.

When you try and throw the ball over their head, their safety tandem of Reed Blankenship and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson combined for 10 interceptions.

They had 41 sacks, led by edge rusher Josh Sweat with eight and Nolan Smith with 6.5. Their most impactful player on the defensive line, Jalen Carter, only had 4.5 sacks, but he is a menace that must be dealt with by Green Bay’s interior offensive line.

Throw it all together, and the Eagles were the best pass defense in the NFL.

With Christian Watson down for the season and the rest of the offense struggling, the tendency might be to lean on Josh Jacobs. Jacobs is excellent, but this is a passing league. Love and Green Bay’s passing offense is going to have to find some answers to make plays down the field.

Advantage: Eagles

Special Teams

Special teams were a disaster for the Packers on Sunday.

A holding penalty from Chris Brooks wiped out good field position on the opening kickoff. When the opening drive stalled, punter Daniel Whelan was charged with a fumble on a high snap from Matt Orzech.

Oh, and the Bears unearthed a trick punt return from 2011 to score a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.

The good news for Green Bay is the Eagles’ special teams have had an odd year, as well.

Kenneth Gainwell and rookie Will Shipley are the primary kickoff returners, but neither has been particularly dynamic.

Cooper DeJean is averaging 10.0 yards per punt return but is a rookie, which could lead him to being prone to mistakes in a game of this magnitude.

The biggest change from the first matchup is the kicking situation.

Brayden Narveson was the Packers’ kicker in Week 1 but was jettisoned before Halloween in favor of Brandon McManus.

McManus has been a season-saver for the Packers. He would have added a third game-winning field goal to his resume on Sunday if not for poor defense and clock management at the end of the game.

McManus’ presence gives the Packers an edge at kicker over the normally reliable Jake Elliott.

Elliott has typically been solid for the Eagles but struggled this year, making only 77.9 percent of his field-goal attempts.

Advantage: Packers

Latest Green Bay Packers News 

Here's a bunch of quick-hitting notes for the #Packers and Eagles with common opponents (not many), playoff opponents (big difference), odds, weather, the referee and more. ⬇️https://t.co/RJL0QZ0CKd

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) January 7, 2025

Common opponents, playoff opponents and more | Consensus NFL Power Rankings | Three Overreactions from Packers-Bears | Huge update for Christian Watson | Snaps, stud, dud, defining play | Packers make unwelcome playoff history | Packers-Bears report card | What happened and what’s ahead | What happened to passing game? | Packers, Eagles are much different teams | Matt LaFleur’s costly timeout | The latest on Jordan Love, Christian Watson | Packers-Bears stock report | Breaking down the 2025 schedule