Packers Lost to Eagles: Three Reasons to Believe

The Packers were “destroyed’ at times by the Eagles on Friday night, but there are some reasons for optimism coming off a 34-29 loss to start the season.

Right tackle Zach Tom leads Packers running back Josh Jacobs into the open field against the Eagles. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The sky is not falling for the Green Bay Packers after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday.

While it might seem that way, history says otherwise.

In 2010, the Packers started 3-3 but won the Super Bowl. In 2014, they lost by 20 in Week 1 but were one botched onside kick from the Super Bowl. In 2021, they lost by 35 in Week 1 but finished with the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

Last year, the Kansas City Chiefs lost their opening game but won the Super Bowl.

In 2022, the San Francisco 49ers lost to Chicago in Week 1 – the Bears finished 3-14 – but went 13-4 and were perhaps one Brock Purdy elbow injury from reaching the Super Bowl.

In 2020, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost in Week 1 but won the Super Bowl.

Bottom line: It’s not how you start. It’s how you rebound.

Here are three reasons for optimism following a 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

1. Second-Half Running Game

In the first half, Josh Jacobs carried the ball six times. He gained 4 yards. That’s 2 feet per carry. On his first carry of the second half, he fumbled.

By the end of the night, Jacobs carried 16 times for 84 yards. Throw in the exploits of Emanuel Wilson, who carried four times for 46 yards, and Green Bay’s running backs gained 130 yards on 20 carries.

Yes, that number was skewed by some big runs. That’s especially true for Jacobs, who had runs of 32 and 22 yards but was limited to 30 yards on his other 14 attempts.

However, if Green Bay’s offensive line can clear a path for Jacobs to get some explosive runs against a high-quality defensive front like the Eagles’, then the potential is there to consistently get him 4, 5 or 6 yards. It’s those types of runs that are going to be critical without Jordan Love the next few weeks.

Also of note: Pro Football Focus credited Jacobs for creating four missed tackles and gaining 3.44 yards after contact per carry. Last year, Jacobs averaged 2.15 missed tackles per game and had only one game in which he averaged more than 2.65 yards after contact.

2. Run Defense

Green Bay’s chronically terrible run defense wasn’t perfect, to be sure. On Saquon Barkley’s 11-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, for instance, alignment issues meant easy double-team blocks, which forced linebacker Quay Walker to essentially have to cover three gaps.

But if you look at the final numbers, there’s a lot to like. Philadelphia managed 3.8 yards per carry. Jalen Hurts, one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL, was limited to 2.5 on 13 runs with a long of 8.

Green Bay will get the alignment issues fixed. Tackling typically improves in time. After an impressive debut, maybe rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper will earn a bigger role. 

Run defense will be critical going forward. If Love misses the next three games, here are the opposing running backs:

Week 2: The Colts are powered by running back Jonathan Taylor and the athleticism of quarterback Anthony Richardson.

Week 3: The Titans can’t rely on quarterback Will Levis to win a game but, led by Tony Pollard (16 carries, 82 yards, 5.1 average), they are fourth with 5.38 yards per carry.

Week 4: In his Vikings debut, Aaron Jones rushed 14 times for 94 yards (6.71 per carry).

3. All Those Flaws But …

The 34-29 verdict was terribly disappointing. The Packers:

- Wasted two early takeaways. Starting in the red zone on both, they managed two field goals. The game was lost in the first 12 minutes.

- Went 3-of-11 on third down.

- Ran 16 fewer plays.

- Were guilty of 10 penalties.

- One of those penalties, too many men on the field, eliminated a Jayden Reed touchdown on the opening drive.

- Missed a field goal.

- Had too many key players who were nonfactors on both sides of the ball.

- Couldn’t get off the field on the final drive.

And yet, the Packers lost by five points.

The opportunity for victory was obvious. Score a touchdown on one of three failed red-zone possessions. Make a short field goal. Punch it in for two points from the 1 after the Eagles were offside on the extra point following the second touchdown. Get off the field on third-and-7 or second-and-13 on the final drive.

McKinney, not just a starter but a key leader, took a measured approach after the game.

“Obviously, it’s just one game, Week 1, so the world’s not over,” McKinney said. “Obviously, we’ve got a lot of time to fix it, but what was said in the locker room is just having a sense of urgency, knowing that we’ve got to go into next week with that sense of urgency and ready to fix the things that we did wrong.

“We’re going to be critical of ourselves watching this film on the way back, and we’re going to be better – a lot better – next week. I think we know we didn’t hold up to the standard that we wanted to be defensively, but we’ll get that fixed and I don’t think we’ll have an issue moving forward.”

More Green Bay Packers News

In the aftermath of the #Packers' disappointing loss to the Eagles on Friday, here are:

Three reasons to worry: https://t.co/jTvK52OlHp

Three reasons for optimism: https://t.co/v8cqEZ1JFO

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 9, 2024

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