Winners, Losers from Philadelphia Eagles’ Wild Card Win over Green Bay Packers

There was no bigger mismatch in this game than the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive line versus the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line. Green Bay’s four-man rush couldn’t get any penetration, giving Jalen Hurts all day to throw and that time in a clean pocket made it even easier for Eagles’ receivers to get open. Philadelphia also dominated the trenches in the run game. Winning in the playoffs starts in the trenches and that’s a big reason why Philadelphia won.

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The Jordan Love contract extension is already a costly mistake just one season after it was signed. Love has certainly had some bright moments this year, but his penchant for off-target throws and turnover-worthy plays are increasingly hurting the Packers’ offense. He simply doesn’t look like the caliber of quarterback who can consistently elevate a team and if he needs a great offensive line, play-caller and strong receiving corps to be at his best then he’s not worth $55 million per year.

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Moving forward, the Philadelphia Eagles need to make Saquon Barkley the focal point of this offense with Jalen Hurts serving as a complementary piece. Barkley is the engine of this team, perfectly fitting with an elite offensive line to make big plays and consistently move the chains. Barkley and this Eagles defense are the team’s only chance at making a deep playoff run. If Kellen Moore and Nick Sirianni put it in Hurts’ hands with a trip to the Super Bowl at stake, the Eagles’ season will end.

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The Packers suffered a major blow early with left guard Elgton Jenkins leaving the game with an injury. In his place, Matt LaFleur sent out Travis Glover who played just 13 offensive snaps in the regular season. Glover was benched before halftime after getting bulldozed by the Eagles’ defensive tackles and being flagged for 3 penalties.

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Josh Jacobs did everything humanly possible to carry the Packers to a win in Philadelphia. With his left guard missing, Green Bay’s top three receivers injured and Jordan Love ineffective, it was all on Jacobs’ shoulders. There was just far too much to overcome, but Jacobs put this Packers’ offense on his back with anchors all around d him and he made things interesting.

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Another playoff game where the Green Bay Packers came out flat with only a few players showing any true fight. When it happens this often, it’s a reflection on the head coach. To make matters worse, LaFleur’s play-calling often hung the defense out to dry. Green Bay still has a quality coach, but LaFleur’s play-calling, decision-making (red zone and challenges) and his team’s penchant for looking lifeless against top competition are alarming problems. After six seasons, this is just who LaFleur is.

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This isn’t about calls being made that influenced the outcome of the game. Instead, it’s to highlight the inexcusable officiating during a critical time of the year. Somehow, despite a clear overhead camera angle of Keisean Nixon recovering his fumble on the kickoff return, the football was given to the Philadelphia Eagles after a replay review. Keep in mind, this even puts aside the fact that Nixon fumbled the football because of a helmet-to-helmet hit. In the second quarter, the Packers were flagged for illegal touching on a return despite the fact an Eagles player touched it first. One of these mistakes is bad, two in the same half is inexcusable. Unsurprisingly, the NFL is great at ignoring its big problems.

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