It has come full circle for the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles as the two teams will face each other Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET on Fox in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs. Both teams kicked off the season in Brazil as the Birds came out on top, 34-29. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley immediately displayed his greatness in what turned out to be a 2,000-yard season, rushing for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Jalen Hurts threw two touchdowns but was also picked off twice. As for the Packers, Jordan Love had 260 passing yards, with two touchdowns and one interception, before suffering a sprained MCL near the end of the matchup that cost him two games.
The Packers are not your typical No. 7 seed as they are balanced on both sides of the ball. But they will be coming into enemy territory at Lincoln Financial Field, where nearly 70,000 Eagles fans will do everything in their power to get under Green Bay players’ skins. The Eagles are five-point favorites (according to ESPN Bet). Here are our six bold predictions for the Wild Card playoff game.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley will have 200 scrimmage yards
In their first matchup, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns, and also recorded 23 receiving yards against Green Bay’s defense. The Packers finished with the fifth-best defense in the league and gave up just 99 rushing yards per game. However, Barkley has three straight games with over 100 scrimmage yards against the Packers, and his dominance will continue Sunday. The best running back in the game will rack up 200 scrimmage yards — 175 on the ground and 25 through the air.
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Eagles QB Jalen Hurts will have three total touchdowns in return
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will be playing his first game since Week 16, when he suffered a concussion in the first quarter against the Washington Commanders. Hurts was finally able to practice since the head injury to shake off the rust. Expect Hurts to not miss a beat and feast off a Packers secondary missing Jaire Alexander. Hurts will have at least two passing touchdowns and will also score via the Brotherly Shove.
Eagles rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell will record first career interception
Quinyon Mitchell, the Eagles’ 2024 first-round draft pick out of Toledo, developed into one of the best young cornerbacks in the game. Mitchell had 12 pass deflections and only allowed 41 completions on 75 targets and just three touchdowns in 16 games. Surprisingly, Mitchell came close but never recorded an interception during the regular season, but that will change Sunday when he finally has his first NFL INT.
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Packers running back Josh Jacobs will be held under 100 yards rushing
Green Bay’s offense relies heavily on its run game with Josh Jacobs at the forefront. The now four-time Pro Bowler rushed for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns during the regular season. However, during the season-opening matchup against the Eagles, he was held to 84 yards on the ground. The Eagles had one of the best rushing defenses in the game, allowing 104 yards per game. They will hold Jacobs under the century mark once again.
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Packers QB Jordan Love won’t be sacked
Packers quarterback Jordan Love wasn’t sacked much during the season — 14 times in 15 games, to be exact. The Eagles only sacked him once during their season-opening win. However, Philadelphia’s defense only managed five sacks in the last six regular-season games (most defensive starters sat out the season finale). Expect the Packers’ offensive line to hold up and not allow a sack on Sunday.
Packers offense will be held under 20 points
In five out of their last seven games of the regular season, the Packers put up 30 or more points. However, they are now missing offensive weapon Christian Watson with a torn ACL. Even though I don’t expect the Eagles to sack Love, he will have trouble getting the passing game going against a secondary featuring rookies Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. On top of that, their ground game will suffer. Because of that, the Packers will be held under 20 points.
Prediction: Eagles 31, Packers 17