PHILADELPHIA — The biggest game on the wild-card weekend slate has two of the NFL’s most popular teams in the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers, a showdown of two of the league’s most successful franchises this century. The Eagles and Packers have played in 31 playoff games since 2000, the second most in the NFL behind only the New England Patriots.
This will be the third time the Eagles and Packers will meet in the playoffs this century, all of which have come at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles won in the 2003 NFC divisional round while the Packers emerged victorious in the 2010 wild card round, en route to their last Super Bowl title.
This time, the Eagles and Packers renew their playoff rivalry as the same way the regular season opened — playing each other. Philadelphia and Green bay opened the season in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as the Eagles returned to America with a thrilling 34-31 victory. Both teams have significantly changed since then, making the matchup all the more exciting.
“We don’t know this team and they don’t know us,” said Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean earlier this week. “It’s not the first game. Every first game is fundamental things as far as tackling, catching the ball, block destruction.
“We’ve gotten better. They’ve gotten better. They got an O-line that played the whole year together, so they way more comfortable. It’s definitely different.”
As the Eagles and Packers get set to battle in the wild-card round, here’s how to watch the game and a short preview of the showdown:
Eagles vs. Packers where to watch
Date: Sunday, Jan. 12 | Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
Channel: Fox | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds: Eagles -4.5, O/U 45.5
Eagles transformational defense
The Eagles have possessed the NFL’s best defense since Week 5 (their bye week). Philadelphia has allowed the fewest yards per game (251.5), yards per play (4.3) and points per game (15.9) in the league since its bye week — making them the best defense in the league.
“I felt like we as a defense have come a long ways with everything as far as stopping the run, stopping the pass,” Dean said. “Our technique, blocking strengths, our tackling, our fundamentals. The little things like that. I thought we all have come far in every type of way.”
Against the pass, the Eagles allow the fewest pass yards per game (154.8), yards per attempt (5.6), and passer rating when targeted (79.0). The Eagles are fourth in the NFL in sacks (35) since the bye week, and their pressure rate on the quarterback is fifth in the NFL (37.6%). The run defense has been excellent, too, ranking fifth in yards per carry (4.0) and sixth in rush yards allowed per game (96.6).
The Eagles defense has been the catalyst toward their ascension as one of the best teams in the NFL.
One of the most intriguing aspects of this game is how little both quarterbacks have turned the ball over of late.
During the Eagles’ 12-1 stretch, Hurts has completed 69.0% of his passes with 14 touchdowns to just one interception and a 114.0 passer rating, third in the NFL. Hurts averaged 8.6 yards per attempt, which was also third in the league. He also had 12 rushing touchdowns and one fumble lost, giving Hurts 26 touchdowns to just two giveaways in those 11 games. The Eagles have a +17 turnover margin in their last 13 games (tied for first in the NFL).
Love has been excellent in protecting the football as well, not committing a turnover since Week 11. During that stretch, Love has completed 64.3% of his passes with nine touchdowns to zero interceptions for a 106.0 passer rating (seventh in NFL). Love has been averaging 7.8 yards per attempt over the stretch, good for sixth in the league.
Both the Eagles and Packers have dialed back Hurts and Love a bit, but they aren’t beating themselves nor putting their teams in harm’s way. The Packers also have a +7 turnover ration since Week 12, good for fifth in the NFL.
This game will come down to the hands of the defense if Hurts and Love continue their turnover-free ways.
Prediction
This is one of the hardest games to predict during wild-card weekend. The Eagles have been one of the best teams in the NFL with an efficient quarterback, the best run game in the league, and the top defense over the past three months. The Packers have won a wild-card game as a No. 7 seed and have a top-10 offense and defense.
The winner of this game may be the one that starts the fastest, or which play caller gets their quarterback going the quickest. This will be imperative for both teams as Hurts is coming back from missing two games with a concussion while the Packers need to prove they can beat teams that have 11+ wins (0-5 against them this season).
If the Eagles get an early lead, the Packers will be in trouble. This will be up to the Packers to get Love and the offense scoring early against an aggressive Eagles defense.
Eagles 27, Packers 20
Bonus: R.J. White, who is on a 76-32-2 roll on Green Bay Packers games, has released his best bets for the Wild Card matchup between the Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles. White is leaning the Under, but who does he like to win? Find out right here at SportsLine.
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Author: Jeff Kerr
January 11, 2025 | 11:56 am
