Packers VS Eagles Playoffs

[Schultz]

Odds are that even if you go beat Tampa Bay (had we gotten 6th seed), you play the Eagles/Lions the following Week. I guess choose your poison.

Realistically, the Packers could not determine their own fate by beating the Bears. The best they could hope for was a Win and the Commanders lose. That puts them in Tampa. Neither happened. What did happen is was they lost Watson, Love got banged up, maybe other guys got further banged up, no rest for starters and now you begin your playoff run after getting beaten by one of the worst teams in the NFL.

My theory on resting starters might have changed slightly had the Packers controlled their own destiny for a higher seed, win and they are #6. Even in that situation, I probably still do what the Rams did and rest my starters.

I’m questioning that in life you must have courage. If we were afraid to do our jobs due to minor setbacks we’d all wither away into mediocrity.
I say all the time that I don’t want our team to play timid. I HATE playing “not to lose”. I think short term you might have setbacks taking the assertive approach. Long term not so much. So while you might indeed be exactly right about resting all players. You will also likely lose that mentality in the long term as an opponent wills their way back and defeats us, because we “take the safe approach”. as we took our foot off the gas. It’s a mentality debate and you’re looking at 1 slice of a 8 piece pie. I don’t want 1 slice. I Want the whole pie. So I’ll just concede you could be right in short term philosophy.

Some of the best sports teams have come back from the most improbable setbacks. Btw. Christian Watson didn’t become frail vs Chicago. He’s been frail since he got here. Might as well find out if he can make it through a Quarter of football. I mean, if he cant maybe it’s Gods way of showing us another path. I’ve learned first hand he’s a God of road blocks and adversity. I love him even more for it. Adversity creates endurance. Endurance creates discipline. Discipline creates opportunity. Opportunity creates hope. Hope is the fruit of having faith.

That's all fine and good, but the real question is: What type of pie are we talking about?

 

[OldSchool101]

If you have any respect for Wayne Larrivee's opinion, he was adamant about the starters playing against the Bears. He thought that was the ONLY option.

Even I myself waffled. I ended up with a route of playing for 3 quarters to not go too heavy on snap counts. Such as playing 30 snaps if you normally play 50 etc. or taking 15 handoffs if you normally take 25.
My philosophy was trying to capture a little taste of all the desserts. Keep momentum. Mitigate injuries. Minimized the wear and tear on starters so they are not exhausted while still giving us a better opportunity to win.
If we were losing by 2 scores or winning by 2 scores at halftime I’d start pulling my Starters. Matt did it but after watching Love and Watson injure I think it spooked him. Naturally so. Thus he pulled Love and Jacobs permanently.

 

[OldSchool101]

That's all fine and good, but the real question is: What type of pie are we talking about?

This is a good question. Gilligan’s Island Pie made by 2 pretty girls. Coconut Crème

 

[JKramer64]

Sad for Watson but I think that he just lost his ability to get a big contract. I assume that GB will pick up his fifth year option

Watson was a 2nd round pick. Only 1st round picks can get the 5th year option.

 

[JKramer64]

In looking at stats from week 1 and watching the replay on NFL network, Cooper only got 11 snaps, but had 4 tackles and a pass deflection. I expect him to get close to 100% of the snaps this week. He may be the key to slowing down Barkley. He is a difference maker, the best since Matthews.

From watching the replay, the Packers played the Eagles toe to toe physically. The offensive line really played well. What did them in was the untimely penalties in the red zone and inability to score touchdowns after getting turnovers. In the 4th quarter, Nixon dropped a sure pick 6 which would have given them the lead. Love didnt play that well, showing the same inaccuracies and dangerous throws that he has shown most of the year. He was lucky to get picked only once.

Watson wasn't much of a factor (3 catches for 13) but did catch a short TD. Reed was a superstar. They will need him to step up again.

That was week 1 and Philadelphia has improved alot, the Packers not as much. Still, I think the Packers have a good shot in this game. Eliminate the penalties and take better advantage of Philly mistakes. It all comes down to how Love plays.

 

[milani]

In looking at stats from week 1 and watching the replay on NFL network, Cooper only got 11 snaps, but had 4 tackles and a pass deflection. I expect him to get close to 100% of the snaps this week. He may be the key to slowing down Barkley. He is a difference maker, the best since Matthews.

From watching the replay, the Packers played the Eagles toe to toe physically. The offensive line really played well. What did them in was the untimely penalties in the red zone and inability to score touchdowns after getting turnovers. In the 4th quarter, Nixon dropped a sure pick 6 which would have given them the lead. Love didnt play that well, showing the same inaccuracies and dangerous throws that he has shown most of the year. He was lucky to get picked only once.

Watson wasn't much of a factor (3 catches for 13) but did catch a short TD. Reed was a superstar. They will need him to step up again.

That was week 1 and Philadelphia has improved alot, the Packers not as much. Still, I think the Packers have a good shot in this game. Eliminate the penalties and take better advantage of Philly mistakes. It all comes down to how Love plays.

I think our biggest task is handling the Eagles pass rush. We need to run the ball and they know it. So they will stack. Unlike the Vikings who disguise and deceive the Eagles just come at you. This is when the one on one battles are big. We had some big plays against them in WK 1. I believe there will be some for the taking but the Love has to put the ball on the money and our receivers have to catch them.

 

[Team Ronny]

Lafleur has to quit being too cute with his 3rd/4th down/ red zone plays. They need to be aggressive, go no huddle, don't be afraid to add an extra o lineman to get the running game going. Get Musgrave involved, that guy was always open last season, get him going.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

If Washington had lost to Dallas and we didn't screw up the Bears game we would have been the #6 seed.

Yet, Washington didn't lose to Dallas and we lost to the Bears. Even had we beat the Bears, we would be the #7 seed. So, like I said, it would have taken 2 more Packer wins or 1 more win and a loss by Washington.

Counting on another team to lose, is kind of a losers mentality. Just go out and win games, so you don't have to rely on others.

 

[milani]

Yet, Washington didn't lose to Dallas and we lost to the Bears. Even had we beat the Bears, we would be the #7 seed. So, like I said, it would have take 2 more Packer wins or 1 more win and a loss by Washington.

Counting on another team to lose, is kind of a losers mentality. Just go out and win games, so you don't have to rely on others.

Those very close losses to Detroit and Minnesota were critical. If only we had snagged one of them.

 

[DoURant]

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[Voyageur]

The key to the Packers beating the Eagles is Reed handling a heavy load, and Doubs being well, and able to handle the tough catches to move the chains. Additionally, we need a heavy dose of Jacobs early, and some good blocking and perimeter offense from our TEs. If that happens, and the offensive line gives Love 2.5 seconds on the pass rush before he needs to move, we can win this game.

Of course, the defense needs to play a stellar game and not go into a death by a thousand cuts game plan at the end, so we lose by an FG.

Then there's the issue of Love's health and whether or not the Packers did an extensive amount of practice with Willis at the throttle, to insure they're prepared to go either way, and able to switch plans in mid-game.

 

[milani]

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You hate to see this happen for the fans in LA. But what other choice does the league have? Imagine moving a Lambeau game to Minnesota. I guess there are advantages to living by the frozen tundra.

 

[milani]

The key to the Packers beating the Eagles is Reed handling a heavy load, and Doubs being well, and able to handle the tough catches to move the chains. Additionally, we need a heavy dose of Jacobs early, and some good blocking and perimeter offense from our TEs. If that happens, and the offensive line gives Love 2.5 seconds on the pass rush before he needs to move, we can win this game.

Of course, the defense needs to play a stellar game and not go into a death by a thousand cuts game plan at the end, so we lose by an FG.

Then there's the issue of Love's health and whether or not the Packers did an extensive amount of practice with Willis at the throttle, to insure they're prepared to go either way, and able to switch plans in mid-game.

Difficult to do against the #1 defense. Move the chains with short passes to the backs and TEs. Run the ball, of course, and at the right moment play fake with a shot down the field. This is a game in which I wish we had a bona-fide FB.

 

[Voyageur]

Difficult to do against the #1 defense. Move the chains with short passes to the backs and TEs. Run the ball, of course, and at the right moment play fake with a shot down the field. This is a game in which I wish we had a bona-fide FB.

With that pass rush, and the fact they'll concentrate of stopping Jacobs, the middle will be open, as long as you pressure their defensive backs on the outside, and intermediate routes. It's all going to depend on how they change things up to disguise intent.

 

[gopkrs]

I'd prefer to win the game like we did last year in Dallas. Everything seemed to work. I don't think we need to limit ourselves. But we do need receivers to get open.

 

[OldSchool101]

To beat your opponent you must mitigate their strengths and exploit their weakness.
Eagles success has actually come through a heavy Running attack and playing stingy Defense on the other side. The reason we matched up so well in the first meeting is we fight fire with fire. We beat them in Rushing yards and total yards Offensively. However we were only 1 of 4 Redzone trips. The Eagles were 3 of 6 in the Redzone and helped them out gain us in 1st Downs 21 to our 15. Those consistent play by play chunks also controlled the Clock nearly 33min to our 27min in our Week 1 meeting.

the Eagles are #1 in the league owning the clock (32:22). GB is averaging 28:16 Time of Possession on the Road (#28) It’s not a coincidence that what lost our last meeting is Philly got into the lead into the closing minutes and ate the clock. Left us with like :27 seconds in our last drive.
1. Solution
GB has to repay that favor. DO NOT score too quickly under 3-4 minutes if it can be controlled by play design UNLESS it puts us winning by 7-8 points minimum OR if it’s a 3+ point lead and under :60 sec at kickoff.
It takes some crafty maneuvering with mixing in shorter passes or Runs at the end of the half and regulation and paying attention to the clock!!! I feel like a broken record this year, but someone on that staff had to be mindful of the clock. Even I said real time at a Detroit we were going to lose when we handed them the ball with 3:30 left with THEM in drivers seat. I said on the forum had it been 5:00+ we’d still likely get the ball again with over a minute. We never saw that ball again and it was the worst possible outcome. A slow methodical bleeding is what Philly will hand us.

On Teams Philly only has 2 Weaknesses. They are below average on KR coverage. We are #14 in KR yards and Eagles are #22 in KR coverage. It’s small variance, but it’s an area to exploit. Allow Nixon to return it if not in the Paint. Their Kicker is lower echelon so expect it might not make the Paint.
Also we are #18 in FG% but we all know we were dead last before McNamath. So we’re likely top5. If our Offense is inside the 40 statistically 60% it’s points. Inside the 35 is solid 75% points there.

The Eagles Kicker is 26th and more than unstable at 50 and beyond. That’s our GB33 yardline. Keep them outside the GB33 and that = rush 5-6 when they are between our GB28-36 yardline or thereabouts. Have to get a TFL there. Even a loss of 2-3 yards could = 3 points to us.

 

[milani]

To beat your opponent you must mitigate their strengths and exploit their weakness.
Eagles success has actually come through a heavy Running attack and playing stingy Defense on the other side. The reason we matched up so well in the first meeting is we fight fire with fire. We beat them in Rushing yards and total yards Offensively. However we were only 1 of 4 Redzone trips. The Eagles were 3 of 6 in the Redzone and helped them out gain us in 1st Downs 21 to our 15. Those consistent play by play chunks also controlled the Clock nearly 33min to our 27min in our Week 1 meeting.

the Eagles are #1 in the league owning the clock (32:22). GB is averaging 28:16 Time of Possession on the Road (#28) It’s not a coincidence that what lost our last meeting is Philly got into the lead into the closing minutes and ate the clock. Left us with like :27 seconds in our last drive.
1. Solution
GB has to repay that favor. DO NOT score too quickly under 3-4 minutes if it can be controlled by play design UNLESS it puts us winning by 7-8 points minimum OR if it’s a 3+ point lead and under :60 sec at kickoff.
It takes some crafty maneuvering with mixing in shorter passes or Runs at the end of the half and regulation and paying attention to the clock!!! I feel like a broken record this year, but someone on that staff had to be mindful of the clock. Even I said real time at a Detroit we were going to lose when we handed them the ball with 3:30 left with THEM in drivers seat. I said on the forum had it been 5:00+ we’d still likely get the ball again with over a minute. We never saw that ball again and it was the worst possible outcome. A slow methodical bleeding is what Philly will hand us.

On Teams Philly only has 2 Weaknesses. They are below average on KR coverage. We are #14 in KR yards and Eagles are #22 in KR coverage. It’s small variance, but it’s an area to exploit. Allow Nixon to return it if not in the Paint. Their Kicker is lower echelon so expect it might not make the Paint.
Also we are #18 in FG% but we all know we were dead last before McNamath. So we’re likely top5. If our Offense is inside the 40 statistically 60% it’s points. Inside the 35 is solid 75% points there.

The Eagles Kicker is 26th and more than unstable at 50 and beyond. That’s our GB33 yardline. Keep them outside the GB33 and that = rush 5-6 when they are between our GB28-36 yardline or thereabouts. Have to get a TFL there. Even a loss of 2-3 yards could = 3 points to us.

I recall we missed a 2pt. conversion from only 1 yard out plus we had a Narv miss in the 4th quarter. It added up.

 

[Voyageur]

The frustrating part of this entire season is that of all the losses we have only one is by more than one play. That was the one against the Lions where we were beaten 24-14 in Green Bay. The root cause of all those losses falls on just 3 things. Kickers who failed to convert their opportunities, bad time management decisions by LeFleur, and the prevent defenses we seem to throw up way too often, that lets opponents create scoring opportunities late in the game to steal it from the Packers.

Not one of these things was something that's acceptable during a season. The kicking problem is apparently resolved, but the other two situations are still on the table, and that's what concerns me moving forward. I'm beginning to believe that LeFleur gets frustrated by what he perceives as bad calls on the field near the end of games and let's it cloud his mind, making it difficult for him to focus on what needs to be done to preserve a win. In all honestly, I have no answer for Hafely's decisions late in games that opens up the field for passing attacks that eventually lead to scores that beat us. These two problems that still exist need to be addressed, and resolved if the Packers intend even having a chance to move forward in the playoffs.

I believe there's enough talent on this Packer team to make some moves in these playoffs, but I also believe these two problems that still exist are going to pop up somewhere along the line and cost them a chance for a win.

This is just conjectured opinion to be honest. I have no insights into the minds of Hafely or LeFleur. I'm just going by the results I see on the field.

 

[Thirteen Below]

However in THIS situation I’m highly confident Watson had already damaged that knee BEFORE this game.

That's really an interesting hypothesis. I honestly never considered it.

Then we are very similar age.

That's odd. People who grew up with those books on the reading list are rarely still awake and posting on the interwebs at 11 PM.

Unless we had to get up to go to the bathroom.

Cooper is playing like a first round LB...

Dude's playing like an early first-rounder. Remember, he was the first linebacker drafted, so you could comfortably argue that the general consensus (not universal, but general consensus) is that he was the best linebacker in the draft. And he's damned well playing like it.

If he'd been available in 2009, and we picked him instead of Matthews, nobody would have *****ed for 10 years that we wasted the 5th overall pick.

while Walker has, over his entire career, played like cornerback who can't cover (i.e., he can't take on blocks, can't cover, and consistently makes tackles 5+ yards downfield).

Walker had a lot of issues in his first couple of seasons, most of them having to do with maturity, judgment, and decisionmaking. I give the man tons of credit, he listened to Lafleur and got past a lot of that - especially the maturity and temper. Lafleur really did a lot to get through to him, and it paid off.

But one thing he never did get past is his in-the-moment decisionmaking. Athleticism aside, he just consistently makes poor (and incredibly wrong) decisions in the heat of the moment. And some of them are just really dumb. I think he simply lacks the natural instincts to process what he's seeing and make the right reactionary decisions in the rapid-fire flow of the game.

Wonderlic scores are not always a definitive indicator, but sometimes a Wonderlic score of 9 can help explain a lot. It seems as though his brain simply doesn't work the way Cooper's brain does. No offense to the guy, I deeply respect and admire how hard he's worked to make himself an NFL starter, but I just can't help wondering whether he's able to take himself to the next level. It just feels to me (deep down in my gut) that maybe he's topped out, and we're not going to see much more from him.

I hope I'm wrong, because I genuinely like the man and hope for his success. But 3 years in, it's now come down to whether or not he can demonstrate that he can put it all together when it counts.

 

[OldSchool101]

Difficult to do against the #1 defense. Move the chains with short passes to the backs and TEs. Run the ball, of course, and at the right moment play fake with a shot down the field. This is a game in which I wish we had a bona-fide FB.

Yeah. Kraft is probably the closest thing to a FB, at least as a lead blocker. Love his (6’5”X256lb) but he’s also well proportioned with a sturdy base for a taller guy. You may have meant as a Runner?

Speaking to that. I think the under radar storyline (also heard this from Greg Cosell) of this game will be GB rushing game. What most forget though is this. The Packers were unsure of the best fit carry load for Josh Jacobs and thus he was more limited in our first game. Yet his explosive Long (32) matched Barkley (34) and Jacobs per carry (5.3) was better than Barkley (4.5). We also finished at 7.8 per full picture and Philly finished at 3.8 per carry. Problem was we only ran 21 times to their 38 times. They had the last true possession (familiar theme) but it also kept out D on the field for 33 minutes. Their D doesn’t rotate players, they rely on getting off the field quicker.

The Eagles D has effectively not been tested much all season playing extensive time. Their O Run game gives them more than adequate rest and that’s how they function at their best without substituting. They play majority of their D the entire game. Packers don’t were a rotating Defense.

We need to keep the Eagles D on the field more, that’s one key imo. Limit their possession to 9-10 and limit their plays under 65. They had 74 Offensive plays last meeting to our 58. You do that with running Josh more than 16 times. Another option to sprinkle in is use more 12 Personnel and get your TE and RB more involved in the short passing game under 5 yards. Take the 5-6 yard gainers.

 

[Half Empty]

If he'd been available in 2009, and we picked him instead of Matthews, nobody would have *****ed for 10 years that we wasted the 5th overall pick.

Sounds more like Hawk in 2006

 

[Thirteen Below]

Sounds more like Hawk in 2006

!!!! WTF!!!! I can't believe I sad MATTHEWS!!!!

****, yeah.... I totally meant HAWK!!!! What is HAPPENING with me??

Half Empty.... I don't know how old you are, but I assume you're probably younger than I am, because 4 out 5 Americans are. So allow me to give you a piece of advice, as an older man to a probably younger man.

Do everything you possibly can to avoid turning 67. Hold it off as long as possible. It ain't always just "hey, what did I do with my car keys?"

 

[Voyageur]

!!!! WTF!!!! I can't believe I sad MATTHEWS!!!!

****, yeah.... I totally meant HAWK!!!! What is HAPPENING with me??

Half Empty.... I don't know how old you are, but I assume you're probably younger than I am, because 4 out 5 Americans are. So allow me to give you a piece of advice, as an older man to a probably younger man.

Do everything you possibly can to avoid turning 67. Hold it off as long as possible. It ain't always just "hey, what did I do with my car keys?"

67? LOL!!! Add a few years onto that and you have my age. I'm 84. I like it a lot more than the alternative.

I wonder how many actual people on the board date back as far as we do. Kind of a "Senior Members Group" based on life's experiences. When we talk about football, we've seen one heck of a lot of evolution in the game and been part of it in one way or another. We bring a different dimension to the discussions. In a lot of cases, I can pick the older members out here and identify very well with what they're saying. It's all so much more than just having watched a few games on TV and knowing all the catch phrases that surround the game. It's people who have felt the pain as players, coaches, and/or fans who dealt with decades of losing and still stayed with the team.

No Johnny-come-latelies in our group. I like that.

 

[Half Empty]

67? LOL!!!

Agree. 79 here. Moved from Chicago area to Milwaukee area just in time to see Lombardi arrive and turn things around.

 

[PackerDNA]

Hey guys, applying for membership in the old timers club! I'll be 66 on the 28th. Don't know where the time went. My Penn State went down last night, now it's up to my Packers, or I got to hope and pray to the Lord for another year.