One of the uglier, more frustrating 60-point games in recent memory left a foreign city confused about how to feel after hosting their first ever NFL game. There were 70 yard touchdowns and plenty of turnovers to excite the Sao Paolo crowd, but the sheer number of penalties was a reminder of how ridiculous of a game football can be. Plus, like a lot of players on the field, this contest never quite felt like it found its footing.
Eagles Offense Excites
The biggest takeaway was that the Eagles offense looked downright scary. Saquon provides the final layer to what is a true swiss-army-knife attack. AJ Brown can outrun the entire secondary. Davonta is the most clutch third-down option in the league. The ‘Tush Push’ still works. And now you add the one of the league’s best RB’s (who not only scored twice on the ground, but makes the catch of the night to get the Eagles on the board) behind a still-lethal offensive line.
Kellen Moore introduced tempo back into the offense, and it seems like Hurts did his homework over the offseason. While the Packers got to the line of scrimmage quickly, more often than not Hurts would adjust the play once or twice before snapping the ball.
The Packers defenders were making strong tackles, getting pressure (with creative stunts designed by new DC Jeff Hafley) and their rookie starters Edgerrin Cooper and Javon Bullard looked great. It really felt like they just got beat by a better offense.
Jordan Love Leaves Completions on the Table
Jordan Love looked like first half of last season Jordan Love. He missed throws he not only normally makes, but can’t afford to miss if the Packers want to compete. The wide receiver core was as advertised: Jayden Reed was explosive, Christian Watson was big, but overall no one stood out as a go-to threat that could be trusted in key moments. That puts more pressure on Jordan Love to be sharp in the fourth quarter, since he can’t rely on one guy to go up and get the ball to close out a game.
Josh Jacobs took a minute to get going, and was at times overshadowed by an out-of-nowhere Emmanuel Wilson. By the end of the game, though, it was clear why the Packers brought him in. He was the spark that kept the Packers in the game.
Packers O-Line Impresses
The most credit should go to the Green Bay O-Line. All of the hype was on the Eagles pass rush before the game, and the Packers big boys stood their ground. Jordan Love took one sack all game, and while pressure did come here and there, the reasons for Love’s inaccuracy felt more on him than on a lack of time or comfort. They also provided plenty of rushing lanes, at least after the first quarter.
Losing the turnover battle 3-1 should have meant a clear win for the Packers, which is the most concerning part of this defeat. The Eagles secondary still looks shaky, but it didn’t look like as far behind the Packers secondary as it should’ve been.
If Jaire Alexander, who had the most selfish yet unsurprising interception return attempt in league history, hadn’t been called for a phantom hold on 2nd and long on the Eagles last drive, the game may have ended differently. But that’s football.
Looking Ahead
Moving forward the Eagles look like they have the potential to reach their 2022 heights if they can clean up the turnovers and the secondary (the latter being a much larger if).
The Packers are still young. They had multiple untimely penalties, and their special teams is seemingly cursed. With Love projected to miss the next month or so, they can’t afford to be sloppy. In one unfortunate play on the final drive, The Packers margin for error decreased dramatically. With Malik Willis set behind center the rest of September, Green Bay can no longer allow their youth to show and get bailed out by Love’s heroics. Instead, they will have to quickly transform into a fine tuned machine and hopefully answer some questions about the WR hierarchy. If not, it might be time for Wisconsin fans to shift gears into cheering on the Brew Crew in the Playoffs.
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