Our long national nightmare is over. Football is back. For months, we’ve been dreaming about what Jeff Hafley’s defense might look like. How Xavier McKinney might help transform that unit. How the running game will look with Josh Jacobs replacing longtime fave Aaron Jones. And, mostly, what will Jordan Love do for an encore? Could he put himself in the MVP conversation, as many believe?
More recently, we’ve been dreaming about – well, they’re more nightmarish, if we’re being honest – the uncertainty and inexperience at kicker and how it could doom the season. Can Sean Clifford… er, I mean Malik Willis do enough to keep the team afloat for a couple of weeks if Love gets banged up?
We’ll start to get our answers in Sao Paolo, for an opener with more on the line than usual. It’s never too early to consider playoff tiebreakers (well, actually Week 1 is pushing it), but we all know that a win over the Philadelphia Eagles is a nice thing to have in your back pocket come January.
I think a lot of factors are working in the Pack’s favor, beginning with the locale. Would you rather play the Eagles at the raucous Linc or on a neutral field overseas where it’s likely to be a pro-Packers crowd?
With new coordinators on both sides of the ball, the Eagles might not be quite ready to get over last season’s hangover, especially on offense, where Kellen Moore’s system is light years apart from last year’s and will likely be much sharper a few weeks from now. The loss of Jason Kelce cannot be overstated. There’s no guarantee the tush push will still be a thing without him. Heck, Moore may have scrapped it anyway. Who knows?
That’s not to say the offense will be inept. Far from it. You add Saquon Barkley to the other explosive playmakers – Hurts, Brown, and Smith – and you have four guys who can take it to the house on every play. It’s a giant test for Hafley’s run defense, dealing with both Barkley and Hurts, and we’ll learn very quickly whether this perennial team weakness is on the mend.
What a challenge for Hafley’s defense. He has no real tape to watch to prepare, except maybe Los Angeles Chargers games from the last two years – though the two QBs have markedly different skillsets. Hurts has struggled mightily against the blitz, so will the Pack attack early to see what he’s learned? We know this defense will be aggressive and be more susceptible to giving up big plays. Will the secondary take the big step we all expect?
Look for the Eagles to mostly stay away from Jaire Alexander’s matchup and test Eric Stokes and Keisean Nixon. The trade for former No. 1 pick Jahan Dotson gives the Eagles yet another weapon, this time in the slot, where tight end Dallas Goedert will also be roaming dangerously. If Stokes resembles the guy we saw in his rookie year, and he can stay on the field, this defense may not have a weak spot.
Philadelphia’s offensive starters did not see the field in the preseason, and Green Bay’s played three snaps, so we’ll see how long each unit takes to find their mojo. Love and his young skill players have us all drooling, anxious to see how much better they can all be in their second season together.
The strength of the Eagles D is up front, and the interior of the Pack’s offensive line will face an immense test. Sounds like Sean Rhyan will get the start at right guard, with rookie Jordan Morgan possibly getting some run there too. Philly will try to exploit that matchup. Their linebackers can be beaten, and their secondary is completely rebuilt, so look for Matt LaFleur to use a lot of motion and misdirection to confuse a bunch of guys who haven’t been on the field together much.
The Pack will move the ball on the Eagles; my biggest hope is that Christian Watson gets through the game unscathed. He hasn’t missed a practice all offseason, but you kind of hold your breath every time he’s in on a play. We know this WR room is young, talented, and exciting. But if Watson’s out, they lose the ability to stretch the field and keep the defenses honest with safety help. Maybe the third year is the charm, and he breaks out and becomes the Pack’s most dangerous and productive receiver.
The biggest edge the Eagles have in this game is at placekicker, where Jake Elliott made over 90% of his kicks last year and has been around for nearly a decade. Green Bay’s decision to tap an undrafted rookie as their guy a week before the season is fraught with danger.
By all accounts, Brayden Narveson has everything you want in a kicker: confidence, a strong leg, and a solid resumé; he never missed a PAT in five college seasons, and hit for distance. He pushed veteran Nick Folk in Tennessee, hitting a 46-yard game-winner in one preseason game and a 58-yarder in another.
But this will be his first NFL game, after practicing with his snapper and holder for about a week, and he will be kicking in primetime on a ginormous international stage in a stadium he won’t even get a chance to practice in. Let’s hope he’s not asked to try to kick a game-winner just yet.
I say Narveson is off the hook. It’s a close game, and Hafley’s defense gets a turnover late to seal it.
Packers 27
Eagles 23
