Tim McManus
Rob Demovsky
Rob Demovsky
ESPN Staff Writer
Rob Demovsky is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Green Bay Packers. He has covered the Packers since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2013. Demovsky is a two-time Wisconsin Sportswriter of the Year as selected by the NSSA.
If you’re a fan of offense, Monday night in Green Bay was ugly. If defense is your thing, it was a thing of beauty.
Two of the top teams in the NFC slugged it out on a cold night at Lambeau Field, with the Philadelphia Eagles coming out on top over the Green Bay Packers 10-7.
Every win in the tightly contested NFC is significant: According to ESPN Analytics, the Eagles’ chances of capturing the No. 1 seed jumped to 33% with the win; a loss would have dropped them all the way to 12%.
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The defense kept the odds in the defending champs’ favor. The Eagles’ revamped pass rush made quarterback Jordan Love uncomfortable all night, helping to hold the Packers scoreless through three quarters for only the third time under head coach Matt LaFleur.
Philly’s offense showed a little life late by way of a 36-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts to DeVonta Smith, and that was enough to push the Eagles to 7-2 as they prepare for another heavyweight bout against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Philadelphia Eagles (7-2)
Turning point: Nursing a 3-0 lead in the fourth quarter, Jalen Hurts found Saquon Barkley on a swing pass on third-and-7, which Barkley turned into a 41-yard gain down the left sideline. On the next play, Hurts found Smith in the end zone for a 36-yard score.
Most surprising performance: Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio gave edge rusher Jaelan Phillips a major role in his first game as an Eagle, and Phillips delivered big time. Acquired from the Miami Dolphins for a third-round pick ahead of last week’s trade deadline, Phillips produced seven QB pressures, two QB hits and six tackles. He stuffed Josh Jacobs on fourth-and-1 with 1:30 remaining, leading to a forced fumble that helped seal the win for Philly. The Eagles have something cooking along the defensive front with the Phillips addition and Nolan Smith Jr.’s return from a triceps injury.
Biggest hole in the game plan: Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo played it conservative for the most part, especially on third down. There were multiple occasions when Philadelphia opted to run it on third-and-long. The Eagles are up to 29 3-and-out drives resulting in a punt this season, the second most in the NFL behind Broncos (34). — Tim McManus
Next game: vs. Detroit Lions (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday, NBC)
Green Bay Packers (5-3-1)
This game won’t be on any offensive teaching tape. In fact, the Packers might want to burn it.
In one of the worst offensive performances of coach Matt LaFleur’s seven seasons in Green Bay, his team didn’t score until there was 5:49 left in the fourth quarter.
The Packers have never been shut out under LaFleur, and it was only the third time they were held scoreless through three quarters during the coach’s tenure. One of those was Jordan Love’s first career start, filling in for Aaron Rodgers against the Chiefs in 2021. The other came in 2023 against the Saints, and the Packers came back to win.
In the Saints game, they rallied for a 17-0 deficit to win 18-17. Monday’s deficit wasn’t nearly as large. They trailed 10-0 until running back Josh Jacobs finally got the Packers on the board, capping their first scoring drive with a 6-yard touchdown run.
This, after the Packers managed only 13 points in the previous week’s upset loss at home to the Panthers.
The loss was especially damaging in the standings with the Packers (5-3-1) falling from first to third place in the NFC North.
Stat to know: The Packers receivers had one dropped pass all season entering Monday night, according to ESPN Research. They had two on consecutive plays in the third quarter against the Eagles. First, Romeo Doubs couldn’t bring in the ball on a third-and-9 play over the middle and then on the next play, with the Packers going for it on fourth down from the Eagles’ 41, Bo Melton had a ball bounce off his chest.
Then on the Packers’ final drive, Dontayvion Wicks dropped another one, giving them three on the night. Including all players, the Packers came into Monday’s game with five total drops, four by non-receivers.
Biggest hole in the game plan: The Packers couldn’t find a way to replicate what they lost last week when budding star tight end Tucker Kraft was lost for the season to a torn ACL. In fact, for most of the game, LaFleur went with a run-heavy call sheet, limiting Love’s passing opportunities. It looked more like the game plans he used when Love sat out two games last season because of a knee injury, and LaFleur limited backup Malik Willis’ throwing opportunities.
Trend to watch: For the second straight game, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s unit gave the team a chance to win. A week after the 16-13 loss to the Panthers, they held the Eagles in check for most of the game. The Packers gave up their first points of the game on a field goal halfway through the third quarter and didn’t give up a touchdown until early in the fourth. They gave up 16 or fewer points in all three losses. They are now 1-3 when giving up 16 or fewer points this season, their most such losses since 1978, per ESPN Research.– Rob Demovsky
Next game: at New York Giants (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Fox)
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