The Green Bay Packers face a massive test this evening on Monday Night Football, when the Philadelphia Eagles come into Lambeau Field for a critical NFC matchup. These two teams have become very familiar with each other over the last year-plus, and this prime time contest will have massive ripple effects across the conference.
If the Packers win, they would hold on to the lead in the NFC North division and climb into the #2 spot in the conference’s playoff picture. An Eagles win, on the other hand, would send the Packers plummeting down into third place in the division and 7th in the conference.
Much of this game’s flow will depend on which team can control the line of scrimmage through the run game. Philadelphia’s offense finally found a flow on the ground two weeks ago before their bye, as they racked up 276 rushing yards in a big win over the New York Giants. Meanwhile, the Packers continue to struggle with consistency on the ground, crossing the century mark in only half their games this season and averaging 97 yards per game rushing in their last three.
Whichever defense can do a better job in limiting their opposition’s run game will probably win this game. With the Eagles’ offense being one of the worst in the NFL on third downs, the Packers defense must find ways to win on first and second downs to force third-and-long situations. If they can do that, they’ll have a great shot at a wi — if they can get out of their own way in other aspects of the game.
Here are our final Cheese Curds before tonight’s big matchup.