It's the Green Bay Packers' lone Monday night game of the season, as tonight they will take on the Philadelphia Eagles from Lambeau Field at 7:15 pm CST. It's a rematch of last year's Wild Card playoff loss in Philadelphia, but this time the Packers get to enjoy some of that home cooking. Last week, the 5-2-1 Packers fell to the Carolina Panthers 13-16 in heartbreaking, yet embarrassing fashion. The team we saw the previous week in Pittsburgh seemed to be absent, and they were defeated by a field goal in the final seconds of the game. The Eagles, sitting at 6-2, are coming off a home victory against the New York Giants, 38-20. This will surely be a battle for NFC supremacy.
The last time these two teams met was in the 2024 Wild Card playoffs, where Philadelphia defeated Green Bay 22-10. The game saw Jordan Love possibly play the worst game of his career, throwing three interceptions as the Packers' offense was just stale. After losing Christian Watson to an ACL injury the week before, it seemed almost as if the offense had no answers as to what to do next, and the defense didn't fare any better.
Last week was one of those games where you say, "Burn the tape, and let's focus on the next." Only you can't do that in this league. You need to learn from your mistakes, and there were many last week. The offense just seemed lost and couldn't put anything together, while the defense, though they only gave up 16 points, was uncharacteristically gashed on the ground. To make matters worse, the Packers lost star tight end Tucker Kraft for the season to an ACL injury. The Packers had a lot of self-evaluation to do in the last week.
Tonight, it's time to bounce back to championship contender form.
What to See on Offense
Despite only putting up 13 points against Carolina, the Packers' passing offense was still humming. They just couldn't get the ball in the end zone. Some of that was due to mistakes or just falling flat. On top of fixing that, they now have a gaping hole in their passing attack. The Packers aren't going to replace Tucker Kraft easily. But, they do have the personnel to pick up the slack. We'll have to see if Luke Musgrave can rise to the occasion or if it'll be a mix of Musgrave, Golden, plus others.
On the other side of the ball, the Eagles have Jalen Carter, who is easily a problem up the middle on the defensive line. Carter hasn't put up big stats so far, but he's always a threat to get to the quarterback. Outside of Carter, the Eagles traded for OLB Jaelen Phillips before the deadline this season, who has three sacks, and then DT Moro Ojomo has four sacks, with LB Zach Baun sitting at three. The Eagles are 26th in the league at getting after the QB, but I wouldn't write them off, as they still have a few players who can be a problem if allowed.
In the secondary, the Eagles have Quinyon Mitchell, who may be one of the best corners in the league, and then, of course, Packers social media's draft darling, Cooper DeJean, who has had a good season so far himself. Outside of those two, the Eagles added CB Michael Carter at the trade deadline as well as former Packer Jaire Alexander. Ja$ hasn't exactly had an impact anywhere so far in 2025, only playing in two games, and unfortunately we won't get to see him reunite with old teammates tonight as he didn't even make the trip with the team to Wisconsin.
Given the Packers' tendency to spread the ball around, it should be interesting to see how the Eagles match up with their corners. Mitchell tends to match up with the "best receiver." Well, the Packers don't have a definitive best receiver. So, we'll see how they line up their corners.
On to the run. It seems to be a mystery this season as to why the Packers' running game hasn't gotten going. Is it due to Josh Jacobs' ailments? Is it the offensive line not opening things up enough? My guess right now goes to the offensive line. There are many times when Jacobs seems to be fighting to just put together a positive gain. Which is disappointing. Last year, the running game was a highlight; this year, it's kind of a lowlight. But we have a silver lining tonight. The Eagles aren't that great against the run, ranking 19th in the league. They do have a stellar group of linebackers in Nakobe Dean, Zach Baun, and Jihaad Campbell, however, who can be disruptive when handing the ball off.
Again, I have to talk about Tucker Kraft. Because Kraft's absence will leave a hole in the run-blocking game as well. Something Luke Musgrave hasn't exactly stacked up to in replacement. I think back to over 20 years ago, when the Packers used to have tackle Kevin Barry line up as a tight end in some situations. They called it the "U71 package." It was famous enough that I used to create it myself in Madden, so I could put Barry on the field for a few running plays here and there. Fast forward to 2025, and the Packers have a tackle that could fill this role in Anthony Belton. Belton is a good run blocker with a tendency to be a mauler. And, what a coincidence, he's number 71! Perhaps it's time to bring the U71 package out of retirement to plow the roads ahead of Josh Jacobs.
What to See on Defense
Well, here we go, we all know it's coming, so let's get it out of the way. It's the battle of the Tush Push.
Everyone knows the story that the Packers pioneered a proposal in the offseason to have the Eagles' famous play banned. And it almost was. But all through the process, everyone mocked the Packers' attempt to put a stop to it. But now that the season is underway, all you see is debate and complaints that the play should be flagged. Maybe the Packers were right after all? Imagine that. Regardless, the play currently stands, and I wouldn't put it past the Eagles to run it against the Packers tonight every single chance they get.
Outside of being Tush Pushed, Jalen Hurts has had a relatively good season. He has the fourth-highest passer rating in the league despite falling under some occasional scrutiny. Perhaps that's just one of the joys of playing in Philly. Last year, in two matchups, the Packers did a pretty decent job of keeping Hurts in the pocket. I would imagine they'll do much of the same this time around, but with the addition of Micah Parsons to the mix, they're going to try and take advantage of the fact that Hurts has been sacked 25 times this season and see if they can harass him a bit.
Not only would harassing Hurts keep him in the pocket, but it would prevent him from taking advantage of a Packers' secondary that's been questionable this season. AJ Brown and Devonta Smith continue to be big receiving threats, and if Hurts has too much time, he will find them downfield. Green Bay mustn't let Hurts get too comfortable, or things could get out of hand quickly. I wouldn't be surprised to see Quay Walker or Edgerrin Cooper used as a bit of a spy just in case Hurts escapes the pressure. Outside of the two receivers, tight end Dallas Goedert is still a decent threat, especially in the red zone, catching seven touchdowns already this season.
If the Packers can get to Hurts quickly, they have a good chance of slowing the Eagles' passing attack. If not, we could be in for a long night.
Of course, now we have the running game. Saquon Barkley is coming to town, and we're going to have to see which Packers' run defense is coming to face him. All year long, I've expressed confidence in the Packers' defense stopping the run. It's been a welcome change from years prior. But then Rico Dowdle came along and gashed them for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Carolina barely needed to pass the football, as they were running it all day long right down the Packers' throats.
Saquon Barkley hasn't put up the same numbers as Dowdle this season, but that doesn't mean he can't. Because he very much can. But the Eagles haven't been as effective on the ground so far this season. In fact, they rank behind the Packers in rushing yards per game. It's been a bit of an anomaly given how run-heavy the Eagles have been to this date.
Hopefully, the Packers' defense hasn't started a downward trend against the run, and we don't see the Eagles re-find their way against us.
Extra Notes
Brandon McManus missed another kick last week. But does it really matter? When it comes to a game, sure, it matters; it mattered a lot as that kick may have won or at least tied the game against Carolina. But when it comes to McManus' job, it certainly doesn't seem like it matters at all. Which is curious with Lucas Havrisik still on the roster. Is he still there due to concern about McManus' injury status, or are they not quite sold on McManus being their guy? It's anyone's guess at this point, but it seems they are giving McManus every opportunity possible to redeem himself.
On the Eagles' side, they have Jake Elliott at kicker, who's 7/9 for field goals this season and a perfect 25/25 for extra points. Punting, they have Braden Mann, who has the second-best punting average this season with 52.4 yards, just ahead of Packers' punter Daniel Whelan with 51.9.
Returning kicks, the Eagles have Will Shipley averaging 28.6 yards per return, and on punts, they have Jahan Dotson averaging 9.6 yards per return. Both players have explosive abilities, and the Packers' special teams will need to be disciplined to not be beaten. On the Packers' side, it seems like on punts, they're just happy to have Romeo Doubs make a catch without mistakes, and Savion Williams has had some explosive moments on kick returns but has remained inconsistent.
In the End
I hate to call games "emotional" because in a way, they all are. But given the playoff defeat last year and all the drama around the "Tush Push" over the summer, the Packers want to win this one badly. The Packer fans want to win this one badly. And I'm sure if there are Eagles fans in attendance tonight, many of our fellow Packer fans in attendance are not going to want to listen to Philadelphia fans gloat all night. So, let's also win it for them.
A victory tonight over the Eagles would set things on track again for the 2025 Packers. We've had some big wins, but some embarrassing losses. After the loss to the Panthers, many are starting to count the Packers out. It's time to prove them wrong.
Next week, we travel to the Meadowlands to face the New York Giants. Let's get on that plane next week with a 6-2-1 record. Go Pack Go.