No Brotherly Love: Packers Can't Overcome Eagles, Fall to 4-8

November 28, 2022

It has been a Jekyll and Hyde feel for the Green Bay Packers this season, and it was seen in the 40-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night.

The offense accumulated 342 yards against a team 2nd in the league in total yards allowed, but allowed 500 yards on defense- which included 363 on the ground. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts averaged 9.2 yards a carry as he rushed for 157 yards, and Miles Sanders ran for 143 and 2 touchdowns as the Packers run defense struggled to contain.

While the secondary limited the Eagles receiving corp, with no target having more than 50 yards, the defense could not stop Philadelphia's momentum. 16 missed tackles and allowing 8 third down conversions (including 3 for 24+ yards) allowed the Eagles to break off for more yards after catches and on second chances.

But the team played some complimentary football similar to what they did against the Dallas Cowboys two weeks prior. After stopping a Hurts QB sneak on a 4th and 1, Green Bay took advantage of the great field advantage and scored a touchdown to take a brief 14-13 lead after being down two scores early.

Following a Green Bay turnover in the second quarter, Rudy Ford forced a fumble from AJ Brown and Quay Walker returned the loose ball 63 yards into the Eagles red zone. This would set up a touchdown pass 3 plays later to tie the game at 20-20.

But while the defense created those opportunities in the first half, they couldn't do the same in the second half despite only losing by 7 points. The Eagles scored 13 on three straight drives and took 18 minutes off the clock, and while the Packers matched that scoring total in the second half, they simply ran out of time to get one last strong possession.

It was a rough night for Aaron Rodgers. After confirming that he has been playing with a broken right thumb since Week 6, he suffered a rib injury in the first half and left the game in the 3rd quarter with the Packers trailing 37-23. Rodgers on the night was 11 of 16 for 140 yards and threw for 2 scores, but also threw 2 interceptions in the first half and was sacked 3 times.

Jordan Love took over the rest of the way and kept the Packers in range of the Eagles, which was highlighted by his 63-yard touchdown pass to Watson on his first series to make it a 37-30 score. He would finish the game going 6 of 9 for 113 yards and a touchdown. The replacement was almost exactly 15 years to the date of Rodgers replacing Brett Favre in a game against the Cowboys on November 29, 2007.

Christian Watson continued his hot stretch, hauling in 4 receptions for 110 yards while averaging 27.5 yards a catch and caught a touchdown in the second half. It was Watson's 7th touchdown this season and he leads all rookie wideouts in that category.

Love may have found some rhythm filling in for Rodgers, but the offense could not find ways to move the ball on 3rd down most of the game. Green Bay was 0 for 5 on third down before they made their one and only conversion of the game in the 3rd quarter.

After taking over primary kick return duties in Week 11, Keisean Nixon provided a spark on the return game that has been missing this season. Nixon had 5 kickoff returns for 172 yards, including a 53 yard return (the longest of the season) that set the Packers up for a field goal late in the game.

With a matchup against the Chicago Bears on the road the only thing standing in the way of their bye week, the Packers will have an opportunity to create another season highlight with a sweep of the Bears for the 4th year in a row. It will be a different team from the one they faced at home in Week 2 with Chicago having traded two notable defensive starters in Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith at the trade deadline, and QB Justin Fields averaging 75 rushing yards a game this season.