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FBF Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 28,057
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Eagles @ Packers 1pm Est
Game-day details
Sun., 1 p.m. ET, Lambeau Field
Weather forecast from AccuWeather.com:
Intermittent clouds. High: 67. Low: 48.
Why To Watch
No NFL players this week will have their performances more heavily scrutinized than quarterbacks Donovan McNabb and Brett Favre. McNabb is coming off a season cut short by injury, and he watched as backup Jeff Garcia led the Eagles to an NFC East crown and won the hearts of Eagles fans. Eagles coach Andy Reid let Garcia walk in free agency but did use a second-round pick on quarterback Kevin Kolb, putting McNabb on notice that the starting job isn't his by default.
McNabb must prove his surgically repaired knee is healed and that Eagles officials made the right decision by sticking with him. Facing a young defense that yielded 22.9 points per game last year, McNabb has a solid opportunity to start the season on a positive note.
Favre didn't waffle much this offseason before announcing his return for a 17th NFL season. Though he is a living legend and sure-fire Hall of Famer, many Packers coaches, players and fans quietly wonder if it is time for him to retire. The team appears to have third-year quarterback Aaron Rodgers ready to play.
Still, with no established running back on the Packers' roster, the soon-to-be 38-year-old Favre again will be asked to carry this young team on his right shoulder.
Eagles Keys For Success
1. Stuff the run. With Vernand Morency (strained knee tendon) and Brandon Jackson (concussion) hobbled in preseason, neither running back has played enough to form any cohesiveness with the offensive line. The Eagles' defensive linemen will shoot gaps and look to get upfield penetration, neutralizing the Packers' zone-blocking scheme. By shutting down the run and making the Packers one-dimensional, the Eagles can turn up the heat on Favre and force some turnovers.
2. Use bunch formations. Green Bay cornerbacks Al Harris and Charles Woodson are aggressive and prefer to play man-to-man, denying short routes to perimeter receivers. By utilizing bunch formations, the Eagles will force Harris and Woodson to play off the ball; if not, they easily could get picked and give up a big play on a slot receiver screen. By forcing Harris and Woodson to play off the ball, wide receivers Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis will have room to release to the inside for quick slants and crossing routes.
3. Slide protection toward Packers end Aaron Kampman. Kampman quietly has become one of the NFL's top pass rushers, combining both speed and power moves to keep opponents off-balance. The Eagles will look to neutralize him by sliding protection his way. Center Jamal Jackson will slide over to block defensive tackle Ryan Pickett, so right guard Shawn Andrews can help right tackle Jon Runyan against Kampman. The Eagles must do this sparingly because the Packers easily could counter by blitzing the undermanned Eagles on the other side of the formation
Packers Keys For Success
1. Throw at the Eagles' linebackers. The Eagles have three new starters at linebacker: Second-year men Omar Gaither and Chris Gocong and veteran Takeo Spikes. Spikes is coming back from a torn Achilles' tendon, and Gocong is a former defensive end who will be making his first career start in Week 1. All three are overaggressive in coverage and are easily caught out of position, particularly against screen passes. Look for Favre to use a lot of screen passes and short slants to test the trio.
2. Move the pocket. The Eagles' defense is aggressive and will blitz often. The Packers have a young offensive line and an aging quarterback, and the coaches must not allow the Eagles to tee off on a stationary target. Expect offensive coordinator Joe Philbin to call a lot of rollouts and naked bootlegs, buying Favre extra time to find open receivers. Eagles defensive ends Jevon Kearse and Trent Cole must be sure to maintain their containment responsibilities and force Favre to pull up in the pocket.
3. Use a safety to cover running back Brian Westbrook. Westbrook is a matchup nightmare because he abuses almost all linebackers and many safeties in coverage. Packers free safety Nick Collins must play closer to the line and not allow Westbrook to shake loose after the catch. The problem with this strategy is it leaves the secondary undermanned to defend against downfield passes. Expect McNabb to take advantage and throw deep to Curtis and Brown.
When the Eagles Have the Ball
Running Game
Since offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg took over the play-calling duties from Andy Reid, the Eagles have made the run game a bigger part of their offense. That will continue on Sunday, as they look to attack the interior of the Packers� defense with a smashmouth approach. The Eagles have one of the heaviest offensive lines in football and will look to overpower the Packers� front four by running primarily traps and inside run plays. Westbrook is a stronger inside runner than his size would indicate and hits the hole hard, which will give the Packers� front seven very little time to get off blocks and make a play.
Expect the Packers to bring an eighth defender into the box on occasion, but the Eagles can counter that by motioning Westbrook out to the slot and changing the play to a pass. The Eagles will likely run fewer perimeter rushing plays because linebackers A.J. Hawk and Nick Barnett are outstanding athletes who run well laterally, and they should be successful in slowing down the outside runs. Advantage: Eagles.
Passing Game
Quarterback Donovan McNabb seems to have established some chemistry with newly acquired wide receiver Kevin Curtis. Though many thought it might take Curtis time to adjust to the West Coast offense after spending his entire career in the Rams� vertical passing attack, he has been a favorite target for McNabb all preseason. Curtis will be the vertical threat the Packers� need to account for.
The key to the Eagles� passing game this week will be for Curtis and fellow receiver Reggie Brown to get clean releases off the ball and not get jammed at the line by Packers cornerbacks Al Harris and Charles Woodson. Timing is instrumental to the success of the West Coast offense, so if the receivers can't get off the line, it will affect the flow of the Eagles' passing game.
Look for Mornhinweg to use bunch formations to defeat the press coverage. If Harris and Woodson play close to the line, the inside receivers will step forward and set a natural pick, and the Eagles will run split end screens. To avoid this, the Packers� cornerbacks will line up farther off the ball; that, in turn, should allow Curtis and Brown to get a clean release. Advantage: Eagles.
Blitz
The Packers have more confidence in their secondary than they did last season, so the Eagles should expect to face a more aggressive blitz package on Sunday. The Eagles� offensive line returns all five starters from last year, and they do a nice job communicating and picking up blitzes and twists. They will need to slide their protection to the right to help tackle Jon Runyan, who will be working against Aaron Kampman, the Packers' left end. Kampan registered 15.5 sacks last season and could be difficult for Runyan to handle on his own. Advantage: Packers.
In the Red Zone
The Eagles like to throw the ball in the red zone, and they will try to match up Westbrook against a linebacker, which is a clear mismatch. The Eagles will work out of base personnel, then motion Westbrook out wide into the slot.
If McNabb sees a linebacker shift wide to cover Westbrook, the quarterback will get the ball to Westbrook in the flat and allow him to make a play in the open field. When faced with these situations, the Packers must roll a safety out to cover Westbrook. Advantage: Eagles.
When the Packers Have the Ball
Running Game
The first question surrounding the run game is, who will be running the ball? Rookie Brandon Jackson�s running style is a perfect fit for the Packers� zone blocking scheme, but the concussion he suffered during the preseason puts his availability in question. Veteran Vernand Morency has been sidelined with a patellar tendon injury all preseason, and although he is on the mend, his fitness will be a question mark.
Regardless of who is running the ball, expect to see a lot of inside and outside zone runs, with the offensive linemen blocking areas of the field rather than particular defenders. The Eagles� front seven will shoot gaps and attack the line of scrimmage, which makes it difficult for the zone blocking scheme to be successful. The Packers� offensive line loves to cut block on the backside of plays, so the Eagles� front four must keep their hands in front of them to defend the cut and pursue the football. If new middle linebacker Omar Gaither dissects plays quickly and avoids getting tied up with blockers, he has the ability to make a lot of plays on Sunday. Advantage: Eagles.
Passing Game
Quarterback Brett Favre will look to attack the Eagles� linebackers and exploit their limited coverage skills. Takeo Spikes has always been a better blitzer than cover defender, and he still is recovering from his torn Achilles'. Chris Gocong is a converted defensive lineman who spent last year on injured reserve, so in essence this is his first year playing linebacker. He still looks uncomfortable playing in space and has been slow to react to screen passes thus far. Gaither displays great range in coverage, but is slow to react to play-action and might allow receivers to get behind him.
Look for the Packers to use wide receivers Donald Driver and Greg Jennings on a lot of inside slants to get them the ball in the middle of the field. Also expect to see a lot of screen passes, which will test the linebackers� ability to make plays in the open field.
Though the short passing attack will be a big part of the passing game, Favre will also look to take advantage of the man coverage the Eagles run on the perimeter and test cornerbacks Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown. Favre will try to bait them with pump-and-go routes and connect with Driver and Jennings before safeties Brian Dawkins and Sean Considine can come over to help. Advantage: Packers.
Blitz
Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson never saw a blitz he didn�t like. If the Eagles are able to shut down the run game and force a lot of third-and-long situations, expect Johnson to throw everything he has at Favre. The Eagles have talented ends in Jevon Kearse and Trent Cole, and you can also expect Dawkins to be heavily involved in the blitz package. Favre will need to utilize rollouts and bootlegs to force them to alter their pass-rushing angles, thereby buying time for his receivers to get open. Advantage: Eagles.
In the Red Zone
The Packers like to run a lot of crossing patterns in the red zone because most defenses play man coverage, and it is difficult to defend an inside route when playing man. Brown and Sheppard must align inside of Jennings and Driver and not allow them to get an inside release. But the cornerbacks also can't completely give up the sideline because Favre could audible to fade routes. Also, look for Favre to pick on Gocong if he sees him lined up opposite a tight end. Advantage: Packers.
The Bottom Line
In a battle of high-profile quarterbacks, McNabb will shine brightest. He will pick apart the Packers' secondary, taking advantage of many mismatches. The lack of an effective running game will make the Packers one-dimensional and allow the Eagles to mercilessly blitz Favre.
Pick: Eagles 28, Packers 15
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Eagles @ Packers 1pm Est
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