Somehow, in a game between the Eagles and Packers at Lambeau Field that featured almost no offensive firepower, the Eagles were able to grab a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, which should have been plenty enough to win going away. That's how bad the Packers were on offense.
Instead, Packers kicker Brandon McManus lined up for the game-tying, 64-yard attempt with two seconds to play in the game, and the threat of overtime hovered around Lambeau – for like 20 seconds. McManus then shanked his kick – basically sideways – and gave the Packers no chance to tie and comeback in a game they didn't even deserve to be in by that point.
The Eagles came out of the bye very rusty, and still toting the same offensive blemishes that they carried for most of eight weeks into the bye, but got the 10-7 win to keep coach Nick Sirianni undefeated coming out of the bye week and improve the Eagles to 7-2 while the Packers – who they could see again in the postseason – fell to 5-3-1.
Let's get on with the observations:
Was Matt LaFleur scared of Vic Fangio?
The Packers and specifically their offensive play caller, Matt LaFleur, coached like a scared kitty in a dark alley. Or like he had nightmares of Vic Fanigio's defensive scheme and the four turnovers it caused in last year's NFC Wild Card game. LaFleur dialed one run up the gut after another for about three quarters, essentially neutering his Pro Bowl quarterback in the name of playing it safe. How'd that work out? The Packers had less than 200 yards going into the fourth quarter and were shut out.
Not surprisingly, when the Packers fell down 10-0 in the fourth and were forced to pass, they started to move the ball more efficiently. Jordan Love opened Green Bay's first scoring drive with three consecutive completions and went 7-for-8 for 45 yards and got a 21-yard pass interference call on Jihaad Campbell to set up Josh Jacobs' touchdown run.
Maybe LaFleur should've let his quarterback warm up earlier. But, hey, credit to Fangio for getting inside the head of the opponent and winning the intimidation battle before the game even started.
DeVonta Smith continues to be the Eagles' No. 1 receiver
He led the Eagles in catches and yards going into the bye – by a lot – and added 69 more yards and another touchdown, a 36-yarder in the fourth that built the Eagles' lead to 10-0. Smith also had an enormous 16-yard catch on 3rd-and-12th in the fourth.
In a game where Jalen Hurts was slightly off, he managed to hit Smith perfectly for the big touchdown, as Smith continues to be the guy Hurts looks for in game-breaking situations and when the offense needs a conversion.
Jaelan Phillips and Nolan Smith made an impact
As expected, newcomer Jaelan Phillips started opposite Nolan Smith, who was activated to the 53-man roster. And as expected, Fangio didn't treat his new edge rusher with kid gloves. Phillips wasn't part of rotation, as he was on the field almost the entire time.
The Eagles' pass rush didn't generate a ton of sacks but they did generate a decent amount of pressure and Phillips definitely made an impact. He mainly lined up on the left side – where he played mostly with the Dolphins – and battled Packers right tackle Zach Tom, a very good player. Smith and Jalyx Hunt each had sacks, and Jalen Carter batted two passes.
In general, the Eagles made Love look very uncomfortable in the pocket for almost the entire game.
Nakobe Dean is the man again opposite Zack Baun
Jimmy Kempski will have the snap counts, but Nakobe Dean clearly appeared to be play more alongside Zack Baun than Jihaad Campbell. Dean isn't the athlete that Campbell is, but as the brains of the defensive front, he gets everyone aligned properly and excels at the key-and-diagnose element of run defense. You could understand why Fangio would want that trait and experience against the Packers.
Dean is also an excellent blitzer, and he blitzed twice on Green Bay's last possession of the first half, the second of which led to a sack and forced fumble. That was a huge sequence as Green Bay for the first time had marched deeper into Philadelphia territory.
Eagles run game reverted back to below average
It wasn't quite the colossal disaster that it was for the first seven weeks, but it also wasn't the impactful ground game that made mince meat of the Giants' defensive front. Saquon Barkley ripped off a 15-yard gain early and the Eagles, again using jumbo packages and under center, had some decent success in the ground game.
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But the game progressed, a lot more incidences of Barkley getting stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage, especially as the Eagles were trying to take time off the clock up 10-0 in the fourth, which they didn't do well. Barkley averaged 2.7 yards per carry, and the Eagles averaged just 3.3 yards per carry. Back to the drawing board…
Improvement in third-down offense
You might have heard, or read here, that the Eagles went into the bye as one of the NFL's worst third-down offenses. It looked fixed on the opening possession, when they converted three and were on their way to being 4-for-4 until Hurts fumbled after getting 11 yards on a designed run on 3rd-and-8.
But then came the rest of the first half. The Eagles went 3-and-out on their next two possessions, then got a defensive pass interference on the next, then didn't convert their next two. Their best third-down conversion came when Hurts found Smith for 16 yards on 3rd-and-12 late in the fourth to avoid an immediate punt back to Green Bay after the Packers had just scored a touchdown to cut their deficit to three. In total, the Eagles were 7-for-16 on third down, a clip of 44 percent.
The new-look secondary didn't look any different
Not too many surprises despite the new additions. Adoree' Jackson, back from a concussion, started opposite Quinyon Mitchell in nickel defense, with Cooper DeJean sliding to the slot. Michael Carter II got on the field on special teams.
Mitchell had a terrific game, and surprisingly, the Packers seemed to go after him more than they did Jackson. Romeo Doubs beat Jackson on a deep over late in the fourth but dropped Love's pass. For at least one more week, status quo in the Eagles' secondary.
Will AJ Brown be happy?
We're gonna guess … no. But he's probably not the only Eagles receiver not thrilled. Targets were at a premium in this one, with Hurts only completing 15 passes, and with the Packers playing a ton of zone. Brown was targeted just three times, including a strange fourth-down target with less than 30 seconds to play that should've been a punt or field goal attempt – or anything but a pass.
Win the turnover battle, win the game
An impressive Eagles opening drive that swallowed up nearly nine minutes was wasted when Hurts had a rare loss of his grip on the football at the tail end of a well-designed QB draw on 3rd-and-8 that saw Hurts gain 11 yards until Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper punched the ball out of his hands. It was only the fourth turnover of the season for the Eagles, third for Hurts.
But the Eagles almost always win when they win the turnover battle, and they did. Love and Jacobs each lost fumbles, with Jacobs' fourth-quarter fumble serving as the nail in Green Bay's coffin, although the Packers didn't line up correctly anyway. The Eagles improved to 5-0 this season when they win the turnover battle.
What's next?
It doesn't get much easier for the Eagles, who play another NFC North team – the Lions – at home next Sunday in the prime time game on NBC. The Lions are coming off a 44-22 drubbing of the Commanders that got Detroit to 6-3.
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