Eagles-Packers player matchups to watch in wild card round

The No. 2-seeded Eagles (14-3) are hosting the No. 7-seeded Green Bay Packers (11-6) in the NFC wild card round on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Linc.

The Eagles beat the Packers back in Week 1 in São Paulo, Brazil, by a score of 34-29 and now the two teams are set to meet again at the start of the playoffs.

Here are some key matchups to watch:

Cooper DeJean vs. Jayden Reed

A lot of has obviously changed for both the Eagles and the Packers since that Week 1 game in Brazil. But if you remember that game, Jayden Reed had a big-time performance. He had 4 catches for 138 yards and a touchdown and also had a 33-yard run for a touchdown. Jordan Love completed 3 of 5 passes to Reed in the slot in Week 1 for 129 yards and a touchdown.

Avonte Maddox struggled overall during the first quarter of the season and was replaced by Cooper DeJean as the nickel cornerback in Week 6. That’s a big deal because Reed is the Packers’ leading receiver this season and he operates primarily out of the slot.

The Packers don’t really have a star receiver. Reed led the team with 55 catches for 857 yards and 6 touchdowns. It’s worth noting that 72% of his snaps came in the slot, which sets up a matchup against DeJean, who has been really good as a rookie but didn’t get a chance to play on defense in the season opener against Green Bay.

Last week, the Packers suffered a big loss when Christian Watson was lost for the season with an ACL tear. Watson is a bit inconsistent but is super talented and is the Packers’ deep threat. He averaged over 21 yards-per-reception and he’s the guy on that offense that really stretches the field. Without him, the Packers are going to miss that stretch-the-field element and might end up getting a little more horizontal on offense. If that’s the case, expect a lot of passes to got to Reed and tight end Tucker Kraft underneath, even though both have caught balls downfield. Romeo Doubs is a solid receiver but the Eagles will probably feel pretty good with either Quinyon Mitchell or Darius Slay on him.

The Packers this year were tied for the league lead with 14 passes of 40+ yards. Watson and Reed each had five of those catches.

Eagles run defense vs. Josh Jacobs

The first number Vic Fangio is going to write on the whiteboard this week is No. 8. The Eagles need to slow down Josh Jacobs on Sunday.

While Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry both had incredible seasons, Jacobs quietly put together another really strong season in his first year in Green Bay. He rushed for 1,329 yards, 15 touchdowns and also caught 36 passes for 342 yards and another score.

What has made the Packers run game so effective?

“Well, they have got a really good line to begin with,” Fangio said. “I think their 5-0 linemen have been in there for every play I think, No. 1. No. 2, they have a great back. Jacobs has had as good a year as anybody, and he's hard to tackle. Runs physical.

“And they have the play pass game off of it. So they have really good big play receivers that you're always worried about, and the combination of them being able to throw it down the field and run it is a tough combination.”

While the Packers line has done a nice job, Jacobs is also efficient and getting the most of his opportunities, beyond even what you’d expect from a back who is averaging 4.4 yards per carry. Jacobs has gained more yards than expected on 48.8% of his carries, which is the third highest rate among qualified backs, according to NFL NextGen Stats. His 217 rushing yards over expected rank fifth among backs this season.

And he’s doing a lot of damage between the tackles. Of his 1,329 yards on the ground, 893 of them (and 10 touchdowns) have come between the tackles. That’s tops in the NFL among running backs.

The Eagles have to be able to stuff the run up the gut in this game. Could be a big opportunity for Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean and Zack Baun behind him.

Eagles pass rushers vs. Jordan Love

The Eagles at times this season were able to get after opposing quarterbacks but finished as a middle-of-the-pack defense in terms of pressure. They finished the regular season with 41 sacks (13th in the NFL) and their pressure rate of 31.1% was ranked 28th in the league, according to NextGen Stats.

Love doesn’t get sacked very much either. The Packers’ starting quarterback was sacked just 14 times in 15 games this season. He’s extremely elusive in the pocket and can be tough to get to the ground. Among the 28 quarterbacks in the NFL this season to attempt 300+ passes, Love’s sack percentage (3.19%) ranks second-lowest ahead of just Josh Allen (2.82%).

On the season, the Eagles have the 28th-highest blitz rate in the NFL at 19.3% but back in Week 1, Fangio sent pressure. The Eagles’ blitz rate in that game was 32.4%, which was one of their highest rates of the season. When asked if that high blitz rate was about game plan or about figuring out his own personnel, Fangio on Tuesday said, “both.”

The Eagles have relied on group rush all season and that won’t change in the playoffs. They’ll have a rotation of Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith, Bryce Huff and Jalyx Hunt at the edge rusher position. And then they’ll have Jalen Carter, Milton Williams, Jordan Davis and Moro Ojomo getting snaps at defensive tackle. Fangio would probably prefer to not be a heavy-blitzing team in the playoffs but if the front can’t get home, he might have to send an occasional linebacker.

Vic Fangio vs. Matt LaFleur

Back in 2019 in an ESPN story, when asked independently which coach’s defense was the toughest to read and attack, LaFleur, Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay all said Fangio’s defense.

Back then, LaFleur was entering his first year as the Packers’ head coach. Fangio was entering his first year as the Broncos’ head coach after runs as the DC in San Francisco and Chicago. Here’s what LaFleur said about Fangio in that ESPN story:

“There are so many guys and every system is different, but I look at Vic Fangio. Just the fronts and the multiple looks you get from him. That's incredibly difficult. Shoot, Indianapolis last year we knew exactly what they were going to do to us and we didn't have a lot of success because they were so sound. They stuffed the run out of a two-safety defense and played extremely fast.”

The respect goes both ways. This week, Fangio explained what makes LaFleur so good at calling his offense in Green Bay.

“He's got a great knowledge of his offense,” Fangio said. “He's got a great feel for calling the game, and it's easier for him to do that because the run is never a bad play for those guys. And he has the patience and the mindset to stick with the run, and then mix in the play passes. I think he does a great job calling the game.”

This should be a high-level battle between two of the best on Sunday.

Jalen Hurts vs. Xavier McKinney

After turning the ball over 7 times in the first 4 games of the season, Hurts had just 3 in the next 11 after the Eagles came back from their early bye week. Back in Week 1, Hurts was picked off twice and fumbled away the ball once in the Eagles’ tight win. He was picked off once by Jaire Alexander (who won’t play in this game) and once by Xavier McKinney. The focus of the Eagles’ offense has changed greatly since the first quarter of the season. After the bye week, the Eagles really began to lean into their run game and asked Hurts to play a more efficient style of football. He has been able to do that.

Hurts will need to make sure to protect the football in this game, especially with McKinney roaming the middle of the field. Three of Hurts’ five interceptions this year have come to veteran free safeties: McKinney, Jessie Bates and Tyrann Mathieu.

The Packers are one of the best defenses in the NFL when it comes to forcing turnovers. They have 31 takeaways this season; the only teams with more are the Vikings (33), Steelers (33) and Bills (32). The Packers play a ton of zone coverage and keep their eyes on the quarterback. And then they have McKinney who can cover  a ton of ground to make plays on the ball. McKinney was a huge score for the Packers in free agency. He has eight interceptions and 11 pass breakups this season. Hurts has to know where No. 29 is at all times.

A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith vs. Packers secondary

The Packers this season have the No. 13-ranked passing defense in the NFL but they will enter this game without Alexander, who is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. It’s a big deal that the Packers won’t have their top cornerback in a game against one of the best pairs of receivers in the NFL. Even with Alexander, Brown was able to make plays. In Week 1, Alexander did get an interception but gave up 4 catches for 108 yards and a touchdown against Brown, according to NextGen Stats.

Brown and Smith each missed some time with injuries this season so their season totals aren’t as impressive as they have been in recent years. But both are relatively healthy going into the playoffs and are going to be a handful for the Packers’ defense. Brown has been limited this week with a “knee/rest” designation but is expected to play on Sunday.

Without Alexander, the Packers’ corners are Keisean Nixon, Eric Stokes and Carrington Valentine. No matter what corners the Eagles face, they normally feel like they have an advantage and it’s no different this week.

Lane Johnson vs. Rashan Gary

The Packers’ defensive line has been a little underwhelming this season. As a team, Green Bay finished the season with 45 sacks but had a pressure rate of 32.3%, which ranked 20th in the NFL. The Packers also don’t like to blitz very much. Their blitz rate is just 16.8% this season; the only team to blitz at a lower rate this year was the Jacksonville Jaguars.

So if the Eagles’ talented offensive line is able to shut down the Packers’ front, then Hurts is going to have time to throw or the Packers are going to have to get out of themselves to blitz more.

The Packers’ top edge rusher is veteran Rashan Gary, who led the team with 7 1/2 sacks and 15 quarterback hits this season. Gary mostly rushes from the defensive left, which sets up a matchup against an old brick wall in Lane Johnson. The Packers have some big names on that line with Gary, Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, Kingsley Enagbare, Lukas Van Ness and Preston Wilson, but they haven’t been as productive as you’d expect; and the Eagles’ strength is their offensive line.

Saquon Barkley vs. Packers run defense

The Packers this season ended up with the No. 7-ranked run defense in the NFL, giving up 99.4 yards per game. They were also third in the NFL, giving up just 1.0 rushing yards before contact per attempt, per NextGen Stats. The Eagles, meanwhile, were third in the NFL in rushing yards before contact this season, averaging 2.17. So something has to give in this matchup. In Week 1, Barkley faced a light box (6 or fewer defenders) on 16 of 24 carries and picked up 92 yards on those runs.

The Eagles finished the season with more rushing attempts than any team in the league and finished second in rushing yards. Saquon Barkley had an incredible season, becoming just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in 16 games.

There’s no doubt that the Eagles’ offensive identity this season became their ability to bully opposing defenses in the run game. That was a change the Eagles made coming back from the bye week at the suggestion of a few key offensive linemen and it has worked out well.

The one guy to keep an eye on is Green Bay rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, who has emerged as a big-time player in 2024. He was not a big part of the defense in Week 1.

Eagles kick coverage vs. Keisean Nixon

The Eagles have been a bit leaky in their kickoff coverage at times this season and they’ll face one of the best in the league in Keisean Nixon on Sunday.

Nixon, 27, returned 18 kicks for an average of 29.3 yards this season and is consistently among the league leaders in this category. He was named first-team All-Pro the last two years.

What makes him so good?

“Elite speed. Great vision. It’s a little bit similar to [KaVontae] Turpin,” Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay said. “If you look at his kickoff returns, he kind of lulls you to sleep in that first 10 to 12 yards. It looks like he's kind of jogging and then he hits that burst. So, for us, we have to really minimize the space he has in the running lanes, get off blocks. Great block destruction and come to the party right there, like we did on the one with Turpin that he got tackled at the 26. You know, being able to eliminate those big spaces right there.

“But he is a fantastic kickoff return guy. I think he's a two-time All-Pro kickoff returner. But he lulls you to sleep and he has that burst, and if you get out-leveraged, we tell the guys, ‘If you're head up, you're pretty much out of position.’ So, we don't want to get head up. We want to keep this leveraged out and get off blocks and make a secure tackle with him.”

For most of the season, the Eagles have used punter Braden Mann as their kickoff guy but Mann has struggled. Jake Elliott handled those duties against the Cowboys and got five touchbacks on seven kickoffs. It would probably make sense to go with Elliott in the playoffs, especially against Nixon.

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