Will the Packers surprise the favored Eagles?
It’s that time of year when the number of NFL games per week decreases rapidly. The regular season is over and now six games are scheduled for “Wild Card Weekend”. Although there are at least minor question marks over the most important position for both teams.
Because Philly quarterback Jalen Hurts had to sit out the last two games due to the “NFL’s concussion protocol”. However, the playmaker would probably not have been fielded on the final day of play against the New York Giants, similar to other important personnel, even if he had not been injured. Without him and running back Saquon Barkley, for example, the franchise from the state of Pennsylvania successfully closed out the regular season with a 20-13 win.
The team from Wisconsin has even more worries than the hosts. Because quarterback Jordan Love had to leave the field injured last week. Even though there were signs of relief for Love immediately after the defeat against Chicago, there was other bad news for the “cheeseheads”. Nevertheless, we are choosing between the Eagles and Packers to place a bet on a key player for the guests at Betano.
Philadelphia Eagles – Statistics & current form
As the second-best team in the National Football Conference, the Philadelphia Eagles made it to the playoffs. Philly only lost three games this season. After an early bye week in week five, they went on to win twelve of their last 13 games.
Outstanding running game!
After signing Barkley in the offseason, it was to be expected that the offense would focus on the running game. In addition, Hurts, as a mobile quarterback, is also an option in the running game. Only the Ravens were statistically ahead of Nick Sirianni’s team in the regular season in terms of the run game. Barkley finished the season with a career-high 2005 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns! The 1.7 rushing touchdowns per game that this unit was able to record is also the second-best figure so far.
However, the strong focus on the run game came at the expense of the passing offense. Despite the strong receiver duo of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, the team only managed just under 3,500 passing yards in 17 games. Only three teams gained fewer passing yards over the entire season. Nevertheless, the passing game should not be underestimated, as Hurts repeatedly managed to set his receivers up. With a touchdown-interception ratio of 18-5, he ranks sixth among all playmakers.
The defensive unit has quietly become one of the best in the league. Not only did the defense allow by far the fewest yards per game (278.4 yards) for the opponent, but also allowed the second fewest points of all teams with 17.8 points on average. If a weakness has to be pointed out, it would be the run defense, which is at best solid.
Key Players:
- QB: Jalen Hurts
- RB: Saquon Barkley
- WR: A.J. Brown
- TE: Dallas Goedert
- K: Jake Elliott
Green Bay Packers – statistics & current form
But then the question arises as to whether the guests can attack on the ground in the matchup? Looking at the first meeting between the two teams from week one, one could come to the conclusion that this is at least possible. Furthermore, Green Bay was able to confirm the impression from the first game over the rest of the season and always showed great solidity in the run game. To be fair, they are on average over 30 yards behind Philly, but they still have a top-5 running game.
This was mainly shouldered by running back Josh Jacobs, who came from Las Vegas in the offseason. His 1,329 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns show how important he is to this offense. No other running back in this unit has more than 502 yards and four successful trips to the end zone. In his debut in the Green Bay colors in week one in Philadelphia, he was held scoreless. Nevertheless, we are placing a tip on the 26-year-old in the Eagles vs. Packers clash. In the last eight regular season games, he scored twelve touchdowns!
In the passing game, we will be missing – and this brings us to the bad news mentioned at the beginning – wide receiver Christian Watson. With 620 receiving yards, he played a big part in the offensive output. It was precisely the large number of equally good receivers that made the passing offense difficult to calculate. After Watson’s injury, the team is now missing an element that is difficult to replace. Nevertheless, we do not expect the passing game, which has been solid so far, to suffer.
Defensively, the change of defensive coordinator has had a noticeable impact this season, taking the unit to a new level. Nevertheless, none of the “cheeseheads” is 100 percent satisfied with this personnel group. At least, and this is optimistic for the upcoming matchup, run defense has always been a strength. That’s why we dare to predict between the Eagles and Packers that the hosts will definitely have to leave their comfort zone – the running game – in order to consistently move the offense.
Key Players:
- QB: Jordan Love
- RB: Josh Jacobs
- WR: Romeo Doubs
- TE: Tucker Kraft
- K: Brandon McManus
Eagles – Packers head-to-head record / H2H record
In the game in week one, which was played as the first international game of the season in Brazil, the “hosts” at the Corinthians Arena had the upper hand. If the Eagles beat the Packers again, betting odds of up to 1.45 beckon in the markets. Of course, a tip on the underdog, which can be played safely with the Merkur Bets new customer bonus, for example, offers significantly more value. On September 7, the result was 34:29 and if a similar number of points are scored again, the point limit of 45.5 would be significantly exceeded.
Eagles – Packers Tip
The game at Lincoln Financial Field is definitely one of the more evenly matched matchups on Wild Card Weekend. However, based on the win-loss record of the two teams and their performances in the second half of the season, Philadelphia is rightly considered the favorite. Nevertheless, we will refrain from making a recommendation on the outcome of the game.
Rather, our main tip is on a player from the guests who has recently performed outstandingly and still offers great value. That’s why we’re going for a touchdown from Josh Jacobs.
Last but not least, it would not surprise us if the defenses took the game a little more this time. That’s why we tend to go with the “under” option when it comes to the over/under.
