The seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers couldn’t get out of their own way in what was a winnable game against the second-seeded Philadelphia Eagles, en route to a 22-10 defeat.
They trailed 7-0 at the break after immediately starting the game behind the eight ball. Eagles linebacker Oren Burks, a former Packers third-round pick, hammered Packers All-Pro return man Keisean Nixon on the opening kickoff to force a fumble. The officials called on the field that the Eagles recovered the football despite replay angles indicating Nixon fell on the football for a recovery before it was ripped out of his hands on the ground. Three plays later, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts hit wide receiver Jahan Dotson for an 11-yard touchdown to give Philadelphia an immediate 7-0 lead.
However, the Packers defense recovered to force Philadelphia punts on five of the next nine drives which kept Green Bay in the game. Green Bay wasn’t able to turn the Eagles over, which is how they added three field goals and a touchdown – a 24-yard catch-and-run on an all out blitz by tight end Dallas Goedert as well. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, the 2024 NFL rushing champion, finished the game with 119 yards on 24 carries while Hurts threw for 131 yards and two touchdowns on 13 of 21 passing while adding 37 yards rushing on five carries.
Green Bay also caused plenty of self-inflicted wounds on top of actual injuries. They committed eight penalties that cost them 85 yards of field position. The offense also couldn’t get out of its own way for most of the day after losing Pro Bowl left guard Elgton Jenkins early with a shoulder injury. Two early interceptions from quarterback Jordan Love and a missed 38-yard field goal by kicker Brandon McManus from 38 yards out, a miss that just barely eked wide right for his first career postseason field goal miss on 11 tries hampered Green Bay’s efforts. Love finished the game with 212 yards passing and three interceptions on 20 of 33 passing. That made him the first Packers quarterback ever with no touchdowns and at least three interceptions in a playoff game, per CBS Sports Research.
Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs dragged the Packers back into the game late with a 31-yard run on the final play of the third quarter. Jacobs took a shotgun handoff from Love, and he exploded through a hole on the right side of the line. Eagles defenders were grabbing his undershirt, but Jacobs refused to go down. Green Bay has a first-and-goal at the one to begin the fourth quarter trailing 16-3. He plunged into the end zone on the next play.
Ultimately, injuries to Jenkins and multiple wide receivers — Romeo Doubs (head) and Jayden Reed (arm) – doomed the comeback effort. Love’s incomplete pass to backup receiver Malik Heath on a fourth-and-three with 5:03 left to play in which Heath couldn’t get both feet in bounds essentially killed the Packers’ comeback efforts. Philadelphia added two field goals after that, which allowed them to advance to the NFC Divisional round while a wounded Green Bay squad was sent home to plan for 2025.
Why the Eagles won
They didn’t shoot themselves in the foot with turnovers. Philadelphia played a clean game, and they won the turnover battle against Green Bay by a resounding 4-0 margin. Even though Hurts struggled with accuracy or decision-making – holding on to the football too long when dropping back to pass – the Eagles were able to overcome that issue with 169 net rushing yards as a team.
Barkley and the offensive line dragged their offense into position to at least get three points on field goals enough times to keep a safe distance from the Packers. That early edge thanks to Nixon’s fumble on the opening kickoff allowed the Eagles to run the football often, and it in turn kept the Packers away from doing what they do best: getting Jacobs going on the ground.
Why the Packers lost
Turnovers and injuries created inefficiency. Losing Pro Bowl left guard Elgton Jenkins early on was killer. His backups, Travis Glover (three penalties) and Kadeem Telfort (one penalty), combined to commit four of the Packers’ eight penalties. One couldn’t script a worse way for the Packers to start the game after Nixon’s opening kickoff fumbled that was controversially ruled the Eagles’ ball. Green Bay receivers failed to separate all game as injury after injury decimated the position. Deep threat Christian Watson (knee) was knocked out in Week 18, and he was followed to the sidelines by Romeo Doubs (head) and Jayden Reed (arm) on Sunday in Philadelphia. Center Josh Myers was injured late, and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt (lower leg) was ruled out in the second half.
Jacobs was solid enough in the second half to hit 81 yards rushing on 18 carries as the only offensive bright spot. Green Bay’s offense and special teams units couldn’t provide enough juice to match their defense’s valiant effort in a game that was an uphill climb from the word go. That’s how the Packers ended up with a season-low 10 points.
Turning point
Backup wide receiver Malik Heath being unable to get his feet down in bounds on a fourth-and-three with just over five minutes left in a 19-10 game extinguished the Packers’ comeback hopes. Green Bay’s deficit was too large while their time to overcome it, at that point, became too small.
Play of the game
This play encapsulated the game on Sunday. The Packers brought the house on a blitz, and the Eagles beat it for a touchdown despite Green Bay’s best efforts. Hurts recognized the one-on-one coverage, and he dumped it down to tight end Dallas Goedert. Goedert stiff-armed Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine, and then he broke free for a 24-yard touchdown reception. That gave the Eagles a 16-3 lead with 3:20 left in the third quarter after kicker Jake Elliott missed the extra point. Once Philadelphia went up by two scores here, it felt like they were fully in control for the rest of the game.
What’s next
Green Bay is left to assess some of their needs at cornerback, wide receiver and offensive line to name a few entering the 2025 offseason. Philadelphia can now kick back and relax to see if they will face the third-seeded Tampa Buccaneers, the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Rams or the fifth-seeded Minnesota Vikings as opening round action winds down.
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