Biggest Item…
Jordan Love’s MCL sprain. Win or Lose, in Week 1, if your star QB gets hurt, potentially for the season, that’s the almost the only item of concern. Love was listed as day-to-day with his MCL sprain. While initially when Matt LaFleur said someting along the lines of “If Love can’t go, Malik will be ready.” That “if” gave Packer Nation a shock of hope, at the very minimum, that the season isn’t over. We’ll see — I believe it’s gamesmanship by the Head Coach to force the Colts to prepare (even at minimum) for Love and to take a little bit of prep time off Malik Willis.
Eagles Game Review
The Packers and Eagles put up quite a bit of offense – each team amassing over 400 yards of total offense, with Philadelphia’s defense outperforming Green Bay’s by just enough to win the game. Love made a couple of crucial mistakes. He missed a few open receivers and threw behind a couple of others. The interception was a bit forced and the offense did not help itself when gifted back to back turnovers by the defense resulting in only 9 points off three Eagles turnovers. If you’ve been following along with me, you know the importance I put on Points off Turnovers. Philadelphia scored 7 off the sole Packers turnover, but that was a pivitol moment in the game and swung momentum completely to Philly’s side. Green Bay had the ball, momentum, and up 2 points with an opportunity to increase the lead to a 2-score game.
Typically, if you win the turnover battle, you win the game. However, the great equalizers are penalties, 3rd down conversions, and red zone efficiency. Neither team was great on 3rd down, but the Eagles committed fewer penalties and fared far better in Red Zone efficiency (25% vs. 50%). That was the difference in the game. On the first drive of the game, the Packers had a 3rd & 6 from the PHI 38, and like we’ve seen so many times with Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love caught Philadelphia with too many men on the field and delivered a touchdown pass to an open Jayden Reed. However, the Packers had too many on the field as well, nullifying the play and having to replay. Just another example of penalties wiping out a huge difference. That one cost the Packers 7 points, and when you lose by 5…
New Look Defense…Looks the Same?
Many fans jumped to the conclusion following the game of “Same ‘ole Packers’ defense.” However, that doesn’t tell the whole story. First thing to consider is Philadelphia may have the most loaded offense in the entire NFL. Their offensive line is top notch, Saquon Barkley is in the prime of his career, Jalen Hurts is very dangerous, their Wide Receivers are solid throughout, and their Tight Ends are in the tops of the league as well. The Packers defense set the tone and gave more than enough for the offense to jump out to an early 21-0 lead. I mentioned the penalty wiping out the Reed TD on the first drive of the game. Here are the Eagles’ first two drives:
- INTERCEPTION: 3 plays, -5 yards, 0:54 time of possession (McKinney’s INT gave the Packers the ball at the PHI 19).
- FUMBLE: 3 plays, -2 yards, 1:20 possession (Devonte Wyatt’s recovery gave Green Bay the ball on PHI’s 14).
Both of those turnovers only generated field goals. Both drives starting in the Red Zone. Should the Packers have converted those into touchdowns instead of field goals, that’s an additional 8 points. This was my focus throughout the game. Momentum is a huge factor in football and almost impossible to track/chart, but had the Packers gone up 21-0, even 14-0, that sets such a different pace for the reamainder of the game and the defense thrives off that momentum – not just the Packers defense, any defense.
Who Played Well?
The Packers rookie linebacker has flashed in camp and came in with high-potential. That seemed to translate in his few opportunities. There are two plays that, I believe, encapsulate the rookie linebacker’s ability. These 4 snaps give a solid look into his value and game-changing ability. He must play more considering Isaiah McDuffie was in “coverage” vs. Saquon Barkley on the Eagels’ first TD of the game. McDuffie is a nice back-up that can help in the run game. Cooper, as seen in some of those clips, can do both, espeically cover.
Jayden Reed had a breakout rookie season and showed signs of progressing even further. He had 2 touchdowns, each an electric play. All this tells me is that he needs to touch the ball as often as possible. He’s truly a game-changer and can take over a game. He proved it as a rookie, and had a phenomonal game. I’ll mention it a third time, he had a 3rd TD (first drive of the game) wiped out by penalty. The kid seems to be a stud, and the Packers have found themselves a great one.
The Colts took on the AFC’s version of the Packers, and had them on the ropes. Indianapolis kept responding to keep the game within a field goal, late. The Texans closed the game out with an 8-play, 25-yard drive that ate up the remaining 2:14 of the game. Houston prevailed with a 29-27 win at Lucas Oil Stadium, but there’s one play that showed what the 2nd-year Colts’ QB can do, a 60-yard bomb to Alec Pierce, a throw that only a few people on the planet can make. His stat line, however gives opportunity to a Packers’ defense to get right. Anthony Richardson completed only 9 of his 19 pass attempts for 212 yards (60 coming on that bomb), with 2 touchdowns and an interception.
Matchup
Indianapolis gave up 213 rush yards to the Texans. Even if Jordan Love can’t go, this is a great indicator that the Colts will have to load the box to stop Josh Jacobs and the Packers rush attack, making things just a bit easier for Malik Willis in the pass game. If Willis is the starter, look for a few end arounds by Reed and Watson to alleviate the interior of the defense and open up running lanes inside for the running backs. The Colts only had the lone turnover, but the Packes MUST capitalize on any/all opportunities when turnovers present themselves. Keep in mind Keison Nixon had a dropped interception that could’ve been taken back to the house for a TD in Brazil. Can’t keep doing that as dropped pick-6’s are essentially giving the opponent a TD if not worse.
Much has been said about the lack of pass rush vs. Philly, however it was clear the game plan was for the Defensive Ends (Gary, Preston, Van Ness, and Enagbare) to contain Hurts in the pocket and force him to beat them with his arm, which he “did.” Look for the same with Richardson, who is a great athlete as well and can dice you up with his legs. The difference? He’s not as lethal and accurate as a passer as Hurts, ‘nor does he have the same caliber of weaponry as the Eagles.
Prediction
It’s tough for me to figure out what Willis will do, should he start. He’s definitely capable of producing in this league. He’s a young, smart, and uber-athletic QB with a rifle arm — if he plays within the gameplan and takes some shots at the right times, he can torch teams. However, that is a lot of “ifs.”
Season: 1-0
Overall: 93-66
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