Green Bay Packers: 3 Matchups to Watch in Week 13
By Kenny Jilek
Darnell Savage vs. Jalen Reagor
These two may not match up 1-on-1 very frequently in this week’s game, but this one is all about the potential deep shot. The Eagles know they’ll have to pull out all the stops to beat the much more talented Green Bay Packers, so they’ll be looking to push the ball down the field to their first-round rookie speed demon Jalen Reagor.
Fortunately for Green Bay, they have a speedster of their own in the back end of their secondary coming off of the best game of the career. Last week, Savage’s first interception came off of a deep ball intended for another speedy rookie, Darnell Mooney. Mitch Trubisky knew all the way he’d chuck it deep no matter what, and Savage read it all the way, ran the route for Mooney, and made a beautiful catch on the run.
Carson Wentz’s decision making has come under large scrutiny this season, and it’s not out of the question to see him doing almost the exact same thing this week. He’s already thrown 15 interceptions and loves to push the ball down the field when there’s nothing there.
Reagor was drafted for the purpose of giving the Eagles a burner that could beat defenders with his speed and stretch the defense vertically. While he hasn’t quite been that for them this year and has missed much of the season, he’s always capable and had a 55-yard catch in week one.
As long as Savage stays ready, he should have an opportunity for back-to-back weeks with a pick. The Packers’ pass rush should help in this area as well, hopefully flustering Wentz into more bad decisions that have come to characterize his season.