The last 12-24 hours have been one to forget for the Green Bay Packers. For starters, they lost at home to the Carolina Panthers, 16-13, despite being two-touchdown favorites at home. And then the Packers reportedly lost standout tight end Tucker Kraft to a torn ACL, which is the last thing fans wanted to hear, as he’s been their best offensive weapon this season.
That said, fans hope the Packers can bounce back heading into their Week 10 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles next Monday night. The Eagles now hold the No. 1 seed in the NFC, thanks to Green Bay’s loss on Sunday.
However, that game won’t be easy, as the Eagles have been active in the trade market over the last several days, bolstering their defense for the second-half push. The Eagles acquired two veteran cornerbacks, including ex-Packer Jaire Alexander, on Saturday. And now made a big splash for a pass rusher on Monday, acquiring Jaelan Phillips from the Miami Dolphins.
Packers Will Face New-Look Eagles in Primetime Week 10 Matchup
Heading into their bye in Week 9, the Eagles had two positions of need that they had to address before the trade deadline, especially if they want to compete with the likes of the Packers and the rest of the NFC.
Cornerback was one of those spots, as the Packers would’ve tried to attack the CB2 spot next week, which has been an issue for the Eagles. However, that might not be a weakness anymore with the acquisitions and overall depth.
And now the same thing can be said for the Eagles’ pass rush, which will be looking to get after Packers QB Jordan Love. This season, Love has only been sacked 11 times, including once in Sunday’s loss to the Panthers.
However, we saw this Green Bay offensive line get overwhelmed by the Browns’ d-line earlier this season in Week 3, as Love was sacked 5 times. The Eagles’ defense hasn’t been super impressive this season (16 sacks).
But when you add Phillips into the mix, alongside Jalen Carter, Moro Ojomo, Jordan Davis, and Brandon Graham/Nolan Smith Jr./Jalyx Hunt, it will put a lot of pressure on Green Bay’s tackles and their interior offensive line, which saw Aaron Banks get hit with another injury.
In nine games with the Dolphins this season, Phillips racked up 18 quarterback pressures, seven quarterback hits, three tackles for loss, and three sacks. Given his experience with Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, the Packers shouldn’t be surprised if the young edge plays Monday, which will give them something else to worry about.