The Green Bay Packers once again failed to show up on offense during Sunday's surprise loss to the Carolina Panthers. Not only that, as they head into a crucial Monday night showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles, they will be without tight end Tucker Kraft, the team's leading receiver (489 yards, six TDs), who suffered a season-ending torn ACL against the Panthers.
As Green Bay prepares for a showdown with the Eagles to close out Week 10, there is a lot of concern already with the loss of Kraft and a well-rested Eagles team on the other side following their Week 9 bye. On top of that, the forecast is showing a high of 39 degrees and a low of 27 degrees, per AccuWeather, which is typically ideal weather in Green Bay, WI, this time of year; however, the weather isn't as favorable for the home team this time.
Concerns Keep Mounting for Packers Ahead of Week 10 Clash with Eagles
Although running back Josh Jacobs (534 yards, 10 TDs) has played well this season, the Packers only average the 16th-most rush yards per game (112.9), meaning more pressure could be put on quarterback Jordan Love and a banged-up passing attack in less-than-ideal conditions. It doesn't help that Jacobs has recently been battling through a calf injury (h/t CBS Sports), so he might not be at 100% just yet.
Considering wide receiver Romeo Doubs (441 yards, four TDs) is the only other player on the team with more than 400 receiving yards besides Kraft, Green Bay's pass game certainly took a hit with his loss. Love has played well with 2,071 pass yards and 13 TDs, but with Green Bay's decision to not find a suitable replacement to fill Kraft's spot, Love was arguably the team's biggest trade deadline loser with the same questions at receiver as before.
Love's Pro Football Focus overall grade (79.6) is ninth out of 36 qualified QBs, but with the lack of a go-to option following Kraft's injury, it is only going to make life more difficult on the veteran signal-caller, given the inconsistency the Packers have shown even when Kraft was on the field. After all, Love accounted for multiple TD passes in three of the first four games, with only one such instance since Week 5.
Jacobs has the second-best overall PFF grade (81.9), but drops to 14th in rushing yards (534), which speaks to the lack of explosiveness the Packers have been able to create with an ever-evolving offensive line that has battled its own injuries during the season. The Eagles have not been great against the run, ranking 19th in the league with 120.4 yards allowed per game, but they enter Week 10 rested up and confident after winning both meetings with the Packers one season ago.
The cooler weather should not be concerning by itself, but if you factor in a difficult matchup against a well-rested team, combined with the loss of Kraft and a less explosive run game, the weather is just a complication on top of everything else for a Packers squad looking to find more consistency on offense.