The Inquirer’s Eagles-Green Bay Packers Predictions

Eagles-Packers predictions from The Inquirer's Eagles beat reporters:

Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher have been playing better of late, but Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb will be one of the toughest receiving tandems the Eagles will face this season. Can they contain them?

Jeff McLane: Unless Mike McCarthy pulls a Pep Hamilton, I can't see Williams and Fletcher having much success against Nelson and Cobb on the outside, especially with Aaron Rodgers pulling the trigger. If you recall the Colts game from Week 2, T.Y. Hilton (6 catches for 65 yards) and Reggie Wayne (3-28) were kept in check by the Eagles secondary. That's also one of the top duos in the NFL. But Hamilton went with a ground-based attack and took the ball out of Andrew Luck's hands. McCarthy will feed running backs Eddie Lacy and James Starks, but he's not going to get away from what the Packers do best on offense and that's throw downfield. Even in expected cold conditions, Rodgers should be able to exploit Eagles corners. Williams, Fletcher and slot corner Brandon Boykin will likely play a lot of man-press to disrupt the timing of the receiver routes and Rodgers' throws. But if safety help from Malcolm Jenkins or Nate Allen isn't there, it could get scary for the Eagles defense.

The pass rush, per usual, will be key. The Eagles had nine sacks last week and are second in the league. But they're going to have to get after Rodgers with a four-man rush. He eats on blitzes and the Packers have increasingly had success with their screen game.

Zach Berman: We're thinking alike on this one. Two factors are at play: Rodgers is so accurate, and those two wide receivers are so reliable. Nelson catches two thirds of the passes in his direction, and Cobb has caught touchdowns in all but one game this season. The Packers have other options like Davante Adams, Lacy out of the backfield, and the tight ends, but they rely on Nelson and Cobb.

I'm not limiting this answer to Williams and Fletcher, because I see the Eagles playing dime fairly often on Sunday. The Packers like to play in 11 and 12 personnel, but the Eagles need pass coverage on the field. Boykin will likely draw Cobb, and he needs to play like the 2013 Boykin. He had a game-changing interception against the Packers last season, although Rodgers was not the quarterback that afternoon. Nolan Carroll could receive a healthy dose of playing time, too. If the Eagles get pressure with four rushers, it will help the defensive backs.

Watch the big plays, as usual. Green Bay is No. 2 in the NFL of passing plays over 40 yards. You saw Nelson run free last week. The Eagles cannot allow that to happen on Sunday.

If this game falls on Mark Sanchez, in that the Packers force the Eagles to beat them through the air, can he get it done?

McLane: The simple answer: Yes. But will he? I don't know. We still haven't seen enough to form any solid conclusions about Sanchez' effectiveness in the Eagles offense. I thought he did a good job of taking advantage of what the Panthers gave in the last game. They left the middle of the wide open and Sanchez cut them open with passes to Jordan Matthews and Brent Celek. But the key, to me, was that he didn't force any throws -- except for maybe one -- and kept the Eagles out of harm's way. The Packers pass defense, though, isn't as leaky as Carolina's. Green Bay already has 12 interceptions on the season and two edges rushers in Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers that will command the full attention of tackles Jason Peters and Lane Johnson. Matthews has only 3-1/2 sacks, but he is almost always disruptive. Peppers is 34, but can still bring it when motivated.

Sanchez saw little pressure last week. When he did, he moved very well in the pocket. When he first got to New York some questioned whether he could perform in cold conditions because of his California background, but he had good games in the postseason, once throwing three TDs in frigid Foxboro. We've talked a lot about how important it will be for LeSean McCoy and the run game to get going against the NFL's 30th-ranked run defense. But what if it's as many expect a shootout? Even if McCoy has success on the ground, the Eagles are going to need Sanchez and company to do some damage through the air.

Berman: I think Sanchez can do enough through the air to help the Eagles win, but I don't think this is a game the Eagles win by throwing 60% of the time. The Eagles are going to need to run the beat the Packers. I'll get to that in a moment.

Let's start with Sanchez. He doesn't appear to have the same arm strength as Foles, but it's clear that Sanchez likes playing at tempo. If he can get a rhythm, he makes quick decisions and passes with confidence. The Eagles will try to maximize matchups each week, and last week was Matthews. I actually like the matchup that Jeremy Maclin has with Tramon Williams this week. Before last week, Williams had allowed four touchdowns in three games and appeared to be struggling. Look for Maclin to be the top receiver again; certainly, Sanchez will look his way.

However, as I said, the Eagles' offense is going to need a big game from McCoy. The Packers have the No. 30 rush defense in the NFL, and all the nickel they run might make it more conducive for McCoy to run. McCoy rushed for 155 yards on them last season. McCoy needs to bounce back from last week.

So I think Sanchez can play well enough, but this is a game in which McCoy needs to lead the Eagles' offense.

Who is your stud and dud for the Eagles?

McLane: I'm going to the offense for my stud and picking McCoy. A lot has been said and written about Clay Matthews' move to inside linebacker on run downs against the Bears and how effective the move was in slowing Matt Forte. But the Packers blew out Chicago by the half and I'm not sure the Bears wouldn't have figured some way to neutralize Matthews. He's a smart, explosive player, but he's no Luke Kuechly in the middle. I'm not even sure the Packers will put him back inside. Aside from end Mike Daniels, defensive coordinator Dom Capers doesn't really have strong two-gap lane-clogging linemen. The linebackers have trouble getting off second-level blocks. I think McCoy has the opportunity to break 100 yards this game.

As for my dud, I don't want to pick on Casey Matthews, but I think him and Emmanuel Acho, could have trouble corralling Lacy if he breaks through the Eagles' front-line wall.

Berman: I agree with you on McCoy. I can see him going over 100 yards this week. So along those lines, my stud will be the offensive line. They do a better job opening holes, and they'll help keep the Eagles in the game. The Eagles won at the line of scrimmage when they played Green Bay last season. If they do it again this week, they'll be in the game. I certainly think the Eagles will be in the game.

My dud will be Fletcher. He's been playing much better recently, and I'll give him credit. But Fletcher must cover Nelson this week, and that's a tough assignment. He's been held to fewer than five catches in three games this season, and to fewer than 50 yards in just one game this season. This is a tough matchup for Fletcher, and I think Nelson makes a few plays that affect the game.

What is your prediction?

McLane: If played at a neutral site, I might be inclined to pick the Eagles. But I think the Packers' home field advantage, along with the fact that they have some guy named Rodgers, will be the deciding factors in a Green Bay victory. This could be the game where we see how much the loss of DeMeco Ryans hurts.

All that being said, the Eagles have more than enough to win. They have a special teams edge, although Cody Parkey has never kicked in cold conditions. I expect a shootout. I expect a closely contested game. I expect the outcome could be decided in the final minutes. I got the Packers 30, Eagles 28. We're both 8-1 with our predictions this season. Eagles fans would prefer we fall to 8-2.

Berman: These are two of the best teams in the NFC. This is a game that can just as reasonably take place in January. The Packers can be beaten, but I keep going back to those Lambeau Field numbers -- 41.5 points per game at home this season, and Rodgers has completed 26 consecutive touchdowns without an interception at home. In talking to players on the Eagles this week, one of the reasons is because he can use a hard count and make more calls at he line at home. If the Eagles win the turnover battle like they did last season, then they can sneak away with an upset. I don't think that happens, though: Packers 31, Eagles 28.