Week 4 Preview
Meet the Packers
The Green Bay Packers are
coming to town on Monday night. This is the second time in two years that the
Packers have made a visit to
The Packers’ 4-12 season came as a bit of a surprise and led to the axing of longtime
coach Mike Sherman. Following
The Packers are coming off
their first win of the season, a 31-24 victory against the Detroit Lions. After
losing their first two games to
The Packers’ offense has a
variety of weapons for the Eagles to watch. Even though Brett Favre has lost a step or two in recent years, he still has
a good number of playmakers that can make the Packers’ offense very effective. Driver
and Jennings get the lion’s share of work at wide receiver, and Robert Ferguson
will get balls thrown his way in short-yardage situations. The Packers have two
reliable, well-rounded options at tight end, seasoned veterans Bubba Franks and
David Martin. But the most potent threat comes out of the backfield in the form
of Ahman Green, finally healthy after sitting most of
last year. So far, Green has produced over 115 yards of offense per game and is
second on the team in catches with 17. However, the Packers’ running backs have
already lost four fumbles, and nobody has emerged as a viable option to spell
Green.
The Packers’ defense has not
done a great job this year, giving up over 20 points a game, and McCarthy has
said he is looking for improvement, especially along the line. They are seeing
some improvement from fifh-year defensive end Aaron Kampman (9 tackles, 4 sacks), who seems to be on his way to
a career year. Tackle Kabeer “KGB” Gbaja-Biamila is also a guy to be watched, but
What to watch for on Monday
Why this game is a Monday
night game is a bit of a mystery, but it will still be a good game nonetheless.
Brett Favre is known for being a clutch athlete and
it is certain that he will bring his A-game that night. Despite struggling on
Monday Night Football in 2005 (0-3), the Eagles still have a 9-5 mark on Monday
nights in the Reid/McNabb era. The Eagles know how important a win in this game
is in order to prepare for the showdown on October 8th against TO
and the Cowboys. This is a game for the Packers to prove themselves and try to
stay alive in the NFC North, and this is a game for the Eagles to keep momentum
going and prepare mentally for the Cowboys game.
When the Eagles have the ball
So far this year, Donovan and
Co. have done a fantastic job moving the ball down the field as well as
spreading the ball around amongst receivers and running backs. Look for that
trend to continue on Monday. Even though he is listed as questionable on the
injury report, Donte Stallworth
will most likely play for the Eagles after being scratched last week. Add in
that Reggie Brown is coming off a great game where he had 106 yards and that
Brian Westbrook had 154 total yards of offense last game, and the Packers’
defense will have a hard time stopping this explosive Eagles offense. With the
way the Eagles offensive line of Thomas, Herremans,
Jackson, Andrews, and Runyan have been playing (not
to mention staying healthy), McNabb should be able to make plays effectively.
It will be interesting to see
how some injuries affect the Eagles offensive guns on Monday. Even though he
looked great against
When the Packers have the ball
Brett Favre
has been hot the past two weeks in his games against the Saints and Lions, both
of which have shaky defenses. Although the Eagles defense has looked good in
parts, there are a lot of things to be concerned about. The biggest concern is
Brett Favre’s ability to complete long and accurate
passes to his receivers. The Eagles’ secondary is very banged up right now with
5 DBs on the Wednesday’s injury report. Roderick Hood
is listed as doubtful after a terrible game against the 49ers. Dawkins sustained
a concussion, but will most likely play, as will Michael Lewis who is listed as
probable. A huge question mark right now is Lito
Sheppard, who may return on Monday. If Lito returns
from his injury suffered in Week 1, his presence would give the secondary a
much needed boost. Favre has very capable,
sure-handed receivers in
The Eagles should, however,
be able to get some help from their superb defensive line. NFL sacks leader
Trent Cole (5) will have some difficulty going up against seasoned veteran Chad
Clifton, but that is really the only strong point of the Packers O-line since
free agency claimed Pro Bowler Mike Flanagan. The two rookies featured on the
line are Jason Spitz at LG and Tony Moll at RG. Look for the Eagles to blitz a
lot and pick on these young guys. Favre is a pocket
passer in every sense of the term and is prone to the interception when he is
rushed. He also moves slowly in the pocket. Look for the Eagles to exploit this
weakness and bring the blitz consistently all night.
Lastly, the Eagles
linebackers will have to continue their great work against a solid running back
in Ahman Green. Green is getting up there in age, but
is still a capable running back with a killer combination of both speed and
power. The Eagles’ best bet is to play a very physical game, wear Green down
and force the Packers to give some touches to backup Noah Herron, who has
almost as many fumbles (2) as carries (3). Neutralizing Green will put all the pressure
squarely on Favre’s shoulders and will help the Eagle
defense tremendously.
Special Teams
Both teams look pretty good
on special teams, although the Eagles have had their struggles with David Akers
missing kicks recently. It will be important to Akers to make every kick when
given the opportunity, mainly to get his confidence up. The Eagles’ kickoff
coverage will need to be sharp all day to keep Robinson in check. The Packers
have a new kicker in Dave Rayner to replace the
departed Ryan Longwell. Rayner
is in his second pro season after handling kickoff duties for the Colts last
year, but he is still unproven as an NFL field goal kicker.
Prediction: Eagles 34 Packers
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