The Green Bay Packers will enter the offseason after losing 22-10 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Round on Sunday.
It took a lot for the Packers, who lost the bet, to defeat the Eagles 14-3 at Lincoln Financial Field. Instead, a lot went wrong — especially early and late — and the Eagles cruised to a mostly comfortable 12-point victory.
The combination of a slow start, more serious injuries, a struggling passing game, lack of scoring, and poor finishing was more than enough to end the Packers’ 2024 season.
Here are the five biggest reasons why the Packers lost against Philadelphia on Sunday.
Slow start again
In their past four losses to the Vikings and Lions, the Packers have trailed by at least two points and have been unable to close the gap. On Sunday, the Packers got off to another nightmare start. A fumble on the first kickoff set up a touchdown on the Eagles’ third play, and Jordan Love’s two interceptions and a missed field goal created a 10-0 lead and they held on to third place. quarter. It’s very difficult to play from behind in big games, especially in the postseason on the road. The Packers needed a fast start to build momentum and confidence throughout the game, but they did the opposite.
Elgton Jenkins injury
The Packers were already without Jaire Alexander and Christian Watson. Then, when Elgton Jenkins injured his shoulder early in the first half, the house on the sand began to crumble. Rookie Travis Glover committed three penalties before being pulled. Kadeem Telfort fared a little better. The Packers’ offensive line, which will be a strength for most of the 2024 season, had major issues against one of the most talented fronts in the NFL. Not only did the reserves commit a total of four penalties, but the Eagles sacked Jordan Love twice and nearly bottled up Josh Jacobs in the run game. Not having first-round pick Jordan Morgan (injury reserve) available as a backup plan for Coach Jenkins was a killer. And the injuries continued, with Devonte Wyatt, Romeo Doubes, Jaden Reed, Key Walker, Josh Jacobs and Josh Myers all either sidelined or hampered by injuries.
rotten passing game
Jordan Love threw three interceptions, had two sacks and averaged just 6.4 yards per attempt. His 41.5 passer rating was in keeping with the performance of the Packers’ overall passing game. The Packers took only one shot down the field, when Dontaevion Wicks raced for a 29-yard catch against a blitzer. All the rest were in the process of being completed. Love undershot the go-ball to Wicks for his first interception, but missed Zach Baun for his second interception. Malik Heath missed two chances for big plays. He stumbled coming off the break and narrowly missed a touchdown catch, and on fourth down in the second half he couldn’t get the inbounds down two feet. Love wasn’t good enough as an individual and wasn’t the elevator the team needed to get him into a big position. The Packers’ inability to produce in the passing game, continuing a trend that started in the regular season, cost them dearly on Sunday.
No takeout
The defense kept the Packers in the game for long stretches, but one key feature was missing from Jeff Hafley’s team’s performance: takeaways. The Eagles punted five times but played turnover-free football. The Packers were struggling to sustain drives and needed a spark or short field, but it just wasn’t happening. Green Bay forced 31 takeaways during the regular season, but none in the postseason. The Packers lost the turnover battle 4-0 thanks to four perks: three by the offense and one by special teams. No one in Philadelphia can beat a 14-win team that lost by four in a turnover battle.
finishing
Josh Jacobs scored a 1-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter, cutting the Eagles’ lead to 16-10. It was a six-point game with about 15 minutes remaining, and it was a great opportunity for the Packers to overcome their early setbacks and take the game. Four possessions in the fourth quarter (two possessions by the Packers, two possessions by the Eagles) were the difference between victory and defeat. After allowing a touchdown, the Eagles calmly drove down the field and got a fourth down conversion and a 15-yard penalty (Keyshawn Nixon) to set up a field goal. The Packers had to score, stop, score to win 19-10. Instead, the Packers were stuffed with third-down runs, with Malik Heath unable to get two feet down on fourth down. Turnover on downs. The Eagles then took another 15-yard penalty (TJ Slaton) and kicked another field goal with just over three minutes left to extend their lead to 22-10. Love’s interception in the end zone (which should have been negated by pass interference by the defense) ended any threat of a comeback. The Packers had a chance. The finish was a failure.
