On Pattison Picks: Will Eagles Defeat Packers in Wild Card Round?

Though it got off to a rocky 2-2 start, the Eagles are coming off of one of the greatest regular seasons in franchise history, as Nick Sirianni's squad went 14-3 and earned the No. 2 seed in the NFC.  

Saquon Barkley became the ninth running back in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season in his first campaign with the Eagles. He was named a First-Time All-Pro Friday, and is likely to win Offensive Player of the Year. 

Led by the emergence of All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun and young talents like Jalen Carter and Quinyon Mitchell, Vic Fangio's first season as a defensive coordinator for the Eagles was a massive success. The Eagles allowed an NFL-low 278.4 yards per game from opposing offenses this season. No other team was below 311. 

And Jalen Hurts officially cleared concussion protocol late this week, in time for a Wild Card Round matchup where the Eagles are at least 4 1/2-point favorites over the Green Bay Packers. 

Here's what our On Pattison staffers believe will happen Sunday afternoon at the Linc. 

Tim Kelly

Score: Eagles 27, Packers 14

Game MVP: Quinyon Mitchell 

Matt LaFleur is a damn good coach, and I think Jordan Love is probably one of the five most physically-gifted quarterbacks in the NFL. In general, I don't take the Packers lightly. 

But injuries have really clouded the outlook on the 2024 Packers. Love is off the injury report, but he had a bizarre exchange with the media earlier this week when asked about an elbow injury that he sustained in Week 18: 

You don't know what it means to "cut loose" on a throw? Based off of Love acting obtuse earlier in the week, I think there's a chance that his elbow is more of an issue than the public knows. He's a gunslinger, and if he doesn't have all his arm strength, I think that opens the door for some potentially ugly throws from him Sunday. 

Throughout the season, it was like a running bit that for as great as Quinyon Mitchell was playing, he couldn't seem to come down with an interception. I think he'll have at least one in his first playoff game, helping the Eagles to move on. 

Anthony SanFilippo

Score: Eagles 27, Packers 23

Game MVP: A.J. Brown

The Packers are not a typical No. 7 seed.

They're better than that, but they have a lot going against them coming into Philadelphia tomorrow. Most notable is being without their top corner Jaire Alexander, who is one of the best in the business against top-flight receivers. The Packers will miss him big time against the Eagles. On the other side of the ball, Green Bay deep threat Christian Watson is also done for the season, and while he doesn't catch a lot of balls, he definitely stretches a defense and Jordan Love can get the ball down field better than most QBs in the league. And speaking of Love, he's a little banged up himself, playing through an elbow injury. 

The Packers were my preseason pick to go to the Super Bowl out of the NFC. There was a lot to like about them coming off their playoff run a season ago clobbering the Cowboys in Dallas and taking San Francisco to the brink. But, there are a lot more question marks right now, and the Eagles are such a complete team, that to beat them, an opponent can't have uncertainties and needs to play their A game. 

The Pack will give it all they have, but the Eagles are the better team and will win this one. Give Brown two TDs and eight catches for 110 yards as the difference-maker.

The #Eagles wore alternate uniforms in each of their final two games of the regular season, but wouldn't be allowed to make it three games in a row for the postseason even if they wanted to.

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— Tim Kelly (@timkellysports.bsky.social) January 11, 2025 at 12:01 PM

John Foley

Score: Eagles 28, Packers 20

Game MVP: Saquon Barkley

The Packers are a good team, very tough for a seventh seed. But the Eagles are a Super Bowl-caliber team.

Oddsmakers have Saquon Barkley’s over/under on rushing yards at 104 and Jalen Hurts’ at 38. Meanwhile, Josh Jacobs is at 70 and Jordan Love is at 6. Advantage Birds.

In the pass game? A.J. Brown is pegged at 80 yards and DeVonta Smith is at 60, while the top two Green Bay receivers (Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed) are at 48 and 44, barely above Dallas Goedert. Advantage Birds.

TD scorers? 4 of the 5 most likely to reach the endzone are Eagles. Advantage Birds.

Now, Vegas doesn’t know everything. But they don’t pull these numbers out of thin air. They know exact what we all do: the only way the Eagles lose this game at home (at full strength!) is if they beat themselves.

Austin Krell

Score: Eagles 24, Packers 17

Game MVP: A.J. Brown

I'm always a little wary of rust. But, how long does rust last when you have as much experience as Jalen Hurts has? 

On Green Bay's side of things, yeah, they've got the hype. They've got the QB. They've also got five of their six losses against teams that finished above them in the NFC playoff picture. I'll listen to the "revenge" plot line about the season-opener in Brazil. But, find me the top-of-resume W that really strikes the fear in your soul.