Overview
- Philadelphia arrives 6-2 and Green Bay 5-2-1 for a prime-time rematch after the Eagles beat the Packers twice last season, with oddsmakers slightly favoring Green Bay despite many analysts picking Philadelphia.
- A.J. Brown and Saquon Barkley practiced fully Friday, Nolan Smith returned from injured reserve and said he expects to play, and trade additions Jaelan Phillips, Jaire Alexander and Michael Carter II are in line to bolster the Eagles’ defense.
- Green Bay lost tight end Tucker Kraft to a season-ending ACL and is managing additional injuries at receiver and along the defense, with Nate Hobbs out and rookies Matthew Golden and Savion Williams uncertain, while edge rusher Lukas Van Ness has missed multiple games.
- Packers coaches point to the run game and play-action as potential avenues against an Eagles unit ranked near the bottom against the run by advanced metrics, but Philadelphia’s red-zone defense sits third in the NFL and has limited touchdowns.
- Jordan Love acknowledged added motivation after two losses to Philadelphia last year, and the long-running ‘Tush Push’ subplot lingers after Green Bay’s failed bid to outlaw the play at league meetings.