On a cold Monday night at Lambeau Field, the Philadelphia Eagles edged the Green Bay Packers 10–7 in a game eagles beat packers characterized by remarkable defensive play and a doubtful offensive risk. Philadelphia’s defence took charge right away. The Eagles limited the Packers to only 261 total yards and a season-low seven points.
In his first game, newly acquired edge rusher Jaelan Phillips made several tackles for loss and a crucial fumble recovery, yet the general unit barely curved and even less was broken. Offensively, the Eagles did simply enough.
Philadelphia took a 3-0 lead in the third quarter thanks to a field goal after a scoreless first half. Then, with back-to-back outstanding plays, they broke the game open: first a 41-yard burst setup by quarterback Jalen Hurts’ pass to Saquon Barkley, then immediately a 36-yard touchdown strike to DeVonta Smith.
The 10-0 lead appeared secure until the Packers reacted with a long drive capped by a short touchdown run by Josh Jacobs, thereby reducing the deficit to 10–7 with barely six minutes remaining.
Then came now, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni’s much-debated head-scratch. Facing fourth-and-6 at the Green Bay Packers’ 35-yard line with the Eagles up three and under a minute to play, Philadelphia opted for a deep shot to A.J. Brown instead of a punt or a long field goal. When it failed, the Packers regained the ball with 27 seconds left and a chance to tie.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ good luck was that Green Bay’s offense could only arrange a 64-yard field goal attempt that went wide to seal the victory. The risk-reward calculation of that choice is already causing doubt.
Read Also: Eagles Super Bowl Champion Jalen Hurts Writes a Children’s Book
Pointing out that there were better options even in a clutch circumstance, some analysts said it was reckless. For the Packers, the defence once again performed well, holding the Super Bowl-defending Eagles to 10 points is no small achievement, but the offence is still a work in progress.