Eagles vs. Packers Wild Card: The good, the bad, and the ugly

There was a moment, about midway through the third quarter, when national TV cameras caught Jalen Hurts sitting on the bench as the Green Bay Packers were driving. Hurts was looking sideways, seemingly oblivious to what was happening on the field.

It was not just Hurts. He appeared to embody the entire Eagles’ team, who seemed remote for large segments of their 22-10 Wild Card round playoff victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

This game should have been a blowout.

It wasn’t.

The ho-hum undertone of the game translated in the lackluster, safe way in which the Eagles’ offense was run, everything underneath with no shots taken down field. The Eagles were two-for-11 on third down. A.J. Brown was targeted a scant three times with one reception for 10 yards. DeVonta Smith was targeted four times and had four catches, which included two very important third-quarter grabs, for a team-high 55 yards.

Hurts threw to six different receivers, and the defense was suffocating throughout most of the game, though Green Bay ruled the second quarter and third quarters and the Packers did succeed in converting seven of 13 third downs.

“We’ll go back and watch film, obviously there is a lot of stuff we know we know we can do better, but it doesn’t matter how it looks, the most important thing is winning football games and we got the job done,’ Barkley said. “The first half we didn’t have the half we would have liked. They are a good football team. Credit to them, They did some good things.

“We have to be our biggest critics. It only matters that we win. It’s the mindset of the team.”

But the Eagles bored their way through to host the Divisional Round next weekend, after Jalen Hurts completed a modest 13 of 21 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns. He looked rusty. He seemed uneasy in the pocket. He took a few sacks when he could have easily thrown the ball away. His timing was off. His longest completion went for 28 yards. Saquon Barkley ran for 119 yards on 25 carries.

The Eagles received some help.

The Green Bay Packers could collectively be the dumbest team in the NFL. With 5:03 to play, Malik Heath did not know how close he was to the sideline on the fourth-and-three at the Packers’ 41, and Green Bay trailing 19-10. After failing there, because Heath’s feet landed out of bounds, then Packers’ defensive tackle T.J. Slaton was flagged for unnecessary roughness by throwing down Barkley with 4:47 to play well after the whistle was blown.

Green Bay was penalized eight times for 85 yards.

There was a lot of good, some bad, and a pinch of ugly in the Eagles’ 22-10 Wild Card round victory over the deflated Green Bay Packers.

The Good

Rookie corner Quinyon Mitchell’s first career interception in the waning moments of the game on a terribly underthrown pass by Jordan Love. It was the third interception of the game for the Eagles, who forced four turnovers overall and held Green Bay to one-for-three in red zone.

Dallas Goedert’s 24-yard, third-quarter touchdown catch. There were numerous big-time pieces to this. A.J. Brown’s downfield block on free safety Evan Williams, sealing the sideline. Saquon Barkley picking up the blitzing middle linebacker Edgerrin Cooper coming up the middle, or Hurts would not have gotten the pass off. Then, finally Goedert, shoving off the Packers’ Carrington Valentine down the sideline.

DeVonta Smith’s two third-quarter catches that jump started the Eagles’ offense. The first catch, a 28-yard reception, came on a third-and-three at the Eagles’ 39. The following play, Hurts found Smith again for a nine-yard reception to the Green Bay 24. The following play Hurts found Goedert for a touchdown and a 16-3 lead with 3:20 left in the third quarter.

All Pro linebacker Zack Baun intercepting Jordan Love for the Packers’ third turnover of the first half and second pick for the Eagles in the game. Earlier, Baun shot the gap and stuffed Josh Jacobs creating a play for Nakobe Dean to take down Jacobs for a six-yard loss on a second-and-six at the Eagles’ 30 on the Packers’ fifth drive.

Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter creating all forms of hell for back-up Packers’ rookie right guard Travis Glover, who was called for holding three times in the first half, filling in for injured starter Elgton Jenkins.

Linebacker Nakobe Dean reading screen on a second-and-10 at the Eagles’ 20 when he pulled down Packers’ tight end Tucker Kraft for a three-yard loss at the Eagles’ 20 on the Packers’ fifth drive. Dean was hurt with a knee injury on the play, though the drive ended with a Brandon McManus missed 38-yard field goal—the first postseason miss of McManus’ career.

The Eagles’ first quarter. They left with a 10-0 lead, while picking 103 total yards of offense to Green Bay’s 16, they had seven first downs to the Packers’ one, they controlled the time of possession by holding the ball 9:28 to the Packers’ 5:32, and they averaged 5.7 yards a play to Green Bay’s 1.6.

Jake Elliott’s 31-yard field goal with 19 seconds left in the first quarter. It was incredibly encouraging considering Elliott has been uncharacteristically unreliable this season. Elliott later made up for a missed extra point with fourth-quarter 30- and 32-yard field goals.

Darius Slay’s first-career postseason interception on the Packers’ first play of the second quarter. Jordan Love thought he had Dontayvion Wicks down the right sideline on a second-and-seven at the Green Bay 33. Clay showed otherwise.

Hurts taking off for 15 yards—and sliding—on the second play of the Eagles’ third drive on a first-and-10 at the Eagles’ 47. He slid at the Packers’ 38 and immediately got up before a Green Bay defender could touch him.

Edge rusher Nolan Smith beating Packers’ right tackle Zach Tom inside to sack Jordan Love on Green Bay’s third drive. The 14-yard sack came at the Packers’ 31 and forced Green Bay to punt for the second straight time. The Packers’ drive chart on their first three series read: Fumble lost, punt, punt.

Jalen Hurts, seemingly with eight million years to throw, finding Jahan Dotson for his first touchdown this season in the back of the end zone on an 11-yard touchdown pass on a second-and-nine. Why Green Bay safety Evan Williams left his coverage of Dotson is anyone’s guess. For the Eagles, it was a great way to open the game, after they started the game by causing and recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff. It marked the third-straight game in which the Eagles scored a touchdown on their opening drive after failing to score a touchdown in their first 14 games this season.

Saquon Barkley’s 16-yard run on the Eagles’ first play of the game, which brought the ball to the Packers’ 12. The play continued the momentum the Eagles created when they forced and recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff.

Linebacker Oren Burks’ crunching blow on Green Bay’s Keisean Nixon that caused a fumble, where rookie linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. was there to pick up the loose ball at the Packers’ 28. It set an early tone that the Eagles took advantage of with an early 7-0 lead.

The Bad

Burks failing to stay with Jacobs on a third-and-two at the Packers’ 35 for a first down on the Packers’ first drive of the second half.

Dean going down with a knee injury with 5:17 left in the first half and not returning.

DeVonta Smith’s illegal motion penalty on the second play of the Eagles’ fourth drive. It was the first mistake the Eagles made. It turned a second-and-seven into a second-and-12 at the Eagles’ 20. It stunted that series and forced the Eagles to punt. Smith was later called for a holding call with 10:40 left to play as the Eagles were driving in the Red Zone.

Right tackle Lane Johnson nailed for holding Edgerrin Cooper on a second-and-12 at the Green Bay 26 with 9:05 to play. The play forced the Eagles into a second-and-20.

The Ugly

Elliott’s missed extra point after Goedert’s third-quarter touchdown. He is beginning to become highly questionable during the most important time of the year.

On the last play of the third quarter, Josh Jacobs’ 31-yard run, where Jalen Carter tried to arm tackle him, Nolan Smith Jr. whiffed on him completely, as Jacobs ran by him, Reed Blankenship flailing and rolling on the turf, looking up as Jacobs ran by, Cooper DeJean bouncing off him like a ball, and Burks missing him. Jacobs scored on the first play of the fourth quarter and what looked like a blowout was 16-10 with 14:56 to play.

Mitchell, who has been so impressive all season, getting flagged for pass interference on a pass intended for Dontayvion Wicks on a third-and-13 at the Eagles’ 33 on Green Bay’s first drive of the second half. The 24-yard penalty helped put the Packers on the board with a Brandon McManus 26-yard field goal.

The Eagles’ first drive of the second half. It was greeted by boos after the Eagles went three-and-out and proceeded to see Barkley going nine yards on four carries, stymied by a two-yard tackle for loss by Packers’ tackle T.J. Slaton and Hurts taking a seven-yard sack on a second-and-12 by defensive end Rashan Gary at the Eagles’ 27.

The Eagles’ second quarter. They were outgained 85-22 and did not get a first down in the quarter, after moving the chains seven times in the first quarter to Green Bay’s one first down. The Packers had six first downs in the quarter and had the ball for 10:48 in the quarter to the Eagles’ 4:12. The Eagles allowed Green Bay to hang around in a game the Packers rightfully should not have even been in after two quarter.

Dallas Goedert’s false start penalty with 22 seconds left in the first half, which took them out of field goal position, and pushed what was a manageable fourth-and-four into a fourth-and-nine at the Packers’ 44. Going into halftime 13-0 was better than 10-0.

Jayden Reed’s 20-yard catch on a first-and-10 at the Green Bay 38 near the end of the first half, where Baun, Burks, Reed Blankenship and Cooper DeJean all missed tackles.

Joseph Santoliquito is a hall of fame, award-winning sportswriter based in the Philadelphia area who has written feature stories for SI.com, ESPN.com, NFL.com, MLB.com, Deadspin and The Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News. In 2006, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for a special project piece for ESPN.com called “Love at First Beep.” He is most noted for his award-winning ESPN.com feature on high school wrestler A.J. Detwiler in February 2006, which appeared on SportsCenter. In 2015, he was elected president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.

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