The playoffs are finally here. The Eagles were as good as nearly anyone in the regular season, but now the games really start to matter. And they kick things off this Sunday when they host the Green Bay Packers are 4:30 pm.

A game that is actually a rematch from the 1st game of the year. These two teams played the second game of the year, and the first-ever NFL game in Brazil.

(Photo by Wagner Meier/Getty Images)

The Eagles came home the victors. Saquon Barkley had about as good of a debut as you can hope for. 132 total yards, and 3 total TDs. AJ Brown had 119 yards, including a 67-yard TD.

There were some issues, The Packers picked them across over the middle of the field all game long, and the offense turned it over on the first two drives, but by the end, they won 34-29.

Related: Eagles Win Sloppy Game On Back Of Saquon Barkley

But these are two different teams than the ones that took the field in week 1. For one the Eagles replaced Avonte Maddox with Cooper DeJean, but they also just got better as a team. They figured out their identity, and the players on defense adjusted to Vic Fangio’s scheme. Since the bye week, you could argue no team has played better than the Eagles, except for maybe the Lions.

But will the result be the same? Will they beat the Packers to extend their season? Or is their season at risk of coming to an end?

The Eagles have a lot of advantages in this game. They are the better team on paper. They are healthier, and they are going into the game playing a better brand of Football. But nothing is a lock. If they are going to stay alive, these players will need to play well on Sunday.

These Eagles Players Need To Have Big Games Against The Packers

• Cooper DeJean

  The Packers will not have Christian Watson on Sunday. He is their most explosive player, averaging 21.4 yards per catch. But he was not the guy who gave the Eagles trouble back in week 1. The Eagles defense held Watson to just 13 yards. But Jayden Reed came away with 138 yards and a TD.

  Reed spends the majority of his time in the slot. 490 snaps inside, compared to 159 out wide. Well, the Eagles have made some changes inside since then, going from Avonte Maddox to Cooper DeJean. Since then, the Eagles have given up the fewest yards per play out of the Nickel Formation, and Cooper DeJean didn’t give up a single TD the rest of the way. He will likely draw Jayden Reed for most of the game. Reed is their best WR anyway, but with no Watson, Reed becomes even more of a factor. If Cooper DeJean keeps playing like he has been, it will be hard for the Packers offense to get going.

  The 33rd Team on X (formerly Twitter): "Every DB Targeted 50+ times this season with Zero TDs Allowed:🚫 Joey Porter Jr.🚫 Nate Wiggins🚫 Cooper DeJeanEnd of list. pic.twitter.com/RwMefaI7wl / X"

  Every DB Targeted 50+ times this season with Zero TDs Allowed:🚫 Joey Porter Jr.🚫 Nate Wiggins🚫 Cooper DeJeanEnd of list. pic.twitter.com/RwMefaI7wl

• AJ Brown and Devonta Smith

  The Eagles can run on anyone. They will not go away from the run just because the Packers have a great run defense. It has gotten better as the season went on too. They gave up 179 yards to the Bears in week 11. But since then there was only 1 more game where they they gave up 100 yards in the next 7. That was vs the Lions, who ran for over 100 both times they played the Packers.

  The Eagles rightfully believe they can run on anyone and are still going to pound the rock. But the Packers are far more susceptible through the air. Especially with Jaire Alexander out. The Packers are middle of the pack when it comes to pass defense, even when they had Alexander. The Eagles like their matchups with Brown and Smith vs anyone. But those 2 vs Keisan Nixon and Carrington Valentine… yea they will feel good about that. Especially when they have already seen AJ Brown do this to Carrington Valentine back in week 1.

  NFL on X (formerly Twitter): "JALEN HURTS TO AJ BROWN. 67-YARD TD TO START THE SECOND HALF.📺: #GBvsPHI on Peacock pic.twitter.com/Xq57EnstcK / X"

  JALEN HURTS TO AJ BROWN. 67-YARD TD TO START THE SECOND HALF.📺: #GBvsPHI on Peacock pic.twitter.com/Xq57EnstcK

• Jake Elliott

  The Eagles’ lone weakness this season has been special teams. Braden Mann has been great. But kick coverage has left a lot to be desired. The bigger issue though is Jake Elliott. He has hit just 1 FG from further than 50 yards, and his last time out he even missed 1 from 39 yards out.

  If the Eagles need Elliott to kick a 52-yard FG to win this game, will anyone be confident when he is lining up? In past season’s we would not think twice about it, but he has given the Eagles no reason to trust him this season. It may very well come down to him hitting his FGs. Not even in a make-it-and-win situation, but it could be close enough that a missed FG earlier in the game makes the difference. They have gotten away with him missing FGs this year, but things get tighter in the playoffs. Elliott needs to be on the money.

  FOX Sports: NFL on X (formerly Twitter): "With that miss, Eagles K Jake Elliott is now 0-for-5 on 50+ yard FG attempts this season. 📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/UXx6mULXDS / X"

  With that miss, Eagles K Jake Elliott is now 0-for-5 on 50+ yard FG attempts this season. 📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/UXx6mULXDS

• Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean

  The most dangerous player on the Packers offense period is Josh Jacobs. He finished the season with 1,329 yards. That may seem quaint when the Eagles RB got over 2000, but it is the 6th most in the NFL, and his 15 TDs are the 2nd most.

  Stopping, or at least containing, Jacobs and the Packers’ run game is the most important thing the Eagles defense has to do. Not only to keep them from racking up yards but to make sure the Packers can’t control the clock, which might be the one way you can beat the Eagles.

  The Eagles Run Defense has been very good. A lot goes into that. The whole D-Line plays a part in it. But what really makes it special is their duo at LB. Nakobe Dean and Zack Baun are both top 5 in run stops. They have a tough test on Sunday, but we already saw this run defense slow down Derrick Henry. If they do to Josh Jacobs what they did to Henry, the Eagles should win easily.

  Andrew DiCecco on X (formerly Twitter): "#Eagles LB tandem of Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean:Baun (16 games): 151 tackles (11 for loss), 3.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 4 passes defended, 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery, 5 QB hitsDean (15 games): 128 tackles (9 for loss), 3.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 4 passes defended, 1 INT, 2... / X"

  Eagles LB tandem of Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean:Baun (16 games): 151 tackles (11 for loss), 3.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 4 passes defended, 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery, 5 QB hitsDean (15 games): 128 tackles (9 for loss), 3.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 4 passes defended, 1 INT, 2...

• Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata

  The Packers have 1 player with more than 5 sacks. Rashawn Gary. He mostly rushes off the left side of the Packers’ defense, but sometimes slides over to the right. Either way, he will be going against either Johnson or Mailata.

  Those are two All-Pro Caliber Tackles. No matter who they faced, they have mostly shut them down. So this is not one you really have to worry about. But if they do what they do every week, and shut down their man, it is going to make it very difficult for the Packers to generate any pass rush.

  If they can’t generate a pass rush, and AJ Brown and Devonta Smith get more time to exploit those matchups we already talked about… well things should go very well for the Eagles offense. Those two get left on an Island more than any other Tackles. They also win their matchups more than almost any other tackles. Packers are going to have a tough time getting to Hurts.

  Brian Baldinger on X (formerly Twitter): ".@Eagles @LaneJohnson65 @jordan_mailata after 16 games its hard to argue with the chart. pic.twitter.com/gkoIx3bEUZ / X"

  @Eagles @LaneJohnson65 @jordan_mailata after 16 games its hard to argue with the chart. pic.twitter.com/gkoIx3bEUZ

• Jalen Hurts

  Turnovers have not been a real issue for Jalen Hurts since the bye week. He went on near the top of the league in the stat but has since protected the ball better than anyone. Whenever he has turned it over in his career though, and especially early this season, it has come from Safeties over the middle of the field. In fact, Xavier McKinney picked him off in week 1.

  NFL on X (formerly Twitter): "XAVIER MCKINNEY. INT in his first game with the @Packers!📺: #GBvsPHI on Peacock pic.twitter.com/sXbIVV9zMs / X"

  XAVIER MCKINNEY. INT in his first game with the @Packers!📺: #GBvsPHI on Peacock pic.twitter.com/sXbIVV9zMs

  McKinney in general has been doing that all season. His 8 picks are 2nd in the league. Giving the Packers the ball on a short field could take a matchup where they have a lot of advantages, and turn it on its head. They don’t need Hurts to be special this week. They may need him to be special down the road if they play the Chiefs or Lions.

  But the Eagles are a much better team than the Packers. They need him to make the plays in front of him, and protect the ball. That is exactly what he has been doing for the past several months now. Keep that up and the Eagles will be in great shape.

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