In my Heavy on Eagles Game Day Rant this morning I tried to explain how these postseason games are decided. In case you missed it I’ll say it again. In big games he team that usually wins isnât the team that makes the most big plays. In big games the team that usually wins is the one that makes the fewest mistakes. But before we get into that here’s a look at today’s Wildcard Round game between the Eagles and Packers in South Philadelphia at a glance.
Here’s How it Went Down: Packers at Eagles
- Final Score:Â Packers 10, Eagles 22
- Records:Â Packers 11-7, Away 5-4; Eagles 15-3, Home 9-1
- Betting Winners: Eagles -5.5; Eagles -250
- Heavy on Eagles Player of the Game: Oren Burks for smashing the Packers’ Keisean Nixon and causing a turnover on the first play of the game setting the tone for an Eagles’ takeaway fest.
- Next week for the Eagles: Divisional Round Playoff Game at Home vs TBD
WATCH and READ The Heavy on Eagles Postgame Rant: Birds Defense is Legit; Bails Out the Offense to Advance to Divisional Round
Well today the Green Bay Packers were a mistake waiting to happen, and then they kept happening. They turned ball over in the very first play of the game and quarterback Jordan Love threw three interceptions for good measure. Still with the plethora of Green Bay miscues the Eagles only led by 10 at the half which Iâm sure had Eagles Nation on the edge of their seats, ready to pounce on the head coach if the game went sideways, because as we all know what happens when you let teams hang around.
If you want to complain about the Birds’ sputtering and horrific offense for most of the game have at it, but youâre just wasting your breath and your emotions.
Because here’s the deal. It doesnât matter that the Eagles only scored seven points off of four Packer turnovers.
It doesnât matter that Jalen Hurts went from 1:20 left in the first quarter until 4:41 left in the 3rd quarter without a completion and just 39 passing yards at that point.
It doesnât matter that A.J. Brown only had one catch for 10 yards on two targets and was reading a book on the sidelines in the fourth quarter. Â
It doesnât matter that Eagles’ kicker Jake Elliott missed a critical extra point that could have come back to haunt the Birds.
It doesn’t matter that with all of the Packer turnovers, stupid penalties, poor quarterback play and a missed field goal, that it was just a one score game one play into the fourth quarter.
The only thing that matters this time of year is that at the end of 60 minutes are you the team left standing . Survive or get whacked. Itâs that simple. You have 24 hours to enjoy the win and then you start preparing for the divisional round, cleaning up your mistakes and hopefully fixing them for the next time you take the field. Â
Despite setting offense back about 50 years, there were some heroic Eagles’ moments today and very timely as well. Birds’ tight end Dallas Goedert was in beast-mode today. Four catches for just 47 yards but he turned in the play of the game catching a short pass in the flat and then stiff arming and tight roping his way down the sidelines for a touchdown to put the Birds up 13 late in the 3rd quarter in response to a Packers field goal on Green bay’s previous possession. QB1 actually finished with efficient numbers going 13/21 for 131 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. He finished with a quarterback rating of 111.4 while Saquon Barkley put up a very quiet but effective 119 yards on 25 carries. Barkley could have had a long touchdown run but in the waning moments decided to slide and essentially end the game. Always the class act. The Birds advance and will play next week in the divisional round at the Linc. Teams and times to be determined.
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