Eagles

Eagles vs. Packers Week 1 Preview: Key matchups, stats, and official prediction

The journey back to prominence begins tonight.

After an eventful offseason, the Eagles open the year against the Packers in São Paulo, Brazil. Both clubs head into 2024 with NFC title aspirations — Philadelphia stole headlines by adding Saquon Barkley to their star-studded offense, while Green Bay looks to build on Jordan Love’s meteoric rise.

The Eagles come in as -2.0 favorites as Jalen Hurts and co. look to put last season’s collapse behind them. Here are three matchups to keep an eye on:

AJ Brown vs. Jaire Alexander

Eagles star WR AJ Brown was awarded a mega-extension this summer that effectively made him the third highest-paid player at his position, and for good reason. He has the most receiving yards by any player in his first two seasons with the franchise (2,952) and is still at the peak of his powers.

Packers two-time Pro Bowl CB Jaire Alexander remains one of the NFL’s top corners, but he’s coming off an injury-riddled 2023 season. Alexander allowed a career-high 66.7 completion percentage and 113.4 passer rating when targeted in seven games last year; Green Bay coaches have prioritized getting Alexander back to All-Pro form.

Alexander will likely shadow Brown throughout the game. When the Eagles and Packers met in 2022, Alexander allowed two catches on six targets for 23 yards. Expect another battle on Friday night.

Eagles New Secondary vs. Packers WRs

One year removed from having this top-ranked pass defense, the Eagles’ secondary fell off a cliff last season, allowing 255.7 passing yards per game — 30th in the league.

GM Howie Roseman did his part to ensure that doesn’t happen again. The team brought back playmaking safety CJ Gardner-Johnson and drafted the top defensive backs in college football in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.

The Eagles will be without projected starting CB Isaiah Rodgers in Week 1, so Mitchell and second-year CB Kelee Ringo will play along with Darius Slay.

Green Bay’s receiver group includes former second-round pick Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Jayden Reed. While none are considered bonafide stars, they can make an impact with Jordan Love under center.

Jayden Reed vs. Quinyon Mitchell will be a matchup to watch in the slot.

Josh Jacobs vs. Eagles D-Line

Much like the Eagles, Green Bay paid for a shiny new running back in Josh Jacobs to enhance their backfield. The 2022 rushing champion figures to have a heavy workload within the Packers offense with veteran AJ Dillon out for the season.

Philadelphia no longer has Fletcher Cox on its defensive line, but Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis are more than capable of controlling the line of scrimmage.

According to ESPN Stats and Information, Jordan Davis ranked seventh among all tackles in run-stop win percentage last season. He’ll look to take another step in his development in 2024, starting on Friday against Josh Jacobs.

The Eagles have stewed on their demoralizing end to last season for seven months and are undoubtedly eager to get back into Super Bowl contention. While Green Bay boasts a productive offense captained by a young, rising QB, Philly’s new secondary should be able to handle whatever they throw at them.

The Packers will be a good test, but a revitalized Kellen Moore-led offense that now features Saquon Barkley should be the story here.

Official Prediction: Eagles 26, Packers 24

Mandatory Credit: Getty Images

Victor Williams is the host/producer of The Philly Pod on iHeartRadio and leads all Eagles coverage as co-founder of The Liberty Line.

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