Preview Playoffs NFL 2024-2025: Philadelphie Eagles

NFL Playoffs – First poster of the NFC conference in this weekend of NFL playoffs with the duel between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers.

The NFL calendar sometimes offers us funny moments and this is once again the case with this first round clash of the NFL playoffs between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers. These two franchises opened their NFL season by playing against each other in a match played for the first time in history on Brazilian soil and meet again today for a decisive match which will inevitably put end to the season of one of the two franchises.

(2) Philadelphie Eagles – Green Bay Packers (7)

French date and time: Sunday January 12 at 10:30 p.m.

If we look at the seedings offered to these two teams before the start of these NFL playoffs, the duel between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers seems unbalanced. But be careful because the Packers like to play spoilsport during the NFL playoffs as they proved last season by beating the Dallas Cowboys on their home field, becoming the first team with the number 7 seed to win in a playoff game. Ready to do it again this year against another resident of the NFC East division?

Form and dynamics of the two teams

Last season, the Philadelphia Eagles had a very difficult end to the regular season with numerous defeats which then cost them the division title which seemed to be in their grasp. Result? A defeat in the first round of the NFL playoffs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But for this 2024 season, the Philadelphia Eagles are on the starting line for the playoffs with much more momentum in their favor.

After a mixed start to the season, the Eagles literally flew through the second part of the regular season with a notable series of 10 consecutive victories, in the process taking the scalp of excellent teams like the Baltimore Ravens for example. With 12 victories recorded in the last 13 games, the Eagles are therefore launched like cannonballs when approaching this NFL playoff campaign.

For the Green Bay Packers, this 2024 season was first seen as that of possible confirmation after a 2023 campaign which ended with a frustrating defeat on the field of the San Francisco 49ers during the Divisional Round. With a squad that is still young and gaining experience through matches, the Packers once again managed a very good 2024 regular season.

However, the Green Bay Packers have always struggled in this 2024 exercise when the difficulty level of the team in front of them rises. Thus, Jordan Love’s teammates lost against the Eagles, twice against the Vikings and twice against the Lions (plus a defeat against the Bears on the last day) which are teams that the Packers could find on their way during of these NFL playoffs. Enough to nourish a certain feeling of inferiority.

Strengths and weaknesses of the two teams

The problem with the Philadelphia Eagles is that it is complicated to bring out a real strength in this extremely complete team! Obviously, eyes immediately fall on Saquon Barkley’s exceptional season but we must also highlight the offensive line which is one of the best in the league, the receiving corps which would make many franchises green with envy without forgetting an iron defense capable of thwarting any quarterback and creating turnovers at any time.

In what is undoubtedly one of the best teams in the NFL, it is not easy to find a weak link either. So let’s focus instead on a somewhat worrying statistic for the Philadelphia Eagles: the very low number of points (3.6 points) scored during the first quarter of the matches. The Eagles therefore seem to be having trouble starting their game which could force them to have to catch up during certain games in these NFL playoffs. A situation that is not always enviable.

The Green Bay Packers, for their part, have certain similarities with their rival in this first round of the playoffs. Since the arrival of Josh Jacobs this offseason, the Green Bay Packers have managed to run the ball perfectly and the franchise ranks among the top 5 teams in rushing this season. At the defensive level, the Packers also have quality with a strong propensity to cause errors among opponents, notably with players like the very valuable Xavier McKinney.

However, the Packers are wary as they enter the NFL playoffs regarding the general state of health of the team. Jordan Love, the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, experienced several fairly serious injury scares during this 2024 regular season and the Wisconsin franchise will be without Christian Watson for his entire NFL playoff campaign who tore a ligament knee at the end of the regular season. However, the team will need to remain in good health to hope to be able to create a surprise.

The X factor of the match

The key element in this meeting will undoubtedly be in the running performance that Saquon Barkley can have. Deprived of the record for rushing yards in a regular season due to his scheduled rest during week 18, Barkley, who is coming off a season with more than 2,000 yards on the ground, will be keen to help his team get a new Super Bowl.

Saquon Barkley will still have a lot to do this Sunday since he will be facing a Green Bay Packers team which offers a very competitive ground defense. Indeed, this Packers defense concedes less than 100 yards on the ground on average per game (99.4 to be precise) and is even third among teams allowing the fewest yards per ball carry. The fact remains that during the first duel between these two teams this season, Saquon Barkley had compiled 109 yards and 2 touchdowns on Brazilian soil.

If the Green Bay Packers manage to find a solution to stop Saquon Barkley without leaving boulevards in the defensive backfield, they will then have a chance to see the second round of these NFL playoffs. Otherwise, the Eagles should succeed in taking the best.