Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis has a twisted idea of a good time. The Eagles will play the Packers this weekend in Green Bay. That’s no easy task — going up against one of the premiere offenses in the NFL, on their field.
“This is what you want to do,” Davis insisted. “In the NFL you get to play against the best. That’s the fun part. It’s not something where you say 'Oh, god, we’ve got to play these guys.' No. Let’s go play these guys. Let’s give them our best, let’s get their best, and let’s see where we stand at the end of the game.”
If it’s the Packers' best he wants, he’s likely to get it. Green Bay got off to a 1-2 start. The Packers’ offense was 28th in total yards during that stretch, prompting Green Bay fans to freak out and Aaron Rodgers to settle them down. Since then, the Packers have rolled.
The Packers are 10th in the league in passing yards per game, averaging 256.4. They score 30.8 points per game, which is fifth in the league — right behind the Eagles, who average 31. Green Bay has lost just one game since Week 4. In the Packers' last five victories, they’ve averaged 40 points. That includes putting up 55 against the Bears in a nationally televised blowout over the weekend.
“These guys are very hot,” Davis said. “They’re very hot at home. Aaron Rodgers is playing as well as we’ve ever seen him play. The receivers are catching everything. They’ve got a great plan. They’ve got a big running back who can run downhill. They’ve got a balanced attack. They’ve got a very accurate thrower, a good decision-maker, can get out of trouble, hasn’t thrown many interceptions. The offensive line has been together for a while. They’re playing well as a unit. They’re not giving up a whole lot of sacks. So this is probably the most balanced, efficient offense we’ve faced.”
Everything Davis said is pretty much accurate. We’ll take them in order. The Packers are 4-0 at home and have outscored their opponents by an average of 33 points in those games.
The part about Rodgers wasn’t hyperbole. He’s first in the league in yards per attempt, first in quarterback rating, third in touchdowns, fifth in completion percentage and 11th in yards per game. And he’s thrown only three interceptions in 277 attempts.
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Eddie Lacy is a large man (5-11, 230 pounds) who has the ability to run over people, though he hasn’t run as well this season as he did a year ago. He’s averaging 4.0 yards per carry, but he’s rushed for more than 65 yards only once this season.
Per usual, the Packers have done a good job spreading the ball around. Jordy Nelson remains their best pass catcher. He leads the team with 56 receptions on 84 targets for 889 yards, and he’s second on the team with eight touchdowns, behind Randall Cobb, who has 10. Cobb has caught 44 of his 60 targets for 650 yards. Lacy has added another 24 catches out of the backfield, while Davante Adams and tight end Andrew Quarless have caught 25 and 17 balls, respectively.
As for the offensive line, they’ve given up 21 sacks, which is 15th in the league. As Davis said, this is unquestionably the most balanced offense the Eagles have faced all season. The Packers’ strength remains their passing game, however. That could be a problem for the Eagles, who give up 252 passing yards per game (22nd). And while the Eagles have been better at defending the long ball and limiting big plays, they’re still not great at it. Last week, the Panthers hit on long throws of 40 and 38 yards. For the season, the Eagles have given up 34 plays that have gone for 20 or more yards (tied for fifth most). Of those, 11 have gone for 40 or more yards. Only the Texans, who have allowed 12 plays of 40 or more yards, have been worse.
That last part has a lot to do with the cornerbacks, particularly Bradley Fletcher and Cary Williams. They weren’t very good to start the season. They’ve been better lately, and both intercepted a pass against Carolina — the first for each of them this year.
"They took some criticism early," Davis said, “but they keep working. "And their play at the ball, we don’t have guys running wide open. They’re covered and they’ve made some plays on us, and I think our guys are getting better and better at the ball of making plays."