Eagles-Packers on 'Monday Night Football': What We Learned from Philadelphia's 10-7 win 

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• REWATCH: Eagles-Packers on NFL+ Premium
• READ: Phillips 'super grateful' to help standout Eagles D in debut
• READ: Jacobs: Eagles knew Packers' play call on pivotal fumble
• READ: Sirianni explains decision to call deep 4th-down pass

1. Eagles defense shines in prime time. For likely many a viewer Monday night, this game wasn’t aesthetically pleasing, but it was nonetheless a defensive masterpiece for the Eagles. On every level, whether it be the newly acquired Jaelan Phillips, linebacker Nakobe Dean, cornerback Quinyon Mitchell and on and on, Philadelphia’s defense rarely gave quarter against the Packers, stifling Green Bay for the majority of a cool night at Lambeau Field before standing tall when it mattered most. It was Phillips and Reed Blankenship who stuffed Josh Jacobs for a 5-yard loss on fourth down, causing a fumble to end the Packers’ second-to-last drive. Then, the Eagles survived a stunning call to go for it on fourth-and-6 from the Packers' 35-yard line that led to a last-ditch 64-yard Green Bay field goal attempt. A relatively middling defense by the numbers, Vic Fangio’s D (15th in points allowed, 20th in yards given up entering the week), as a collective, was the star of the night. The Packers were held to 261 yards and a season-low seven points in nine drives. Phillips (six tackles, two QB hits, tackle for loss, fumble recovery) was impressive in his Philly debut. Nolan Smith (sack, two QB hits) returned from injured reserve with a vengeance. Jalyx Hunt (sack, two tackles for loss) continues to contribute. There’s still plenty for the reigning Super Bowl champions to work on, but Monday's defensive showing bodes very well for the weeks ahead.
2. Cause for concern in Green Bay? Make no mistake, when the Packers pulled off a massive trade just before the 2025 season kicked off, it was a firm statement of Super Bowl-winning intent. Nine games into the season, the Packers have stumbled to third place in the NFC North, face serious concerns about their offense and have lost two straight. Every team has peaks and valleys, but they’re magnified with all the world watching in prime time. In their three losses this year, the Packers have scored a combined 30 points with Jordan Love throwing just two touchdowns -- in comparison to 12 in wins/ties. Green Bay’s still without Jayden Reed, was without Matthew Golden on Monday, and played its first game sans Tucker Kraft, who’s gone for the remainder of the season. Love and the offense have been mercurial, most often failing to show up when needed most -- three nail-biting losses. Love has committed three turnovers in three losses as opposed to two in the other six games. In his defense, he threw plenty of catchable balls that fell to the field on a night in which he mustered 176 yards. Nonetheless, the Packers’ losing formula is clear: The defense plays outstanding, and the offense is stagnant. Something needs to change with head coach Matt LaFleur and his offense before concern turns to panic for a club with Super Bowl aspirations. 
3. Two-play sequence rescues Eagles offense on crazy night. Locked in a scoreless stalemate through halftime, the Eagles put the scoreboard to work for the first time with a Jake Elliott field goal and carried the 3-0 lead into the fourth. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Jalen Hurts ignited two explosive plays thanks to two of his best playmakers. Facing third-and-7 from his 23, Hurts dumped off a pass to Saquon Barkley and let the reigning AP Offensive Player of the Year do the rest, bursting for 41 yards and the game’s biggest play. On the very next snap, Hurts went deep to DeVonta Smith, who skied for a contested 36-yard touchdown. Just like that, the Eagles were up 10-0 in a game in which points were an endangered species. It was a sequence that provided the eventual game-winning points. However, it wouldn’t be a Philadelphia game without some added dramatics. Looking to salt away a win, the Eagles gained just four yards on three plays and faced fourth-and-6 from the Packers 35-yard line. Nick Sirianni shockingly elected to go for it and Hurts followed with an incompletion to A.J. Brown. It gave the Packers a prime shot at at least converting an overtime-forcing field goal. Philly’s D bowed up again, though, forcing a miserable 64-yard field goal attempt that ended up in another area code from the uprights. Still, Sirianni’s call and the offense’s ineptitude will be talking points. Philly’s offense -- thanks to a sensational defensive performance -- did just enough to prevail on Monday. But just enough isn’t a good enough narrative for a fanbase hungry for a Super Bowl repeat. 
4. Green Bay’s defense good enough to win in defeat. When you hold the defending Super Bowl champions to a season-low 10 points and a paltry 294 yards, conventional wisdom suggests you should be celebrating at game’s end. Such wasn’t the case for the Packers, who gave up just 10 points on 60 Eagles plays. In each of its three losses this season, Green Bay has allowed 16 points or less. On Monday, Green Bay had impressive showings from Quay Walker (six tackles, two tackles for loss), Evan Williams (six tackles, two TFL), Edgerrin Cooper (six tackles) and on and on. Cooper punched out a Jalen Hurts fumble that was recovered by Keisean Nixon for just the fourth takeaway against the Eagles this season. This was the type of performance by the Packers defense to hang its helmet on. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a winning one. 
5. Warts and all, Eagles on flight path to repeat division title. For a Philadelphia squad that’s dealt with its share of drama (getting the passing game going chief atop the list), the win-loss column has rarely been among its concerns. After Monday night, the Eagles are 7-2 and well on their way to becoming the first NFC East repeat champion since the franchise’s run of titles from 2001-04. The Cowboys are in a distant second place at 3-5-1; the third-place Commanders have lost five in a row and are without quarterback Jayden Daniels; and the last-place Giants just fired their head coach after their fourth consecutive defeat. Of course, Nick Sirianni made a baffling call late on Monday night, an evening in which A.J. Brown had just two catches for 7 yards on only three targets, and Saquon Barkley averaged an ugly 2.7 yards per carry. Nothing’s clinched and there’s going to be plenty more histrionics to come, but the Eagles are just where they want to be: first place in the division and the top seed in the NFC. 

Next Gen Stats Insight for Eagles-Packers (via NFL Pro): Packers defensive lineman Micah Parsons, coming off his first career game with no QB pressures, had two on the Eagles’ first drive and a team-high four for the night.  

NFL Research: The Eagles-Packers game featured the NFL’s first scoreless first half since a Week 14, 2023, Vikings-Raiders game. Earlier that same day, the Texans-Jets game also saw a scoreless first half. It was the first Monday night game with no score at halftime since a Ravens-Browns contest in Week 10, 2009.