Game 4 Preview

green bay packers at philadelphia eagles on mnf

this should be another no contest game. there could be some complicating factors -- e.g. looking ahead to the dallas game next week -- but the outcome won't be in doubt.

i'll lay out my thoughts at the end, but first what some others think about the game:

footballoutsiders.com
- eagles jump two spots to 4th overall in DVOA (technically it's "VOA" since it is early season and not yet adjusted for defenses faced), stay at 1st on offense, jump one to 15th on defense, and drop to 17th on special teams
- packers come in ranked 26th overall, 22nd on offense, 22nd on defense, and 26th on special teams

The Eagles have played just over 180 minutes of football this season and have looked unbeatable in about 160 of them. Donovan McNabb is averaging 8.5 yards per attempt and has been picked off just once. The defense has produced 16 sacks and forced seven fumbles (though it has only recovered two). And their 60-40 pass-run split is as close to balanced as Andy Reid is going to get. The Eagles have won the last four meetings, going back to 2003. It all looks bleak for the Packers, who are coming off a solid win but still have work to do on defense and in pass protection. And don't expect the Eagles to look past the Packers to the Cowboys, who are headed to Philly next week. They've had their embarrassing letdown for this month. "We have to continue to strive to get execution," Brian Westbrook said on Monday. Hey, if Westbrook and LaDainian Tomlinson get together, they can begin to strive to begin to get execution! Until then, Rundown will endeavor to persevere.

vegas vic

Here's hoping everyone except Andy Reid has purged the memory of the Eagles last Monday night effort (a humliating 42-0 bagel cooked up by the Seahawks last December), but this is a new season with a healthy and happy Donovan McNabb leading the No. 1 offense in the NFL. The Birds will have no problem strutting their stuff in front of the "MNF" cameras against a Green Bay defense that allows 388.3 yards per game, covering this spot with plenty of room to spare.

Prediction: EAGLES (-11) over Packers

milwaukee journal sentinel

Being an underdog should be nothing new for the Green Bay Packers. They were one 11 times in 16 games a year ago and in their first three games this year.

Nevertheless, it has been a long, long time since the Packers have been the prohibitive underdog that they will be Monday night in Philadelphia.

Their opponent, the Eagles (2-1), have been established as an 11-point favorite. The Packers haven't faced longer odds in a regular-season game since they were a 13-point underdog on the road against the Chicago Bears in Week 13 of 1988.

Pick: Eagles

espn scouts inc

Philadelphia is playing on a level similar to two years ago, when it represented the NFC in the Super Bowl. Donovan McNabb is having fun playing football again and it shows, as he is the leading passer in the NFC. He is surrounded by an excellent supporting cast and Philadelphia is currently the top offense in the NFL.

With an Eagles' defensive front that has been putting tremendous pressure on quarterbacks lining up against a Packers' offensive line starting a pair of rookies, Favre may find himself under fire. Green Bay simply is not good enough to go into Philadelphia and pull an upset over a talented and experienced Eagles' team.

Prediction: Eagles 24, Packers 10

what i think
if this was the packers of 3-4 years ago or the brett favre of 1996, then there would be some points of concern, but this is the mike mccarthy packers -- yes, the same mike mccarthy who was the saints o-coordinator for the last few seasons -- and the real brett favre retired in 1999.

it's possible the eagles come out a little flat as this is the sandwich game before next week's me-o return, but i doubt it. as football outsiders mentions, the motivation from the collapse during the giants game should carry much further than just last week. no let down here.

packers o vs. eagles d
TAFKA brett favre + little speed at wideout + ahman green coming off major injury + inexperienced middle of the o-line (where mike patterson lives) should make it difficult for the packers to do a whole lot of damage. they are coming off scoring 24 and 27 points in their last two games, but they are taking a step up in class from the lions and saints respectively. the eagles may not be in chicago's class defensively (shutout the packers in week 1), but the eagles are good enough and, most importantly, rush the passer well enough to control this matchup.

eagles 0 vs packers d
if i could pick one word to describe the packers d, it would be "meh". the linebackers are ok but don't concern me too much -- they have a good player in nick barnett, a hyped rookie in aj hawk, and some guy named brady poppinga. the d-line can rush the passer a little with aaron kampman and kgb, but the line is both weak and injured at d-tackle. kampman and kgb also happen to be good matchups for runyan and thomas as kampman, a motor guy, will matchup against runyan, who tends to struggle against speed guys, and kgb, a speed guy, will matchup against tra, who tends to struggle against power guys. if the packers have any real advantage over the eagles, it is at cornerback. at corner, the packers have our pal al "personal foul" harris and a guy who was once the best cornerback in the game in charles woodson. both of them are on the downside of their careers, but realistically are still better than the joselio hansons and dexter wynns the eagles can field this week. unfortunately for them, this advantage is probably negated by the fact that the packers have safeties who are average at best. marquand manuel was a guy who was forced into a starting role at seattle due to injuries and nick collins is high draft pick from last season but is still learning the position.

the eagles should be able to run and pass on these guys at will. the only thing that is going to slow the eagles offense down is a lack of interest and/or a desire to not run up the score.

prediction: eagles 31 - packers 13