Philadelphia (7-2 straight up, 6-3 against the spread) won a 10-7 decision at Green Bay as a one-point road favorite on Monday Night Football to remain in the #1 slot in the NFC’s playoff picture. The 17 combined points easily dropped ‘under’ the 44.5-point total.
The Eagles own the tiebreaker over the Seahawks, who are also 7-2, by virtue of a better record in conference play. The Rams are also 7-2 but currently behind Seattle due to its better record in NFC West games.
Seattle travels to Los Angeles to face the Rams for the first of two head-to-head meetings Sunday. There are three teams – Chicago, Tampa Bay and Detroit – one game behind with 6-3 records.
DE Jaelan Phillips, who was making his Eagles debut after being acquired earlier in the week from Miami before the trade deadline, made an instant impact for his new club. Phillips made an instant impact, recording six tackles, two QB Hits, one tackle for loss and one fumble recovery.
“The biggest thing I noticed was just no panic,” Phillips said. “The whole entire time, there was just utmost confidence on both sides of the ball. It felt really good to be in that environment.”
With 31 seconds left in the first half and Green Bay at Philadelphia’s 27 in a scoreless rock fight, Phillips recovered a fumble by Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love. Then with 1:30 remaining and the Eagles clinging to a 10-7 advantage, the Packers went for it on a fourth-and-one play from Green Bay’s 44, but Phillips and safety Reed Blankenship stuffed Josh Jacobs for a four-yard loss.
Philadelphia drew first blood on its opening possession of the third quarter, going 50 yards and 10 plays while chewing up more than six minutes of clock before Jake Elliott buried a 39-yard field goal to give his team a 3-0 lead.
The Eagles extended their advantage to 10-0 thanks to back-to-back chunk plays in the passing game. First, QB Jalen Hurts hit RB Saquon Barkley for a 41-yard pass. Next, Hurts connected with WR DeVonta Smith for a 36-yard TD pass with 10:35 remaining.
Green Bay countered with an 11-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by a six-yard TD run by Jacobs with 5:49 left. The Eagles ate up 3:31 of clock before punting away to the Packers, who then had their next drive stopped by Phillips and Blankenship’s play on fourth down.
Green Bay got one final crack at the ball with 27 seconds left after Philadelphia head coach Nick Siriani made an inexplicable decision to go for it on a fourth-and-six play from the Packers 35.
Hurts threw incomplete on fourth down. Two plays later, Love found Bo Melton for an 18-yard gain. Love was able to spike the ball with six ticks left.
Facing a 64-yard field goal, Green Bay tried another pass to get its kicker close, but the Eagles had the sidelines covered up. The incomplete pass left two seconds remaining.
Then Green Bay’s Brandon McManus was nowhere close on the potential tying field goal.
The win wasn’t the only good news for the Eagles, who had to be concerned when perennial Pro-Bowl OT Lane Johnson limped to the locker room. However, Johnson returned in the fourth quarter.
Life won’t get any easier for Philadelphia, which will be on a short week when it hosts Detroit on Sunday night.
As of late Tuesday afternoon, most books had the Eagles installed as 2.5-point home favorites with a total of 46.5 or 47. The Lions were +120 on the money line.
FanDuel has the Chiefs as +550 ‘chalk’ to win Super Bowl LX. The next-shortest odds belong to the Rams (+650), Eagles (+700), Lions (+800) and Bills (+950). The Packers are at +1500 or 15/1 odds.