Heading into Sunday Night Football, the Green Bay Packers wanted nothing more than to beat the Philadelphia Eagles, begin a comeback for the ages, and run the table on the way to their fourth straight playoff appearance. On paper, they had a good chance to do so; Aaron Rodgers was going to play despite a finger injury, they have a strong rushing offense tailor-made to attack Philadelphia's at-times shaky run defense, and had a rapidly ascending passing offense that was really coming together thanks to the emergence of Christian Watson and return of Randall Cobb.
Unfortunately for the Packers, Nick Sirianni wasn't just going to sit back and watch the future Hall of Famer pull a rabbit from his hat. No, his team brought it to the Packers all night in one of the weirdest games you'll ever see, and even if it wasn't the prettiest showing of all time, the 10-1 record is a welcomed consolation prize.
Passing Offense
On paper, the Eagles' offense wasn't great against the Packers, but then again, they didn't really have to be. Recording the second-fewest passing yards of the season behind only their Week 6 winner against Dallas, Philly had to face off against one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL in Jaire Alexander, had a top wide receiver in A.J. Brown who was dealing with food sickness all weekend long and had to traverse weather conditions that left Jake Elliott unable to hit an extra pointer after the team's second touchdown.
Eventually, the Eagles are going to have to win a game through the air against one of the better passing defenses in the NFL, but when Miles Sanders and Jalen Hurts are running the ball as effectively as they did in Week 12, going to the pass just to pass is a lower probability play.
Grade: B-
Rushing Offense
How, you may ask, can a team that rushes for 363 yards on only 49 attempts plus three touchdowns on the ground and not get an A+ rating? Well, because of two plays in particular, one on third-and-1 when Hurts tried to sneak the ball forward but didn't gain the requisite yard, and another on the very next play, when Hurts and Jason Kelce had a miscommunication on the snap and ended up fumbling the ball to Miles Sanders for no gain and a turnover on downs.
Other than that, the only real complaint one could have with the Eagles' rushing offense was that Hurts maybe ran the ball a bit too often, even if you can't argue with the results.
Grade: A
Carryin' it#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/fgp38MONfW
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 28, 2022
Passing Defense
On the season as a whole, the Eagles have allowed the second-fewest passing yards on the season at just 2020 or roughly 183.6 yards per game. Against Green Bay, that number rose to 236, but 113 of those yards came in garbage time at the hands of Jordan Love, and when the game actually mattered, Philly accomplished the rare feat of picking off Aaron Rodgers twice, offsetting the number of touchdowns he threw in the game.
Reed Blankenship did a fine job replacing CJ Gardner-Johnson, even if he probably allowed a touchdown to Christian Watson in coverage, Josiah Scott once again proved he should be a starter at some point down the line for one team or another, and in the end, the Eagles were able to shut down Rodgers, even with an injured finger, when he needed the win more than at any point in a Week 12 game in his career.
Grade: B
Rushing Defense
Article Continues BelowThe Packers are typically a team built to run the ball, but in Week 12, with an injured quarterback and then a very inexperienced quarterback under center, they only ran the ball 20 times for 107 yards plus a single rushing attempt by Rodgers for -1 yard. A.J. Dillion only ran the ball eight times despite averaging eight yards per rushing attempt, and Aaron Jones fared even worse, picking up just 43 yards on 12 attempts – a number he offset with three receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown, but I digress.
While Linval Joseph has been an asset as an off-the-street nose tackle, the Eagles should be very excited to see Jordan Davis back on the field once more.
Grade: A-
We see you 👀#BudLightCelly | @BudLight pic.twitter.com/OUuq82gaEL
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 28, 2022
Special Teams
Good news: the Eagles finally tried Boston Scott as a kick returner after months of poor play by Brittian Covey. He returned for kicks for 91 yards and ultimately did a pretty good job in limited action. Jake Elliott also made all but one of his kicks, and the extra point he missed was probably because of the wind.
Bad news: everything else. The Eagles' special teams unit was still a mess, they allowed a 53-yard return by Keisean Nixon when things were a bit too close for comfort, and basically, nothing clicked when it needed to. Come the offseason, Philly needs to offer Dave Fipp the freakin' bag to come back.
Grade: D+
Overall
Was the Eagles' win over Green Bay pretty? No. Are there areas of concern depending on how critical of an eye you watch the game of football with? Yes as well, but in the end, if fans were told that Philadelphia would be 10-1 at the end of Week 12 after defeating the Green Bay Packers 40-33, they would have called the season an A+. This win, though far from the team's most impressive of the season, counts just the same.
Grade: B+
Nothing but gratitude@JalenHurts | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/tQ0693Ek4K
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 28, 2022