Philadelphia Eagles @ Green Bay Packers
Final Score: Eagles 10, Packers 7
Writer: Chris Helle (@ChrisHelleQBL on Twitter/X, Reddit)
It was a cold, windy, and messy game in Lambeau. The Eagles, coming off their bye, faced a Packers team looking to overcome their loss to the Panthers in Week 9. Given the weather, both teams stubbornly attempted to establish a run game. In the first half, each team only sustained a single meaningful drive, but each turned the ball over when in scoring position. After the first half, Philly struck first with a 39-yard field goal, and then a shot to DeVonta Smith extended their lead to 10. Green Bay fought back fast, getting Josh Jacobs into the endzone with 5 minutes of game time to spare. After forcing an Eagles punt, the Packers tried to move quickly and went for it on a 4th-and-1 at around midfield, but were too fast for their own good and turned it back over. Philly tried to ice the game by going for it on 4th down, but the deep ball to A.J. Brown fell incomplete. The next play set up a 64-yard field goal to send it to OT, but it was too much to ask from Brandon McManus. The weather played a big factor in this one, so fantasy takeaways require a grain of salt.
Two Up
- DeVonta Smith – Another game where Hurts looks his way under desperation, and also for those oh so valuable and automatic-TD deep balls.
- Jaelon Phillips – the trade deadline asset made an immediate impact in his first game.
Three Down
- A.J. Brown – It’s back to decoy routes. Nothing to say other than the coaching staff needs to make him part of the game plan …if they want. But theyre winning so who knows.
- Philly’s O-Line – With Cam Jurgens still out, Lane Johnson suffered an injury that sidelined him most of the game. Jordan Mailata also made a litany of mistakes.
- Green Bay Passing game – Already down Tucker Kraft and Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs got shaken up in this one.
Philadelphia Eagles
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts: 15/26, 183 Yards, 1 TD | 5 Carries, 27 Yards, 1 Fumble (Lost)
Another game where not much was asked from Hurts, but he played steady. An uncharacteristic turnover came on the first drive of the game when Edgerrin Cooper peanut punched it out as a QB-draw was converting a first down. It was a huge momentum shifter to start the game, given Philly was marching deep into Packers territory at the time. Hurts had maybe two misfires from his arm, but the deep ball to DeVonta Smith for the touchdown was a dime.
Running Back
Saquon Barkley: 22 Carries, 60 Yards | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 41 Yards
Green Bay’s defense was stout for almost all of Saquon’s carries. He was without his center, Cam Jurgens, and all-pro tackle Lane Johnson was sidelined with an injury for most of the game. His big explosive came on a checkdown swing out and a nasty spin move. The other RBs only came in rotationally when Saquon needed breaks – but that was fairly often. By the eye test, he seemed a tad shaken up throughout the game. The volume was absolutely there for this to have been a more productive game, but this was a tough situation given the o-line woes, strength of opposition, and play-call predictability.
Will Shipley: 4 Carries, 17 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 17 Yards
Will Shipley played 12 snaps to Tank Bigsby’s 8 and was the more utilized 3rd down back. Should the Eagles elect to keep Barkley fresh for a playoff run, or if anything were to happen to Barkley sidelining him, Shipley might be the more preferable pickup. He’s the homegrown talent rather than trade acquisition, and Bigsby had his chances to win over the 1B role while Shipley dealt with injuries of his own.
Tank Bigsby: 3 Carries, 7 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
DeVonta Smith: 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 69 Yards, 1 TD
It’s looking more and more like there’s a new WR1 in Philly. Smith has been Hurts’ go-to guy on 3rd downs and deep balls. Another game with no drops, and another game with a deep ball TD. The obvious elephant in the room is A.J. Brown, and when/if he will ever eat into the limited Philly passing game.
Dallas Goedert: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 43 Yards
With Smith extending the field to the sidelines and vertically, Dallas Goedert is the relief valve and short-area outlet for Hurts. Philly ran play-action boots with Goedert releasing into the flat so many times this game that Micah Parsons was there to snuff it out on that late 4th quarter 4th down play. Hurts zipped one past his face while being pressured, and was also mistimed by Goedert, who was working slightly deeper due to the coverage. His usage feels reliable as ever, and likely is in no threat of being eaten into by A.J. Brown.
A.J. Brown: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 13 Yards
A.J. was only targeted in the first quarter and Philly’s last deep ball on a bold 4th down attempt. He was a total non-factor and was missing snaps on the field. He still has the gravitational pull of defenders, which helps open things up for Smith, but it seems like there’s some preferential treatment going Smith’s way. My personal speculation is that this game is a microcosm of the Eagles’ plan. He’s been removed from game scripts to get defenses off his scent, and once defenses stop gearing their coverages toward him, then the Eagles will let him loose. The problem is – we won’t know when that comes, it could even be in the playoffs. For the time being, A.J. should ride the fantasy bench until a big game comes.
Grant Calcaterra: 1 Target, 0 Receptions, 0 Yards
Jahan Dotson: 1 Target, 0 Receptions, 0 Yards
Green Bay Packers
Quarterback
Jordan Love: 20/36, 176 Yards | 5 Carries, 28 Yards, 2 Fumbles (1 Lost, 1 Recovered)
It’s a similar story for Love as it was for Hurts. Conditions led both teams to lean on the ground, but when Love needed to make a throw, he made it. A few of his throws were incredible in placement, but dropped by his lower-end WR options. He failed two shots deep to Christian Watson, one was way overthrown and the other was well defended by the safety. Love muffed a handoff with Jacobs, but was lucky to have it recovered. Later in the game, though, he tried to shotput a “pass” while getting sacked, which was a fumble recovered by Philly. He should also get some of the blame for the disaster sequence that led to an illegal formation and turnover on downs. Fantasy-wise, managers need to hope the WRs get healthy fast and sort out the sloppy plays.
Running Back
Josh Jacobs: 21 Carries, 74 Yards, 1 TD, 1 Fumble (Lost) | 6 Targets, 5 Receptions, 33 Yards
This man is a machine. Even against a strong front from Philly and the center, Elgton Jenkins, going down early, Jacobs is a powerback cheat code. He carried this offense down the field, and carried defenders into the endzone. There is some risk that defenses will pack the box while injuries plague the passing game, but it should be fairly unimpactful for his production aside from lowering the probability of explosives. His fumble came on that messy 4th down attempt late in the game and a whistle could’ve been blown for forward progress, so nothing to read into there.
Emanuel Wilson: 1 Carry, 2 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 2 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Dontayvion Wicks: 8 Targets, 4 Receptions, 38 Yards
Leading the team in targets should be encouraging, but some drops and missed opportunities make this a tougher situation for Wicks. With Tucker Kraft out and Jayden Reed still sidelined, Wicks fills in for a juicy role for this offense. He made a few strong catches on the sidelines, but broke the wrong way out of an option route and dropped a critical pass on their second-to-last drive. If the options remain thin, there should be a decent share of volume going his way, and Wicks could provide some real ceiling.
Christian Watson: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 45 Yards
He may have led the team in receiving yards, but it only game on 2 passes in classic Christian Watson fashion. Love took two additional shots deep to him for the home run balls, but one was overthrown, and the other broken up. Watson’s role is the definition of boom/bust, but could be worth the dice rolls if the options in the passing game remain this limited.
Romeo Doubs: 4 Targets, 1 Reception, 5 Yards
Doubs’ limited opportunities were squandered by a drop and a few pass breakups. To make matters worse, he left the game early with an injury. This wasn’t a full game getting shadowed by Quinyon Mitchell either, the play calls and passes simply weren’t going his way. He played 42 snaps, right behind Wicks’ 44 and Watson’s 56.
Bo Melton: 5 Targets, 2 Receptions, 28 Yards
Bo Melton worked all over the field and made a few chunk plays. There’s a reason for his placement on the depth chart, but there could be a decent path to meaningful volume should Doubs miss any time.
Luke Musgrave: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 23 Yards
Savion Williams: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 2 Yards
Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky