Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Keys to Victory
Nov 10, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez (3) throws a pass against the Carolina Panthers during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
1. Make Mark Sanchez play outside the system.
I believe in Mark Sanchez, I truly do, but I think it is unwise to expect him to play long-term at the level he did on Monday against a weak Panthers defense. Granted, the Packers aren’t yet a unit to fear, themselves.
The key will be to push Mark Sanchez out of his comfort zone, and outside of Chip Kelly’s scheme. One of many reasons that Sanchez failed in New York, the QB graveyard, is that he was asked to do too much, too often. That is not the type of QB that Mark Sanchez is.
Green Bay will need to funnel the spotlight onto Sanchez by grabbing an early lead, then loading the box against the run and screen game. LeSean McCoy has had a largely disappointing season, but there is no denying he is one of the most talented football players on the planet. Green Bay played a stout run defense last week, but they need a few more of those performances to convince the league that they are for real.
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Clay Matthews is likely to move all over the field on Sunday, and I expect much of that to be determined by the positioning of LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles. Matthews is the Packers best bet against stopping the screen game, and his athleticism could help limit any short-range damage and clock control dominance.
To focus so heavily on shorter routes and the running attack, Dom Capers will need to put a lot of trust in his secondary. Sam Shields and Tramon Williams will need to be very strong in man coverage on the outside. On the back end, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Morgan Burnett and Micah Hyde will need to keep a cap on any deep passes, while still monitoring the middle of the field which could be left open for an underrated Zach Ertz.
This is a tall order, but if Green Bay does not pressure and challenge Mark Sanchez, the hurry-up system could take over the game quickly. Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers will need to have their strongest games of the season, perhaps forcing a turnover along the way. Before the season, the thought of a team led my Mark Sanchez coming to Lambeau was little to fear, but much has changed in the NFL over two and half months.