Green Bay Packers: 5 Players that must shine vs. Eagles in Week 4
5. Darnell Savage, S
Some people believed that the Packers reached slightly when they used their second first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on safety Darnell Savage. However, Green Bay was aggressive in overhauling their defense in the offseason and adding an athletic and versatile player like Savage to the mix was a big part of that. And thus far, it’s paid off for them.
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In Week 3 against Denver, Savage notched the first interception of his NFL career. More than just that, though, the rookie defensive back has been continuously showing that he’s ready to make an impact as a pro. He’s been all over the field in both coverage and coming up against the run to make plays, which is a strong indication that he’s only going to be more effective as his first season in the league goes on.
Why he needs a big game in Week 4 against the Eagles, though, is the matchup at hand. Philadelphia’s offense is a bit short-handed at the moment in regards to pass-catchers. DeSean Jackson seems unlikely to play for the second straight week and, though Alshon Jeffery may play, he’s not 100 percent from the way things look.
Subsequently, the Eagles are likely going to be looking to either Nelson Agholor out of the slot or Zach Ertz from tight end to see a lot of targets. That means that Savage could be put into the spotlight quite a bit on Thursday Night Football given how he could match up with either of those players. Subsequently, he may need the best showing of his young career to keep Green Bay’s defense humming.