Green Bay Packers: Ranking most favorable Divisional Round opponents
1. Philadelphia Eagles
What needs to happen for Packers to face Eagles in Divisional Round: Despite being tied for the worst record of any team in the 2020 NFL Playoffs at 9-7, the Philadelphia Eagles won the NFC East and, thus, have home-field advantage for the Wild Card Round as the No. 4 seed.
Subsequently, if the Eagles are able to take care of business at home on Sunday against the Seahawks and, in the previous game, if the Vikings are able to upend the Saints in New Orleans in the early NFC Wild Card Round matchup, Green Bay will welcome the Eagles to Titletown.
Why the Eagles are a good matchup for the Packers: Yes, the Eagles beat Green Bay on Thursday Night Football back in Week 4. However, that was when Philadelphia was A. healthy and B. playing on Thursday when odd things seem to always happen, especially between playoff-caliber teams.
Things have taken a downturn for the Eagles since, however. At 9-7, this team comes into the postseason circled as the weakest team in the 12-club playoff field. They have a slew of street free agents starting at wide receiver, their offensive and defensive lines are banged up and their secondary has been an issue all season.
While Green Bay’s passing attack has left something to be desired, Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams are capable of taking advantage of that. And with the lack of firepower that the Eagles have on offense right now, that then allows a talented Packers defense to key in on the remaining healthy weapons Philadelphia still has and stop them.
Why the Eagles are a bad matchup for the Packers: Despite all of the injuries Philadelphia is dealing with, they do present some interesting matchup problems for Green Bay. That starts with upstart rookie Miles Sanders in the rushing attack as he’s come on late. With the Packers’ suspect defense against the run, Philly could potentially control the game on the ground.
Beyond that, Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert are a devastating tight end duo that can attack some often inconsistent linebacker and safety play from the Packers — especially if Ertz is healthy enough to play against Green Bay.
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Make no mistake, the Eagles injuries still make them the most favorable possible opponent for the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round. However, they would still not be completely hapless. It’s the playoffs, after all, meaning that no game is going to be easy for Matt LaFleur’s club.