All eyes will be on the Green Bay Packers as they welcome the defending world champion Philadelphia Eagles to Lambeau Field on Monday night.
The Eagles are coming off their bye week but sit at the top of the NFC East and have the look of a team that can make another run at a Super Bowl title.
The Packers had won three in a row before a disappointing performance against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, and are inching toward playing their best football.
This game is a clash of the titans, and it has the potential to be one of the best games of the year.
With a disappointing performance against Carolina, it’s more important that Green Bay holds serve on its home field.
More on that in our weekly six pack.
1.) Alexander’s Return
The Philadelphia Eagles got a boost in their secondary by making a move for a former Green Bay Packer. Jaire Alexander was released this offseason after several attempts to trade him and landed in Baltimore to play with his former college teammate, Lamar Jackson.
Things did not work out for Alexander in Baltimore. He was a healthy scratch for all but two games during his tenure and sent to the Eagles on Nov. 1 for a late-round pick swap.
Alexander was set to return to Green Bay in December as a member of the Ravens but instead will get a chance to catch on Monday with Philadelphia.
Alexander typically relished challenges and bright lights during his time in Green Bay, and there’s no question he’ll be motivated if he’s able to acclimate to the Eagles’ defense and get on the field.
2.) Familiarity
Micah Parsons was Green Bay’s big trade acquisition this offseason, and he has some familiarity with this week’s opponent.
Parsons, of course, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys, used to play the Eagles twice a year.
He’s faced their stellar offensive tackles in Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson.
He’s played seven games against the Eagles in his career and has five sacks in those games.
After the Packers played the Lions to start the season, Parsons noted that he joked with Penei Sewell that he would be Parsons’ new rival now that he left the division with Johnson, but he didn’t have to wait long for another crack at the future Hall of Famer.
3.) Revenge Game?
No, not a revenge game for a player but perhaps an organization.
Mark Murphy and the Packers proposed a ban of the infamous “Tush Push” play that the Eagles have perfected over the last three years.
The vote sounded like it would have support for a ban but did not receive enough votes.
While the play is trending toward getting banned this offseason, it’s still legal.
Nick Sirianni is as good as anyone at creating slights as motivation for his team, and the Eagles’ social media team mocked the Packers after the play was deemed legal for the 2025 season.
Don’t be surprised if the Eagles run that play in an unconventional situation as a dig at the Packers.
4.) Clash of the Titans
The Packers had several chances to beat the top teams in the NFC a season ago and failed all six times.
That included two losses to the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings in the regular season.
The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Packers to start the season and once again to finish it with a 22-10 win at Lincoln Financial Field.
This year is different. The Packers have beaten the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field. The Lions are the best team Green Bay has played to date. The Eagles could be a different challenge as a physical team coming off extended rest with their bye week coming last week.
The Packers fancy themselves as Super Bowl contenders. This game serves as a measuring stick to see how much they’ve improved from a year ago.
5.) MVP?
Jordan Love has been off to an excellent start this season. The best game of the year, and arguably the best of his career, came on Sunday Night Football against Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Love’s 360 yards and three touchdown passes got him a lot of national attention as he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
He doesn’t need to throw for 400 yards or anything crazy this week, but a big game in the national spotlight against the defending champs could be a game that vaults him into the MVP conversation as the season comes down the final stretch.
6.) Run Game
The Packers’ run defense has been as good as they could have hoped for this season.
They entered play against the Carolina Panthers ranked third in the NFL. The previous week, they were ranked at the top of the league.
That’s a drastic change from what has been the norm with Matt LaFleur as the head coach.
Coming into the 2024 season, Jeff Hafley’s first as the defensive coordinator, the Packers were the worst team in the NFL during LaFleur’s tenure at stopping the run.
Hafley has changed the culture on defense in Green Bay.
This week, they face a team that gets off the bus running the ball and has built their identity around physicality.
This is a different challenge, and one the Packers will need to meet.
