Six Storylines, With Prediction, For Eagles-Packers' Monday Matchup

PHILADELPHIA – It’s the first of back-to-back primetime night games for the Eagles. It begins in Green Bay against the Packers on Monday night then, six days later, it’s a home game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday night.

First things first, and here are six storylines with a prediction for Eagles-Packers:

The bye. The week off lasted one day more than usual with the Eagles playing on Monday night. The last time they played was on Oct. 26. They brought a two-game winning streak into their time off and added a few new pieces in that time off. Head coach Nick Sirianni, though, is 4-0 coming off a bye and 8-0 against the NFC North since being hired in 2021.

“For some people, 15 days might be bad or too much time, but how we focus on and how we approach the game and approach each preparation period, it doesn’t feel like we’ve skipped a beat,” said edge Jalyx Hunt. “It feels like we played a game last week, but then we look back on tape and it’s like, oh, right, we didn’t play last week.”

The new parts. We know that one newcomer, Jaire Alexander, won't play any role after the Eagles ruled on Sunday that he won't make the trip. That leaves two newcomers - Michael Carter and Jaelan Phillips. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio did not speak during the week of practice, so we will have to wait and see.

Must-Watch On Eagles Edge

Eagles edge rusher/outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips takes questions for the first time with his new team. | Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

The edge. The Eagles could have five players at the pass-rushing position active, and one of them could be Brandon Graham, who would make his first appearance since unretiring on Oct. 21. Another could be Nolan Smith, who is healthy but still has yet to be activated to the roster. And the recently-acquired Phillips will be someone to watch closely. The other two are Hunt and Josh Uche.

Micah Parsons. The Eagles don’t have to face him twice a year anymore, but they do in this game, and maybe in the playoffs, too. Parsons is coming off probably his worst game as a pro in last week’s surprising 16-13 loss to the Panthers, with zero pressures on 21 pass rushers, per NextGenStats. It was his first game without a pressure. He has 6.5 sacks in eight games with 14 QB hits.

Eagles identity. The backfield of Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby was dynamic against the Giants, with each putting up more than 100 yards. As a team, the Eagles ran for s season-high 276 yards. Is this who they are again this year?

Jalen Hurts. The Eagles quarterback has thrown seven touchdowns in his last two games. He hasn’t run as much as he has in the past, but maybe he will in this game. He is 3-0 against Green Bay in his career, with his legs a big part of those wins, with 35 runs for 219 yards.

Prediction. The Eagles will be without center Cam Jurgens for a second straight game, but A.J. Brown is back and it felt like the Eagles offense began to hit its stride form the second half in Minnesota to their most complete game of the season against the Giants. Green Bay’s offense has some injury issues at receiver to overcome, so it will come down to stopping the running game led by Josh Jacobs. The Eagles will find a way.

Eagles 26, Packers 20

Season record: 4-4

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