Scouts: Enormous Talent Disparity for Packers-Eagles Playoff Game

Two NFL scouts agreed to compare the starting lineups for the Packers and Eagles before Sunday’s playoff game. Where do the Packers have the edge?

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs against the Green Bay Packers during their Week 1 game in Brazil. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers will face an enormous challenge in upsetting the Philadelphia Eagles in an NFC wild-card game on Sunday.

The Packers, the youngest team in the league and historically young for a playoff team, are a very good team. The Eagles are an excellent team.

Two high-ranking scouts agreed to look at the depth charts for both teams. Which Packers players would start for the Eagles?

The answer? Not many.

Here were the answers from one of the scouts.

Quarterback: “I would have gone Jordan (Love) here if you would have asked me this at the start of the season, but I didn’t see much of a step forward.”

Running back: “Josh Jacobs is really good but Saquon (Barkley) is great.”

Receiver: “A.J. (Brown) will be by far the best receiver on the field but I’ll take (Jayden) Reed in the slot. They’ve got to get him going.”

Tight end: “I’d probably go Tucker (Kraft) here. I could see him being an X-factor.”

Offensive line: “Philly, across the board. Elgton (Jenkins) and Zach Tom are really good players but the Eagles have better starters at those spots.”

Defensive line: “It’s hard not to put Kenny Clark out there but give me Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis as the tackles. And Rashan (Gary) is an easy one at end.”

Linebacker: “Nakobe (Dean) and Zack Baun are really good but, you know what? I’ll take Edgerrin Cooper. Gutey (GM Brian Gutekunst) found a star.”

Cornerback: “Philly, easy. I don’t know how (Jeff) Hafley’s done it without Jaire (Alexander).”

Safety: “I’d take X (Xavier McKinney) over any safety in the league.”

Going with 12 starters on each side of the ball for base and nickel personnel for a total of 24 players, that scout gave the Packers the advantage at five spots.

Another scout via e-mail said he’d give the Packers the advantage at “probably six or less” positions but then listed only four.

He went with Love over Hurts at quarterback, Gary at defensive end, Cooper at linebacker and McKinney at safety.

Here’s the problem for the Packers: Their strengths collide with the Eagles’ strengths. Where the Packers are good, the Eagles are better.

Offensively, the Packers’ bread and butter is grinding away with Jacobs behind a strong line.

However, Barkley is better than Jacobs and their offensive line is better than Green Bay’s.

Meanwhile, the Eagles addressed their weakness at cornerback by drafting Quinyon Mitchell in the first round and Cooper DeJean in the second round. They’ll be above-average starters on Sunday. Gutekunst ignored cornerback and lost his bet that Alexander would return to All-Pro form.

Without Christian Watson, will the Packers be able to make enough plays against the Eagles’ high-quality secondary? Without Alexander, will the Packers be able to handle Brown and DeVonta Smith?

The Eagles beat the Packers in Week 1, 34-29. A lot has changed.

Both teams were breaking in new coordinators – Hafley for Green Bay and Vic Fangio and Kellen Moore for the Eagles.

The rookies have grown up; DeJean barely played for the Eagles, Cooper barely played for the Packers and safety Evan Williams didn’t play at all on defense.

The Eagles are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, with 12 wins in their last 13 games. The Packers lost their last two, but coach Matt LaFleur likes where his team is at headed into the biggest game of the season.

“It was a great week,” he said. “I think we’re excited about the opportunity, and it always starts with approaching it the right way. Obviously, you get to this time of the year, every game’s a great challenge, and it’s never easy going on the road. I think the things you are in control of – just the energy, the effort, it was all there.

“So, we’re excited about that and going to go embrace this challenge.”

Who will win on Sunday?

On Friday, The Associated Press unveiled the official NFL All-Pro Team. The Eagles had six selections (Barkley and linebacker Zack Baun on the first team, Brown, offensive tackles Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson, and Carter on the second team) while the Packers had only one (McKinney).

That will be the difference, the first scout said.

“Green Bay has a lot of good players but big games in our league are won by great players,” he said. “It’s why everyone’s always chasing the Chiefs. I’d give the Packers a shot if Jordan gets hot, but when they [the Eagles] need to make a play, they have too many great players they can count on.”

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Today's the day. #Packers-#Eagles in an NFC wild-card showdown. The Eagles are hot. The Packers are not.

Here are three reasons why the Packers will lose: ⬇️https://t.co/px0zUrEikE

And three reasons why they will win: ⬇️https://t.co/jv4gmm3K6h

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) January 12, 2025

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