Phillips’ Eagles debut paces dominant defence in win over Packers

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GREEN BAY, Wis. — Jelan Phillips sensed the different mentality the defending champion exuded once the Philadelphia Eagles added him at the trade deadline.

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Phillips wasted no time in contributing to the Eagles' title defense.

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In his first game for the Eagles since they acquired him from the Miami Dolphins, Phillips made two of the biggest plays of the game, helping Philadelphia beat the Green Bay Packers 10-7 on Monday night.

“The biggest thing I noticed was that there was no panic,” Phillips said. “There was utmost confidence on both sides of the ball the whole time. It was really nice to be in that environment.”

Phillips recovered a fumble by Jordan Love, who kept Green Bay from scoring in the final minute of the first half, and helped make a fourth-and-1 stop late in the fourth quarter.

“He loves football,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “He loves to work. You could see it in the way he ran in practice. His motor is constantly, constantly working.”

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Jalen Hurts threw a 36-yard pass to DeVonta Smith with 10:35 remaining in Philadelphia's only touchdown, giving the Eagles a 10-0 lead. Green Bay's only touchdown came on a 6-yard run by Josh Jacobs with 5:49 left.

Brandon McManus' attempt at a game-tying 64-yard field goal as time expired fell short by several yards.

“We knew it was going to be a four-quarter fist fight,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think our defense is excellent, but unfortunately our offense has too many mistakes to overcome.”

Green Bay's second straight loss dropped the Packers (5-3-1) to third place in the NFC North behind Detroit and Chicago. The Packers, who had the best record in the NFC before a 16-13 loss to Carolina on Nov. 2, would have clinched the conference's seventh and final playoff spot if the regular season ended now.

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The defensive struggle that characterized the first break of the season was seriously lacking in big plays until the Eagles (7-2) struck a one-two punch early in the fourth quarter.

Philadelphia led 3–0 and faced third-and-7 from its own 23 when Saquon Barkley caught a pass 5 yards from the line of scrimmage, made a spin past cornerback Carrington Valentine and took the lead for a 41-yard gain.

On the next play, Smith made a diving catch in the end zone over cornerback Evan Williams.

“We have huge sparks,” said Barkley, who was limited to 60 yards on 22 carries. “With the kind of talent we have in this offense and on this team, two or three games is just crazy. (In) two or three games we can go out there and score.”

After cutting the lead to 10-7, the Packers had a couple more opportunities in the final minutes.

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One drive ended when Jacobs fumbled on a fourth-and-1 from the Green Bay 44 with a minute and a half left. Phillips and Reed Blankenship teamed up on the stoppage.

Green Bay had one last chance with 27 seconds left at its own 36 after the Eagles threw a long incompletion on fourth-and-6 rather than punt or attempt a long field goal into the wind.

An 18-yard completion from Love to Beau Melton put the Packers beyond midfield, but McManus was unable to convert what would have been the longest field goal in team history.

“We're just shooting ourselves in the foot right now, panicking because we have good plays and then they don't build up properly and we have a play that could hurt the drive and we can't overcome it,” Love said.

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The Packers were unable to get revenge on the defending Super Bowl champions.

Philadelphia beat the Packers twice last season, including a 22-10 win in the NFC playoff round.

During the offseason, the Packers proposed banning the push that Philadelphia has used so effectively in limited yardage situations the past few years. The measure was supported by 22 of the NFL's 32 teams, two votes shy of the three-quarters majority needed to pass.

The Packers actually executed the first quarterback play of the game, and Love didn't need a push to convert on fourth-and-1. Philadelphia responded with a push that gave Hurts a 3-yard gain on third-and-1.

For most of the evening, there weren't many other successful plays from either offense.

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It was the first NFL game to go scoreless at halftime since Dec. 10, 2023, when the Minnesota Vikings' 3-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders and the New York Jets' 30-6 triumph over the Houston Texans were scoreless in the first half.

Philadelphia finally broke through when Jake Elliott's 39-yard field goal ended the Eagles' first drive of the second half.

Injuries

Eagles: RT Lane Johnson went to the locker room with an ankle injury in the second quarter but returned in the fourth quarter. C Cam Jurgens (knee) did not play.

Packers: C Elgton Jenkins (ankle) and WR Romeo Dubs (chest) left the game. WR Matthew Golden (shoulder), DL Lucas Van Ness (foot) and CB Nate Hobbs (knee) did not play.

Next

Eagles: Host the Detroit Lions on Sunday night.

Packers: Visit the New York Giants on Sunday.

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