Packers fall to Eagles in defensive bout

If you're an offensive fan, Monday night in Green Bay was terrible. If you like defense, this was great.

The top two teams in the NFC were crushed on a cold night at Lambeau Field. Philadelphia Eagles come out on top Green Bay Packers 10-7.

Every win in the tightly contested NFC is significant: After the win, the Eagles' odds of clinching the No. 1 seed jumped to 33%, according to ESPN Analytics; a loss would reduce it to 12%.

The defense held the advantage in favor of the defending champions. The Eagles' revamped pass rush has become a quarterback. Jordan Love was uncomfortable all night, helping the Packers remain scoreless through three quarters for only the third time under head coach Matt LaFleur.

Philadelphia's offense came a little late with a 36-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts To DeVonta Smithand that was enough to lift the Eagles to 7-2 as they prepare for their next heavyweight bout against Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Philadelphia Eagles (7-2)

Turning point: Leading 3-0 in the fourth quarter, Jalen Hurts found Saquon Barkley on a swing pass on third-and-7 that Barkley turned into a 41-yard gain down the left sideline. On the next play, Hurts found Smith in the end zone for a 36-yard score.

Most amazing performance: Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio gave the edge Jaelan Phillips played a major role in his first game as an Eagle, and Phillips made great strides. Retrieved from Miami Dolphins For a third-round pick before last week's trade deadline, Phillips produced seven QB hits, two QB hits and six tackles. He stuffed Josh Jacobs on fourth-and-1 with 1:30 remaining, resulting in a forced fumble that helped seal Philadelphia's win. The Eagles have something brewing on the defensive front with the arrival of Phillips and Nolan Smith Jr.. returning from a triceps injury.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo played conservatively for the most part, especially at third down. There were several occasions when Philadelphia decided to run it on third-and-long. The Eagles are up to 29 3-and-outs and have forced punts this season, the second-most in the NFL behind the Broncos (34). — Tim McManus

Next game: vs. Detroit Lions (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday, NBC)

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Green Bay Packers (5-3-1)

This game will not be included in any offensive educational content. In fact, the Packers might want to burn him.

In one of coach Matt LaFleur's worst offensive performances in seven seasons in Green Bay, his team didn't score until there was 5:49 left in the fourth quarter.

The Packers never lost under LaFleur and it was only the third time during the coach's tenure that they were scoreless through three quarters. One of them was the first start of Jordan Love's career, replacing Aaron Rodgers against the Chiefs in 2021. The other came in 2023 against the Saints, and the Packers came back to win.

In the Saints game, they rallied from a 17–0 deficit to win 18–17. Monday's deficit wasn't that big. They trailed 10-0 until running back Josh Jacobs finally got the Packers on the board, capping their first scoring drive with a 6-yard touchdown run.

This comes after the Packers scored just 13 points in a disappointing home loss to the Panthers last week.

The loss was especially devastating in the standings, dropping the Packers (5-3-1) from first to third place in the NFC North.

Stat to know: Packers receivers had one dropped pass all season entering Monday night, according to ESPN Research. They had two straight plays against the Eagles in the third quarter. First, Romeo Dubs failed to score on third-and-9 at center and then on the next play when the Packers attempted a punt on fourth down from the Eagles' 41. Beau Melton the ball bounced off his chest.

Then on the Packers' main broadcast. Dontayvion Weeks dropped another, giving them three for the night. Including all players, the Packers entered Monday's game with five total turnovers, four of which were punts.

Biggest hole in the game plan: The Packers couldn't find a way to repeat what they lost last week when budding star tight end Tucker Craft was lost this season to a torn anterior cruciate ligament. In fact, for most of the game, LaFleur ran a heavy call list, limiting Love's passing options. It was more like the game plans he used when Love missed two games last season with a knee injury and LaFleur limited backup. Malik Willis'throwing opportunities.

A trend to watch: For the second straight game, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley's team gave the team a chance to win. A week after losing to the Panthers 16–13, they kept the Eagles in check for most of the game. The Packers gave up their first points of the game on a field goal midway through the third quarter and didn't give up a touchdown until early in the fourth. In all three losses they gave up 16 points or less. They are now 1-3 when giving up 16 points or fewer this season, their worst loss since 1978, according to ESPN Research. Rob Demovsky

Next game: V New York Giants (1 p.m. ET Sunday, Fox)