a ‘BlackOut‘ is upon us, as the Eagles (9-1) return home for a Sunday night meeting against the Green Bay Packers (4-7).
Philadelphia will look to maintain its lead in both the NFC East and in the NFC race for the overall No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the NFL playoffs.
The Eagles are 11-11 at home against the Green Bay Packers all-time, and they’ll need to perform on offense to get the win.
Here are several keys for the Philadelphia offense Sunday night.
Third down efficiency
Philadelphia is fourth in the NFL in third-down efficiency, converting 46.5% of their opportunities.
Against the Colts, the Eagles were 5-12 on third downs, and a primary reason the team had to overcome a ten-point deficit. The Birds must extend drives while wearing down the Packers’ shoddy defense.
Feed Miles Sanders
Miles Sanders is well on his way towards his first 1,000-yard season with the Eagles, but offensive coordinator Shane Steichen has to feature his explosive running back.
Sanders has logged 12 and 13 carries in back-to-back games, amassing 54 yards in the loss to Washington and 47 yards in the win over the Colts.
A solid run-pass ratio is a must on Sunday night, and that should include Sanders early on against a Green Bay defense that’s one of the worst in the NFL.
Identify the Packers SPY
Jalen Hurts has 440 rushing yards this season, and athletic teams looking to slow down the Eagles quarterback usually utilize a spy.
With De’Vondre Campbell unlikely to play significant snaps, Quay Walker could be tasked with shadowing Hurts.
For Philadelphia, it’ll be imperative for the quarterback to identify who his spy is and take appropriate advantage of the matchup.
More Kenneth Gainwell
With Dallas Goedert on injured reserve, Philadelphia will need another outlet for Jalen Hurts while opening the middle of the field up for the deep passing game.
One way to compensate for Goedert’s absence is to feature dual-threat running backs in the passing game.
Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, and Gainwell are all threats with the football in their hands, and they should be added to the numbers game.
