The Philadelphia Eagles delivered a convincing victory in the opening round of the NFL playoffs, defeating the Green Bay Packers 22-10, and set themselves up to make a Super Bowl run in the postseason.
The game opened up with Lincoln Financial Field roaring with excitement, and the cheers were rewarded. On the opening kickoff, Eagles LB Oren Burks delivered a blistering hit, forcing a fumble which LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. would recover. The Eagles capitalized, with Jalen Hurts then finding WR Jahan Dotson for a touchdown to kick off the scoring 7-0.
The Eagles forced three turnovers in the first half, but were only able to score 10 total points, which they led by at halftime.
The Packers finally got on the board with 5:46 remaining in the 3rd quarter, as kicker Brandon McManus knocked in a 26 yarder. The Eagles responded right away, however, and punched in a touchdown of their own with TE Dallas Goedert to lead 16-3.
The Packers scored a touchdown on their next possession on a Josh Jacobs rush, but after that it would be all Eagles the rest of the way.
Philadelphia went on to score a field goal, force a turnover on downs, score another field goal and then force an interception to end the game.
It was not all smiles for the Eagles, though, as they lost starting LB Nakobe Dean to a knee injury. He will miss the rest of the playoffs, which is both notable and upsetting given how much he had improved this season and how well he was playing.
The Eagles will face the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round at Lincoln Financial Field. The two teams faced off on Sunday Night Football earlier this season, where Saquon Barkley exploded for an electric 302 yards from scrimmage and two TDs and the Eagles left victorious. The team will look to duplicate those results this Sunday.
If the Eagles were to advance, they would play the winner of the Detroit Lions vs Washington Commanders game. If the matchup is Eagles/Lions, the game will be in Detroit; if the matchup is Eagles/Commanders, the game will be in Philadelphia.
The loss of Dean is a crucial one, but overall it was an extremely successful Wild Card weekend for the Birds. They now have a feasible path to bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to Philly.