Green Bay Packers Slam Eagles, Now Looking To Playoffs

It was brutal weather in Green Bay as the Packers faced NFC rival the Philadelphia Eagles. Philly entered Lambeau field with a 7-2 record this season, while the Packers were 6-3 after beating their division rivals, the Chicago Bears, last Sunday with a final score of 55-14. The Packers were about to break a record by beating the Eagles 53-20, therefore establishing topping 50 points or more in consecutive games. With this win, the Packers now look to the playoffs.

The game was disheartening to many Eagles’ fans, as by halftime the Packers already had a major lead with the score at 30-6. While it was great news for the Packers, as they became the first team in NFL history to score 28 or more points in the first half of four straight home games, it just went downhill from there for the Eagles.

Mark Sanchez, who was in for the injured Nick Foles, was sacked on Philly’s first 3 drives. And while Sanchez was able to throw two touchdowns, he also had two interceptions, one of which ended up with Julius Pepper of the Packer’s defense having a 52-yard interception return. Then in the fourth quarter, Sanchez threw the ball into the empty back field, where Casey Hayward of the Packers grabbed it and ran it 49 yards to the end zone, scoring again.

Sanchez was quoted by ESPN as saying, “They played outstanding and we played pretty poorly.”

And Eagles coach, Chip Kelly, said, “None of us played where we needed to play against this team.” I think many fans would agree.

“This isn’t a good taste, so we have to put in a lot of hard work and get back to business on Sunday.” http://t.co/rsbPDOhzeO

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 17, 2014

While Sanchez had a rough game, Aaron Rodgers had one of the best games of his career. He broke Tom Brady’s NFL record of 288 straight passes at home without an interception. It was Rodger’s completion to Jordy Nelson that broke the record. Rodgers had 22 out of 36 completions for a total of 341 yards with three touchdowns.

Rodgers, though, attributes the successful game to more than himself, saying, “It takes 11 guys to win, to do the job to make something like that happen.”

Rodgers on 27-yd TD to Nelson: Done it a lot in practice. We talk about the throws & spots we want to hit. Jordy’s a great route runner.

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 17, 2014

While the offense was intensely effective, Micah Hyde of the special teams scored on a 75-yard punt return. The Packers defense was equally successful with Clay Matthews sacking Eagles quarterback, Mark Sanchez.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy put it best when talking about facing the successful Eagles when he said, “We felt strongly that this game was going to come down to big plays… and I thought our players did an excellent job in all three phrases.”

So what’s next for the Packers? They face the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday, but their vision extends farther than that. Right now, they’re thinking playoffs.

Andrew Quarless, Green Bay tight end, told Sports Illustrated, “We’re trying to set that standard in the league…but I think we’re setting ourselves up right now for the playoffs.”

And he’s not the only one, with ESPN2 contributor Tony Bruno making Super Bowl predictions.

So, it’s going to be the @Patriots and @Packers in the SB? #WeeklyKneeJerkReaction #SNF

— Tony Bruno (@TonyBrunoShow) November 17, 2014

While it may be too soon to talk Super Bowl, I think that many people see playoffs as a definite possibility for the Green Bay Packers.

[Photo courtesy of Mike Morbeck]