The Philadelphia Eagles rode high into their Week 11 matchup at Lambeau Field and crashed hard, falling 53-20 to a Green Bay Packers team that also dropped 55 points on the Chicago Bears the week before. In a matchup of teams with Super Bowl aspirations, Aaron Rodgers picked their Eagles apart with precision and helped the Packers improve to 5-0 at home.
The home/road dynamic is an interesting one for the Eagles, particularly as they brace for a key Thanksgiving Day matchup at Dallas. Philadelphia is 5-0 at home and 2-3 on the road, with all three of their losses coming to NFC contenders San Francisco, Arizona and Green Bay. The Eagles still have a crucial three-game stretch to prove themselves against playoff contenders Dallas (twice) and Seattle in Weeks 13-15.
Mark Sanchez turned in a much different performance at Green Bay as he faced adversity for the first time since replacing Nick Foles in the starting lineup. He looked rattled at times and committed four turnovers, even if his final stat line (346 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT) suggested he held his own. Sanchez failed to answer when Green Bay jumped out to a huge 17-0 lead in the first quarter.
On the defensive side, the Eagles were victims of both limited personnel in the secondary, a season-long theme, and a head-scratching game plan from coordinator Bill Davis. Philadelphia’s max-effort cornerbacks were on islands against star receivers Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb, and Rodgers had little trouble identifying the open man and connecting on big plays.
Rodgers made short work of a defense that exploded for nine sacks its last time out. The Eagles didn’t generate much of a pass rush, which further exposed the team’s defensive backs and play-calling. Much of the credit still must go to the Packers’ crisp offense, which has now generated at least 50 points in two straight games.
The Eagles return to Lincoln Financial Field to face the struggling Tennessee Titans this Sunday, a matchup that could prove therapeutic. Can Chip Kelly’s team bounce back? How do Davis and his up-and-down defense respond to much-deserved criticism? Ross Tucker and Jon Ritchie tackled those topics and more in this week’s Eagles podcast.
Check out audio from the show in this post and get plenty more podcasts and analysis on KeystoneSportsNetwork.com and by following @KSNSportsNet on Twitter.