Special to NFL.com
Posted on 01/07/2004 11:43:22 AM PST by 1Old Pro
| Packers face tough task in Philly |
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By Troy Aikman Special to NFL.com |
(Fox Sports analyst and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman offers exclusive insight and analysis during the postseason. This week, he takes a look at Sunday's divisional playoff matchup between the Packers and Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.)
(Jan. 6, 2004) -- Two very confident football teams will face off Sunday in Philadelphia. The Packers have won five in a row and are riding high after a huge overtime win against Seattle. The Eagles are coming off a bye and have the advantage of playing at home.
Quite honestly, beating a team with a bye and home-field advantage doesn't happen very often in the NFL. I try not to put too much stock in statistics, but history doesn't bode well for the Packers. A win Sunday would make them the first No. 4 seed in 13 years to win a divisional playoff game on the road after playing in the opening round. (Fourth seeds are 0-13 in divisional games since 1990.)
Brett Favre told me if Green Bay had gotten a bye, he felt really good about making it to the Super Bowl. As a wild card, the Packers had one playoff game at home and will be on the road the rest of the way should they continue to advance. Brett knows how tough it is to reach the Super Bowl as a wild-card team. That being said, the Packers are playing very well and are a dangerous team.
The Eagles, meanwhile, are no doubt excited to be playing at home, especially since they nearly gave up home field after losing to San Francisco in Week 16. Fortunately for them, they got it right back after St. Louis lost at Detroit the following week.
Head coach Mike Sherman wanted to become a more physical running team than previous years, and it's worked out very well. Ahman Green has become the centerpiece of the Packers offense and they have a very athletic offensive line. Coordinator Tom Rossley has done a great job with this group. Of course, when you have a runner like Ahman Green and Brett Favre at quarterback, it's an understatement to say you're in pretty good shape to start with.
It's no secret Philadelphia has had problems stopping the run this season. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson must come up with creative ways to contain Green. In Week 10's matchup, a 17-14 Philadelphia victory, Green rushed for a franchise-record 192 yards. (He went on to break his own record with 218 rushing yards against Denver in the regular-season finale.)
I say it often: Jim Johnson, defensive coordinator for the Eagles, is a tremendous coach. Having played against him, I'm familiar with the headaches he creates for an offense. He gives a QB many different looks; there are times it looks like the blitz is coming from one side but ends up coming from the other. The Eagles had some problem areas at times this year that were mostly a result of personnel and injuries than anything else. Johnson found ways to conceal the weaknesses and had his unit ready to play each week.
Johnson is probably most concerned about not giving up a lot of big plays on the ground. Big plays equate to points, which is exactly what happened in Philadelphia's loss to San Francisco when Kevan Barlow rushed for 154 yards. The Eagles yielded 100 or more yards rushing in six of their last eight games.
There's no question Andy Reid would prefer to pass on nearly every down. He loves to throw the ball, but the Eagles were forced to run more due to Donovan McNabb's injuries and struggles earlier this season. Brian Westbrook, Duce Staley and Correll Buckhalter have each contributed and the success seemed to carry over throughout the year.
Westbrook had emerged as the featured back before being sidelined with a torn triceps. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, Westbrook will not be returning during the playoffs. The loss will definitely have an impact, but the Eagles are fortunate to have two other quality backs in Staley and Buckhalter.
There has been a lot of talk that Staley may not return next year but one thing is certain: There's no doubting his value to this team. A few clubs inquired about acquiring him in a trade before the deadline this year, but the Eagles wouldn't discuss it.
I'm looking forward to watching McNabb play. He's finally healthy. That wasn't the case when the Eagles went into playoffs last year and during the early part of this season.
McNabb and the Eagles face a Packers defense that has been much more aggressive than previous years. Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell has done a heck of a job. His unit has improved as the season has progressed. It was the defense that capped the Packers' winning efforts last week against Seattle when Al Harris returned an interception for a touchdown in overtime.
I will be looking for Green Bay to make McNabb run 100 yds in the wrong direction.
No doubt the guy can play, but he's no Joe Namath, and Doug Williams is still one of my heroes.
Hey Troy, the Packers aren't a wild card. They are the NFC North division champs. If they were a wild card, they would have been on the road against one of the division champs rather than hosting a game. The only way a wild card can host a playoff game under the 4-division realignment is if both wild card teams make it to the conference championship game and the first wild card (5th sede) hosts the second wild card (6th sede).
I'm looking for GB to make him run one yard, one yard below field level when they tackle him.
Uh-Oh, does that screw up his whole column?
He's probably thinking of the old 3-division system under which he played, where the fourth sede was a wild-card team rather than a division champ. In that system the top WC (4th sede) hosted the second WC in the first round of the playoffs, and the last division champ (3rd sede) hosted the last WC.
The Packers still face a serious uphill struggle against the bEagles, but the straits aren't as dire Troy is asserting.
That truly provoked a "laugh out loud".
Thanks, I needed that.
LMAO, I'll have to remember that one.
No doubt the guy can play, but he's no Joe Namath, and Doug Williams is still one of my heroes.
Is that crow tasty when served up smoothered in cheese? Your prediction was only off 207 yards!
Crow?
You considered "I will be looking for Green Bay to make McNabb run 100 yds in the wrong direction." to be crowing?
I considered it my wishful thinking.
As it turned out, that was all it was.
He played the game of his life, for sure.
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