The Green Bay Packers turned the ball over four times, took almost 40 minutes to get on the scoreboard, lost several key players to injuries and were comfortably defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles 22-10 in the NFC Wild Card Round on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Packers lost a fumble on the opening kickoff, gave up a quick touchdown and trailed the rest of the way.
Matt LaFleur’s team were 11-4 after beating the New Orleans Saints on Dec. 23 but lost three straight games to end the year.
Here is an instant analysis of the Packers’ loss to the Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Round:
Final score: Eagles 22, Packers 10
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| GB (11-6) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| PHI (14-3) | 10 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 22 |
Live scoring
First quarter
PHI 7, GB 0: Jahan Dotson 11-yard catch (13:21)
PHI 10, GB 0: Jake Elliott 31-yard field goal (0:19)
Third quarter
PHI 10, GB 3: Brandon McManus 26-yard field goal (5:46)
PHI 16, GB 3: Dallas Goedert 22-yard catch (3:20)
Fourth quarter
PHI 16, GB 10: Josh Jacobs 1-yard run (14:56)
PHI 19, GB 10: Jake Elliott 30-yard field goal (7:33)
PHI 22, GB 10: Jake Elliott 32-yard field goal (3:12)
It was over when…
… Love’s late heave was intercepted by Quinyon Mitchell in the end zone coming out of the two-minute warning with the Packers trailing 22-10. The Eagles took the lead 99 seconds into the game and never gave it up.
Game balls
Offense — RB Josh Jacobs: He turned 18 rushing attempts into 81 hard-earned yards, and he caught three passes on three targets for 40 yards. His 31-yard run was a highlight play during a night lacking many highlights for the visitors, especially offensively.
Defense — DC Jeff Hafley: His group gave up only 290 total yards and held the Eagles to just 2-for-11 on third down and 1-for-4 scoring touchdowns in the red zone. This game could have gotten out of hand early, but the Packers defense kept them in it.
Special teams — PR Jayden Reed: His 20-yard punt return was a positive play in the first half, and he didn’t make any big mistakes, unlike Keisean Nixon and Brandon McManus.
Key stat
4 turnovers, 8 penalties: Once again, the Packers were great at self-sabotage against a great team. Keisean Nixon fumbled the opening kickoff and Jordan Love threw three picks, leading to a 4-0 deficit in the turnover battle. The Packers also committed eight penalties, including four by backups after Elgton Jenkins went down with an injury in the first half.
Deciding factor
Another slow start: The Packers finished 0-6 against the Eagles, Vikings and Lions. In all six games, the Packers fell behind by at least two scores, usually in the first half. On Sunday, Nixon’s fumble set up a quick score, and the Packers trailed 10-0 well into the third quarter. Once again, it was too little, too late for a slow-starting Packers team against one of the NFC’s best.
Jordan Love watch
Love struggled. No way around it. He threw a pair of interceptions in the first half, one on an underthrown ball targeting Dontayvion Wicks in a one-on-one situation and another over the middle when Zack Baun read the quarterback and made the easy pick. Love was nearly picked on his first throw when he overthrew Wicks. His final throw was a pick into the end zone to Quinyon Mitchell. Love threw total three interceptions, didn’t have a touchdown pass, averaged 6.4 yards per attempt and took two sacks. His passer rating was 41.7. On a night when the Packers needed great play at quarterback, Love didn’t provide it.
Play of the game
Josh Jacobs produced arguably his run of the year when he powered through at least a half-dozen tacklers on his way to a 31-yard gain, which set up his 1-yard touchdown run that cut the Eagles’ lead to 16-10 in the second half.
Injury updates
Left guard Elgton Jenkins suffered a stinger in the first quarter and didn’t return. Defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt suffered a lower leg injury and didn’t return. Receiver Romeo Doubs was evaluated for a concussion. Receiver Jayden Reed suffered a shoulder injury and didn’t return. Center Josh Myers — who will be a free agent — suffered a leg injury and was carted off. A brutal game on the injury front.
What’s next
The offseason. And a big offseason. The Packers were good but so rarely great in 2024. LaFleur’s team had six shots at the best teams in the NFC and failed each time. The league’s youngest team looked like the youngest team in some of the season’s biggest spots. The entire offseason must be committed to growing internally and improving from external additions to go from good to great — which is often the hardest hurdle. With cap money and draft picks, the Packers have the resources to get better again.