Game 9: Eagles @ Packers - Monday, Nov 10th @ 7:15 PM

[CheezWizHed]

Playoff repeat but in Green Bay instead of Philly. Big questions include:

• Which Packer team is going to show up?  The offense has been very inconsistent from week to week.  The defense has been steadier, but still has its own challenges.  
• Packers losing players - Kraft is the big one, but other injuries have popped up as Wooden, Golden, Hobbs (an actual improvement) and Banks (again) dropped out of the last game.  
• Philly gaining players - Here comes the return of Jaire Alexander...but maybe that is a good thing?  His coverage has been very Hobbs-like this year (when healthy). But Philly also picked up a CB and DE recently too. 

Here we go under the bright lights of Monday Night Football! (I still miss Hank Williams)

[OldSchoolSnapper]

The Kraft injury takes a lot out of the sails for me this season. I don't have really high hopes and I've lost faith in MLF and losing your best skill player on offense is rough. I think they can probably muster this game out but this schedule is brutal from Thanksgiving on. 

Best hope is they get HFA and the Parsons effect becomes bigger when the weather turns and their rush takes over games. They look soft in the middle on both sides of the ball and that is not good for playoff football. If they can pull off Packer magic and gel the OL before January that changes things. But my good feeling right now is "more of the same". 1st or 2nd round exit.

[HarveysWBs]

The best case scenario is that the Kraft injury forces LaFleur to realize what his offensive personnel can actually do, as opposed to what he wants them to do. He no longer has the bodies to run 12 personnel, and being run-heavy, especially in a power scheme, is not likely to be a successful strategy going forward. His offense can excel, I think, if it relies on more of a passing approach, and Love has demonstrated a great sense of touch on intermediate throws, along with a willingness to take deep shots (although I wish he would be a bit more judicious with these attempts). That should be the identity of the offense, while still using the running game to keep play action passing viable.

Your confidence in LaFleur’s likelihood of shifting the approach to Love and the wideouts over Jacobs (who is clearly still limited) and the TE group (which is nothing special without Kraft) will vary. If the Kraft plays are replaced with more bubble screens, I may have to take a break from football until the playoffs, if we even get there. But I really think going more up-tempo and using the passing attack will pay dividends across the board. It will provide the offense with more drives per game and more scoring opportunities, hopefully put the defense in more game situations with leads and therefore invigorate the pass rush and cover the secondary’s weaknesses, and hopefully help us not rely on field goals as often, since that phase remains Russian roulette.

This game will reveal much. If we come out with some fresh thinking on offense, there’s some hope. If LaFleur goes “damn the torpedoes” and keeps running the same old approach, I think we’re doomed.

[CheezWizHed]

A bit early for him in development, but I wonder what Savion Williams can do to fill in for Kraft?  He can block better than Musgrave and if you go to a 10 package and the defense goes into dime, you can run out of it better. 

Statistically, Philly is winning beyond their numbers.  Their defense is giving up about the same number of points as their yardage ranking, but their offense has scored far more than their yardage rankings would imply.  Seems like they are getting a bit lucky? 

 

[homer]

I love artic blasts that pass through the state right before I attend a Packer game.

[CheezWizHed]

13 minutes ago, homer said:

I love artic blasts that pass through the state right before I attend a Packer game.

Man up or become a Viking's fan! 😛

The injuries going on right now is kind of crazy... We have 1 fully healthy WR (Doubs) right now.  We lay an egg against Carolina, injuries mounting, and playing the Eagles on MNF...

Looks like a clear win! 

[Joseph Zarr]

All I can say is I am ready for another LaFleur and Bisyatch Master Class tonight. Leaders of Men. I hear McManny had a good week of practice and is almost healthy. Maybe we fall short of the crossbar from 45 this week? The men are hungry. Brow Nation, rise up!

[Joseph Zarr]

2 hours ago, homer said:

I love artic blasts that pass through the state right before I attend a Packer game.

Maybe it's time to go shirtless? I know it's s sensitive topic in our great nation, but you could show off your open carry permit - flash those guns on Natty TV?

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I think they'll play well and win. Seems to be the theme of the season. Play to the level of the opponent. 

Philly's defense is bad. I think Love will play well. I could see it going sideways with Saquon humiliating us, but I think the home field will be enough.

[adambr2]

On 11/7/2025 at 8:39 AM, OldSchoolSnapper said:

The Kraft injury takes a lot out of the sails for me this season. I don't have really high hopes and I've lost faith in MLF and losing your best skill player on offense is rough. I think they can probably muster this game out but this schedule is brutal from Thanksgiving on. 

Best hope is they get HFA and the Parsons effect becomes bigger when the weather turns and their rush takes over games. They look soft in the middle on both sides of the ball and that is not good for playoff football. If they can pull off Packer magic and gel the OL before January that changes things. But my good feeling right now is "more of the same". 1st or 2nd round exit.

This roster should be able to withstand losing Kraft. They drafted Golden where they did for a reason, they got Watson back and will get Reed back. Pretty much every other skill player on offense is healthy. 

This team should be fine and competitive as long as Love and Parsons are both healthy, which they are.

None of this is to say that you are wrong, you might very well be right but the way they are built they SHOULD be able to withstand losing Kraft.

They did not make a massive trade for one of the best defensive players in the NFL to be a TE away from having their entire season derailed. If it’s more of the same 6/7 seed and early exit, MLF needs to go. 

[homer]

1 hour ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Maybe it's time to go shirtless? I know it's s sensitive topic in our great nation, but you could show off your open carry permit - flash those guns on Natty TV?

I could but I do not want the guys around me feeling insecure. 😁

[OldSchoolSnapper]

1 hour ago, adambr2 said:

This roster should be able to withstand losing Kraft. They drafted Golden where they did for a reason, they got Watson back and will get Reed back. Pretty much every other skill player on offense is healthy. 

This team should be fine and competitive as long as Love and Parsons are both healthy, which they are.

None of this is to say that you are wrong, you might very well be right but the way they are built they SHOULD be able to withstand losing Kraft.

They did not make a massive trade for one of the best defensive players in the NFL to be a TE away from having their entire season derailed. If it’s more of the same 6/7 seed and early exit, MLF needs to go. 

The only silver lining of Kraft getting hurt is that if  MLF is forced to stop running 1995-2015 Wisconsin Badgers offense, but I don't know if I have that much confidence in him.

[endaround]

3 hours ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

The only silver lining of Kraft getting hurt is that if  MLF is forced to stop running 1995-2015 Wisconsin Badgers offense, but I don't know if I have that much confidence in him.

Packer fans: MLF sucks! He doesn't know how to call plays!

Actual Packer Offense: 2nd in EPA/play

 

[LouisEly]

For those with YouTube TV, the game is being replayed at 11:15PM Central on NFL Network.  So, if you have YTTV set to record Packers games, it should record it and you can watch it tomorrow without having to do some free trial with something else.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

2 hours ago, endaround said:

Packer fans: MLF sucks! He doesn't know how to call plays!

Actual Packer Offense: 2nd in EPA/play

 

Actual Packer offense: middling in actual scoring, which is what counts, and 23 points combined in losses to Carolina and Cleveland. 

EPA actually pinpoints exactly how much MLF sucks. They move the ball just fine, but don't score. Not really the glowing measure you think it is.  

 

[Fear The Chorizo]

2 hours ago, endaround said:

Packer fans: MLF sucks! He doesn't know how to call plays!

Actual Packer Offense: 2nd in EPA/play

 

Yeah, but if your entire offense gets hung up on a stat like that, you wind up making scoring points much harder on yourself than you need to.

 

I think the Packer offense spends too much time trying to do everything well, instead of finding an identity that fits their personnel and force opponents to stop what they can do great.

[HarryDoyle]

No penalty on the kickoff. Feeling really good about this one now.

[HarryDoyle]

Can't take that sack, Jordan.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

And that was pretty much the exact issue with the Packers offense exemplified on that drive. 

[adambr2]

9 plays, 12 yards. 
 

I hate Matt Lafleur.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

2 minutes ago, adambr2 said:

9 plays, 12 yards. 
 

I hate Matt Lafleur.

Even not being disingenuous, 8 plays 26 yards is a perfect example of what's wrong here. 

[adambr2]

Are false starts just fine as long as you’re running a tush push?

[yourout]

6 minutes ago, adambr2 said:

9 plays, 12 yards. 
 

I hate Matt Lafleur.

I don't hate him I just don't think he's a particularly great head coach.

[Fear The Chorizo]

I feel like a MLF offense against this Packers defense could lead to 30 play drives spanning multiple quarters, burning 3 timeouts, and resulting in no points

[OldHeidelberg]

Defense can’t get off the field, not sure what Aikman was talking about,