Eagles-Packers player matchups to watch in Week 1 in Brazil originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
SÃO PAULO — The Eagles and Packers will kick off their 2024 seasons at Corinthians Arena in Brazil on Friday night.
This is a game between two real contenders in the NFC. The Eagles have the third-shortest odds to win the NFC at +500 and the Packers are right behind them at +750.
Here are some key matchups to watch:
Eagles’ revamped secondary vs. Jordan Love
After a spectacular finish to his 2023 season, Jordan Love got paid big-time this offseason, signing a four-year contract extension worth $220 million. In his first season as a full-time starter last year, Love completed 64.2% of his passes for 4,159 yards with 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. And then Love was great in the Packers’ playoff win over the Cowboys, throwing for 272 yards and 3 touchdowns.
The Packers clearly saw enough of Love to think he’s going to be a star in the NFL and that’s hard to argue.
But against the Eagles, Love will face a revamped secondary. While Darius Slay is still the CB1, the Eagles drafted Quinyon Mitchell in the first round, got Isaiah Rodgers back from suspension and brought back C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency. The Eagles also hired Vic Fangio to be their defensive coordinator and Fangio brings with him decades of experience and a defense that is great at disguising coverages.
The Eagles last season ended up with the 31st ranked pass defense in the NFL and by the end of the season Matt Patricia’s unit was clueless. So it’s a low bar to clear, but the Eagles should be much, much better in 2024.
Quinyon Mitchell vs. Jayden Reed
While Mitchell is likely going to be an outside cornerback in the base package, the rookie is expected to slide inside on nickel downs. That’s where he’ll face Reed, who actually led the Packers in receiving as a rookie with 793 yards and 8 touchdowns on 64 catches. And about 72% of Reed’s snaps came in the slot. It’s worth noting that Reed didn’t have much success in the Packers’ two playoff games last year but he still figures to be a big part of the offense in 2024.
Mitchell was the No. 22 overall pick this spring out of Toledo. The Eagles experimented by putting him at the nickel corner spot and Mitchell looked the part. In his limited action in the preseason, he almost picked off a pass. While the Eagles still see Mitchell as the long-term solution on the outside, they’re trying to get their best combination on the field from Day 1 and that seems to be with Mitchell inside. There’s no reason to think he can’t handle it.
Eagles’ linebackers vs. Josh Jacobs
The Eagles weren’t the only team to spend big for a running back in free agency. The Packers signed Josh Jacobs to a four-year, $48 million contract in March. Jacobs, 26, is one of the best running backs in the league when healthy. In 2023, he played in 13 games with the Raiders and had 805 rushing yards, 296 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. But a couple years ago, Jacobs had an incredible season with over 2,000 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns. If Jacobs can get back to that level, he’ll be a huge addition for the Packers.
When Jacobs was at his best in 2022, he was really tough to bring down. That season, he was third in the NFL in yards after contact, averaging 2.4 and was second in the league in broken tackles with 31. So it’s going to take a group effort from the Eagles’ defense to take him down. Maybe it’s a good thing Vic Fangio played his starters in the preseason after all.
The Eagles will have a new-look linebacker unit in 2024. While the constant mixing and matching make it tough to know exactly who will be in there, it’ll likely be some combination of Zack Baun, Devin White and Nakobe Dean. That’s not the best group of linebackers in the NFL but it’s much better than what the Eagles had most of last season.
Jalen Carter vs. Jordan Morgan
The Eagles are expecting big things from Jalen Carter this season. Carter flashed enough last season to show an All-Pro ceiling. There’s a strong argument to be made that he’s the Eagles’ most important defensive player in 2024. And Carter will likely get to face a rookie in Week 1.
The Packers drafted Jordan Morgan with the No. 25 overall pick in April and moved the former Arizona left tackle to right guard this summer. Morgan didn’t get to play in the preseason because he was dealing with a shoulder injury. So not only is he flipping sides of the line and changing positions, but Morgan missed some time in training camp and wasn’t able to play in the preseason. His first game action in the NFL is coming at a new position and against a guy who could be an All-Pro in 2024.
A.J. Brown vs. Jaire Alexander
Jaire Alexander is coming off a season in which he was limited to just seven games because of injuries and a one-game suspension. So the 27-year-old should be eager to prove he’s still one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL. Alexander can and has played on both sides of the line so there’s a good chance we see him travel with A.J. Brown, although that will be up to new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
Brown is entering his third season with the Eagles after two exceptional years. In his two seasons with the Eagles, Brown has the top two receiving seasons in franchise history. He has 2,952 receiving yards in his 34 games with the Eagles. The only players in the league with more receiving yards over the last two years are Tyreek Hill (3,509) and CeeDee Lamb (3,108). So we’re seeing one of the best receivers in the NFL in his prime. A lot of weeks this season, teams are going to bracket Brown and give the corner facing him a ton of help. But with a really good corner like Alexander, there’s probably a better shot of seeing some 1-on-1 situations. No matter who it’s against, a 1-on-1 has to be exciting for Brown.
We talked about a tough matchup for the Packers’ right guard but the Eagles’ right guard has a tough challenge ahead of him too. When Mekhi Becton (6-7, 363) takes the field in São Paulo, he’ll become the biggest guard in the NFL. There are definitely advantages and disadvantages to that. Obviously, Eagles OL coach Jeff Stoutland really seems to like big-bodied guards and Becton is as big as they come. But Becton is also a tackle who has converted to guard this summer and he’s had some ups and downs.
Clark, meanwhile, is coming off his third Pro Bowl season and a career-high in sacks with 7 1/2 in 2023. The Packers have shifted to a 4-3 defense under Hafley but Clark should still be a menace up front. The Packers also have Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, T.J. Slaton, Devonte Wyatt and Lukas Van Ness up front. They have put a lot of resources into their line.
Jalen Hurts vs. Xavier McKinney
The biggest story of the summer for the Eagles is just how good Jalen Hurts looked running the offense brought to town by new OC Kellen Moore. After a shaky spring, Hurts looked to be in complete command of the offense. He finally threw his first interception on the final day of practice this summer. That’s a big deal because Hurts threw a career-high 15 interceptions in 2023. Even though some advanced number suggest a natural regression to the mean, that number is obviously way too high. Hurts knows that.
Of course, there has to be a balance to strike between protecting the football but not being risk-averse. Hurts still has to trust his ability and trust his receiver trio of Brown, DeVonta Smith and Jahan Dotson.
Another big free agent pickup for the Packers, Xavier McKinney signed a four-year, $67 million deal to leave the Giants for the Packers. He’s one of the highest-paid safeties in the NFL. Coming from the NFC East, McKinney has seen the Eagles a ton and has had success against them with 3 interceptions and 5 pass breakups in 4 games. This should be a fun matchup again between the former Alabama teammates.
Saquon Barkley vs. Quay Walker
The Eagles made a surprising move this offseason when they signed Saquon Barkley to a three-year, $37.75 million contract. It seemed unlikely the Eagles would ever pay a running back top-of-the-market money but the Eagles think they found a market inefficiency and view Barkley as a skill player who could really improve their offense under Moore.
Barkley is still just 27 but the former No. 2 overall pick has plenty to prove after an injury-riddled 2023 season in which he rushed for 962 yards in 14 games. Barkley has a much better offensive line with the Eagles. But they also brought Barkley here to break tackles. The Birds have been missing that element of the run game and Barkley has the ability to burst through arm tackles. It’ll be up to middle linebacker Quay Walker to stop that in Brazil.
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