Cory's Corner: Blueprint To Beat Philly
The Eagles are now the bullies in the NFC. How will top teams compete with a team that won Super Bowl LIX in dominating fashion?
The Eagles aren’t going anywhere folks.
They just whitewashed the team that everyone thought lived in an ivory tower.
And the funny thing is, they did it the old fashioned way. They owned the line of scrimmage. The offensive line turned into snow plows and the defensive line was so good that it made Patrick Mahomes’ life miserable — without even blitzing. Philly was the sixth Super Bowl team that didn’t blitz and those teams are now 6-0.
The Eagles joined the 1992 Cowboys as the only teams that had the league’s leading rusher and the No. 1 defense.
So now all of the pressure resides on the NFC. How are the Lions, Vikings, Packers and Commanders going to compete against a team that just did that to a team that many thought would win their third straight Super Bowl?
There will be a bounty on offensive linemen in the NFC. If the Eagles can rack up 19 hurries on Mahomes — a quarterback that is known for getting it out quickly — then the NFC is officially on notice.
And as far as the Packers are concerned, their offensive line is OK, but Jordan Love was pressured 157 times in the regular season in 15 games. In the NFC Wild Card Game at Philadelphia, Love was pressured 15 times.
I don’t care what kind of quarterback you have. If he gets pressured and is made uncomfortable, he will look average at best. And that’s what we saw from Mahomes. At halftime, the Chiefs had 23 total yards and were 0-for-6 on third down. That’s completely nuts for a quarterback that many were hinting as the Greatest Of All Time — which he obviously is not.
I thought that the two best places to start this offseason for the Packers would be edge rusher and cornerback. The Packers pressured Jalen Hurts 10 times in the playoffs, but he was consistently given too much time to pick apart a secondary that never knew what was going on with Jaire Alexander — Green Bay’s supposed No. 1 cover corner.
But even with all that, the Packers will see the Eagles at Lambeau Field in 2025. If Philly brings the pass rushing tidal wave that over 100 million people saw in the Super Bowl, Love is in deep trouble.
The Packers invested in Love with an average salary of $55 million. Now it’s time for the Packers to invest in his future with better blockers. Sean Rhyan was awful against the Eagles in the playoffs and he has barely been average this past season. Elgton Jenkins suffered a shoulder stinger and neck injury on the second offensive possession and didn’t play again. He is 29 with a laundry list of injury issues.
It is always a lot sexier to go after a skill position as another toy for quarterbacks to play with, but keeping Love upright and healthy is the hidden key to victory.
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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn
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Comments (71)
stockholder
February 11, 2025 at 06:32 am
Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships
And lets add a little more thought to this.
Love was selected in the first rd of 2020.
Hurtz was selected and my choice @QB in the second rd.
The bottom line- is we just can't keep up,
when your draft picks keep failing.
TKWorldWide
February 11, 2025 at 07:12 am
“Hurtz”? More like “Hurts so good!”
In fact, he’s so good he should be re-named “Mega Hurtz”!
I’m even going to give you a pass on your “I told you so” regarding your assessment of him.
There is no doubt that Gutekunst has not hit on 100% of his draft picks. But besides Howie Roseman (who has actually hit on 127% of his draft picks, per TKFF), tell me another GM that does.
T7Steve
February 11, 2025 at 07:20 am
If a GM concentrates on the front lines on both sides of the ball first, the other picks and trades have a chance to be successful and make him look like a star. All the skill players in the NFL are great athletes and will look great if the lines are dialed in. Look what that backup rookie did behind Barkley in the NFC championship.
TKWorldWide
February 11, 2025 at 08:47 am
Jared Goff is reading your post and vigorously nodding his head!
jannesbjornson
February 11, 2025 at 07:33 am
Brett Veach.
Cheezehead72
February 11, 2025 at 07:28 am
Defense does not win championships without a good offense.
jannesbjornson
February 11, 2025 at 07:39 am
Hurts connected on the big pass plays in the first quarter/half and put K.C. on their heels. Caliendo could not handle the power of Davis and Jalen Carter, top ten picks. Thuney is a guard, not a LT and Josh Sweat made them pay.
TKWorldWide
February 11, 2025 at 08:46 am
Yes! Hurts threw a bunch of passes with extreme accuracy vs KC. Not bad for a “runner that can’t throw” and fell to the second round!
jannesbjornson
February 11, 2025 at 07:46 am
You did push for Hurts, a guy snubbed by Saban for Tua. He holds the grudge. It was the draft for QBs. Hurts won the game with his arm, not scambling. It helps to have A.J.Brown and Smith. You pushed for the Dotson free agent pick up. He takes Bullard with Bulloch and Kam Kinchens staring him in the face. The Eagles and KC are not going away.
T7Steve
February 11, 2025 at 07:13 am
"It is always a lot sexier to go after a skill position as another toy for quarterbacks to play with but keeping Love upright and healthy is the hidden key to victory."
Add to that a successful running game (which is also generated through good line play) and you have a team that can compete with the Eagles. The Packers played the Eagles better than anyone else and I feel better about the coaching because even Andy R. couldn't come up with anything to counteract the Eagles front 4.
GregC
February 11, 2025 at 07:13 am
What an awesome display by Philly, especially their defensive line, but the whole team really. Even their kicker was absolutely on fire. He had to kick every field goal twice, and from five yards farther back the second time. No problem! Jalen Hurts was awesome too. It seemed like every throw was dead on target, with his one mistake being a desperation heave against a blitz, which was intercepted.
Last week Andy Herman did a show about how either Josh Sweat or Milton Williams, both of whom will be free agents, will be guys to watch in the Super Bowl, and was he ever right. Sweat could be a great addition to the Packers' DE rotation. Williams is a DT who is weak against the run but is a really good pass rusher and will only be 26 years old next season.
The weirdest Super Bowl stat is that the Chiefs running backs carried 7 times for 24 yards. For the whole game. How does THAT happen? This game was a black eye for Patrick Mahomes' legacy for sure, but his team was overmatched, and he didn't have a chance.
The funny thing is, the Eagles didn't look that great when they beat the Packers. Their win over the Rams did not impress me a whole lot either. Then they kicked it into gear and destroyed their next two opponents, and I thought it was more about the Eagles playing great than the other teams playing badly--although of course things snowballed and the other teams got pressured into making mistakes. I hated the Super Bowl matchup, but they were the best two teams, and now there is no doubt which one is best. There was nothing fluky about this one.
T7Steve
February 11, 2025 at 07:27 am
Yes, the Packers played them the best and the Rams and Chiefs used their template for their Ds against Barkley. They just didn't have any better answer for the passing game than we did. That's why the Packers have to have both too. They just have to be able to convert in the passing game when the other teams concentrate on stopping Jacobs and the running game.
Cheezehead72
February 11, 2025 at 07:31 am
I agree the Packers need to get playmakers at the CB and DE positions but do not overlook picking a very good DT if available. The best way to make the opposing QB uncomfortable is to have a guy rushing up the middle and collapsing the pocket. After all the shortest distance to the QB is up the middle.
jannesbjornson
February 11, 2025 at 07:51 am
Wyatt and Van Ness were One Picks. They have zero One Picks in the receiver's room. Ted made the selections of Davontae, Jennings, J.J. and Nelson. Watson just bad luck with the injuries, but you have to keeping bring Playmakers onboard.
Razer
February 11, 2025 at 07:43 am
Good teams win in the trenches - period. Secondaries, linebackers, your whole defensive scheme works better when your front 4 control the play. It is the primary reason our defenses have been average at best.
Jordan Love's ceiling will be directly tied to our O-line. Better interior line play would make a world of difference to this offense. Add a stud WR for good measure.
Let's see if Gutekunst drew any of these conclusions from Howie Roseman's formula.
jannesbjornson
February 11, 2025 at 07:52 am
He failed Chemistry.
dobber
February 11, 2025 at 08:07 am
"Jordan Love's ceiling will be directly tied to our O-line."
Jared Goff agrees.
Razer
February 11, 2025 at 08:22 am
Goff is a prime example. Detroit's Brad Holmes is a build it from the lines out. They will be tough going forward.
TKWorldWide
February 11, 2025 at 08:50 am
How will they do going backward? 😉🏈
dobber
February 11, 2025 at 09:31 am
Probably make a lot of beeping noises
dobber
February 11, 2025 at 08:16 am
It seems like a year ago, the ongoing narrative was, "how do we beat San Francisco?"
"San Fran has the Packers' number, how do we beat them?"
"The Packers don't match up well with the 9ers, we need to do X to beat their Y"
...and where did the 9ers end up? [To give away the end of this story, the answer is--injured, lacking punch, and 6-11. Oh, and Dumbledore dies]
They were on the schedule for one game in 2024. They aren't on the schedule in 2025. The Eagles--who were a SB team two years ago and played an up and down 2023 afterward--are on the Packers' schedule for exactly one game in 2025.
How about those 1999 Broncos...the finesse team that the Packers were going to roll for a second straight SB win that ended up move and zone blocking (finessing) their way to a SB win...against the Packers big, physical, fearsome front.
Put the best product on the field that you can. In this case, it probably DOES mean enhancing the trenches--which I've been all about since last off-season--but it also means finding the right guys on the open market to shore up the things that other teams exploit and scheming to put your best playmakers in position to win games. <--THIS is what the Eagles did well.
I'll come back to the point that someone else made, and it's a good one: if you need your draft picks to be high-end players right out of the gate to contend, you're not as close to contending as you think you are.
T7Steve
February 11, 2025 at 08:25 am
Controlling the LOS will go a long way to letting those draft picks prosper, don't you think?
Spock
February 11, 2025 at 08:47 am
"...Oh, and Dumbledore dies." Spoiler Alert! :)
Guam
February 11, 2025 at 10:57 am
On fire today Dobber!
ricky
February 11, 2025 at 08:27 am
Drafting an offensive lineman is only step one. Step two is finding the right one. The Packers have been good at finding OL on the second day of the draft. Because the draft position doesn't guarantee you get a quality player. And Gutekunst's reliance on RAS means the team is more interested in athleticism, and not football players.
The chances of drafting a "plug and play" rookie seem slim, especially with the Packers "draft and develop" philosophy. And unless the team can somehow get Stenavich to replace Butkus as OL coordinator- pay him more and change his job title to "assistant head coach" or whatever- the OL will continue to be suspect.
Finally, draft a player who is a specialist, rather than someone who is known for his "versatility". Let the player dominate at one position, and have capable backups who can step in and take over if necessary.
dobber
February 11, 2025 at 09:18 am
"And Gutekunst's reliance on RAS means the team is more interested in athleticism, and not football players."
I would argue he drafts ceilings in many cases. Limited athletes might try hard and make some plays, but they're unlikely to become faster and more athletic which means the mental part of the game is way more important in their success--you can coach a lot of that (or at least try to). When you've got a series of players on your board who you value pretty similarly, why would you take the shortest one?...or the slowest one? He's looking for homeruns in a lot of those cases, and the most noteworthy athletes tend to fall at the top of the draft. Many people fail to recognize that Ht/Wt for the position is also a part of the RAS metric, too.
"Finally, draft a player who is a specialist, rather than someone who is known for his "versatility". "
The backlash against players who end up playing positions other than the one they played in college is surprising to me. Every player is a projection, and many players that we thump the table for the Packers to be drafting aren't playing college ball in schemes the Packers utilize. If your specialist isn't starting, he's less likely to help your team on game day and he's eating up an active roster spot. Virtually every team values positional flexibility, not just the Packers.
Bitternotsour
February 11, 2025 at 11:19 am
Is it established that RAS is used by the Packers, or is it the assumption of the armchair analytics crowd. I'd doubt seriously that RAS is the metric the Packers use. Gutekunst and co are scouts. They scout people, they watch film, they review games and tape. A stopwatch seems like a pretty stupid accessory to someone who watches someone play. admittedly speed kills, but you can see speed without a stopwatch.
My best guess is that those numbers come into play when the team has to explain to the unwashed in a language that they might understand why they drafted someone. Analytics are what people use when they don't understand what they're watching.
dobber
February 11, 2025 at 12:33 pm
I'm pretty sure Gute at one point said they don't use RAS, but that they generate their own rating system of players and that the armchair analysts feel comes pretty close to RAS.
"Analytics are what people use when they don't understand what they're watching."
...or when they're trying to get clicks.
Leatherhead
February 11, 2025 at 12:42 pm
RAS. And the interviews. And analyzing every single snap the guy played in college last year.
I really doubt that the Packers are tied to ONE measure like the PFF crowd is.
Bitternotsour
February 11, 2025 at 05:29 pm
and then some howl when they favor athleticism, youth and ceiling over ESPN analysts.
Leatherhead
February 11, 2025 at 05:42 pm
I'm older than analytics. Fred Biletnikoff was not big, not fast , but he was a damn fine receiver. Donald Driver wasn't that big or fast. I don't think Mark Tauscher or Frank Winters were especially gifted. But if you show up everyday and work hard, you can be a decent football player. Maybe you won't be a star, but you can help a team win.
I think there's a framework for decision making at 1265, and it involves RAS and other metrics along with face-to-face meetings and film study. By draft day, the Packers know who they want at 23, or what they're going to do if he's gone.
Bitternotsour
February 11, 2025 at 08:07 pm
Donald Driver was a world class track athlete friend. He qualified for the Olympic trials.
packerbackerjim
February 11, 2025 at 08:31 am
The Eagles came out from the get go on fire. Both lines were stout. After the season ending game, Gute seemed to realize the DL was in need of vast improvement. He unfortunately didn’t extend the same caution about the OL, which didn’t always look assignment sure. There are several things to be “cleaned up” in the offseason. 4 months of studying tape before summer camp.
LeotisHarris
February 11, 2025 at 08:41 am
An ivory tower, a laundry list, a hidden key, whitewash, and a tidal wave in the Corner today. Be careful out there, kids.
GregC
February 11, 2025 at 09:05 am
All that, and snow plows too!
Bitternotsour
February 11, 2025 at 10:08 am
like reading kinky friedman but without the wit or humor.
Leatherhead
February 11, 2025 at 12:43 pm
Kinky Friedman? I didn't know anybody from outside of Texas had ever heard of him. He passed away last summer.
Bitternotsour
February 11, 2025 at 05:32 pm
i may be exaggerating, but I believe he had some best selling novels. I read a few.
he was a really funny guy, and his music was pretty excellent too.
TXCHEESE
February 11, 2025 at 09:38 am
I watched a lot of KC games this year. They're my AFC rooting interest. They were just very ordinary this year, with the exception of performing in the clutch. They just happen to dominate a so-so AFC West, and accumulate wins, much like the Pats of years past. Their OL wasn't great at pass protection all year. The thing they made them go was getting the running game going and play action. I was shocked Reid went exclusively to the pass so early. Maybe he saw something we didn't.
Agree that GB needs to get/develop some big boys this off-season. In the wild card loss, Hurts had waaay too much time to throw, and on the other side, Love was constantly hurried.
T7Steve
February 11, 2025 at 12:05 pm
Don't you think the only reason they went to the Super Bowl was that they won the #1 seed and didn't have to play that extra game against the Ravens? The Bills were a tough out for them and I don't think they'd have made it through both of them.
TXCHEESE
February 11, 2025 at 01:26 pm
Yes. I would have bet a good six pack that KC couldn't make it through both those games. As it was, there was some very questionable officiating when they played the Bills.
BruceC1960
February 11, 2025 at 09:43 am
When Jenkins went out against the Eagles, the Eagles attacked the left guard. Game over. I don’t know if the outcome would have been different if Jenkins played the entire game.
Joe Thuney moved from left guard to left tackle for the Chiefs. Way too small on the edge. Eagles attacked Chiefs o-line. When the Chiefs played Buffalo, d-lineman Jordan Phillips picked up a Chiefs guard and carried him back to the QB. My 1st thought was, no way the Chiefs can handle the Eagles defensive front.
Eagles are very good at attacking a weakness.
Not sure how the Packers got to a position where losing 1 o-lineman meant disaster.
GregC
February 11, 2025 at 10:14 am
Packers waited until the 5th round to draft a second O-lineman. The first one (Jordan Morgan) got hurt, and the second one (Jacob Monk) wasn't even good enough to suit up for the game. If they had spent that third round pick on an O-lineman instead of Ty'Ron Hopper, maybe they would've had a #7 O-lineman who could actually play. They rolled the dice that six would be enough, or that one of those later picks would be decent as a rookie, and they lost.
dobber
February 11, 2025 at 10:27 am
" They rolled the dice that six would be enough, or that one of those later picks would be decent as a rookie, and they lost."
I think they rolled the dice that Dillard would be their 7th...he didn't make an impact, either because he couldn't (or wouldn't) contribute inside or only because their OTs stayed healthy.
Bitternotsour
February 11, 2025 at 10:36 am
jeez man, we need to coordinate on these responses or we'll be duplicating content
dobber
February 11, 2025 at 12:33 pm
You must have my other brain cell! ;)
GregC
February 11, 2025 at 11:42 am
They knew what they had in Dillard, which was a bad OT who maybe could play in a pinch without embarrassing himself too much. I think it would've been even worse if one of the OTs, rather than a guard, got hurt against the Eagles and Dillard had to play.
T7Steve
February 11, 2025 at 01:04 pm
Wasn't Dillard injured towards the end of the season?
Bitternotsour
February 11, 2025 at 10:32 am
They signed a free agent tackle, perhaps you missed that. Andre Dillard was a former first round pick. The Packers played the Eagles better than any other team did in the playoffs. A shitty opening kick-off, helmet to helmet hit, and disputed fumble recovery notwithstanding.
They sort of rolled the dice on the line, but they didn't ignore it despite your protestation.
dobber
February 11, 2025 at 12:34 pm
AGREE!!! ;)
Leatherhead
February 11, 2025 at 12:47 pm
Actually, they lost two. First they lost Morgan earlier in the season, then they lost Jenkins. That was our #7 guy.
Now, we're down to 5 guys plus Glover, Monk, and Telford. And we have 3 of our starters who will be FAs after this season.
Dragon5
February 11, 2025 at 09:59 am
🐍 year began Jan 29th
Enemy sign of the 🐍 is the 🐷
Chiefs founded 08-14-1959 🐷YEAR
Mahomes born 09-17-1995 🐷 YEAR
You saw the fugly performance of 🐶Goff closing out his enemy year 🐉 vs Commanders a few weeks back.
Now you just witnessed oppositional energy doing its thing with the Chiefs & Mahomes.
PACKERS FRANCHISE = 🐐
MURHPY = 🐐 / POLICY = 🐶
GUTE = 🐂
MLF = 🐐
Our current management will NEVER win a SB. Why? GOAT & OX enemy signs.
Even with GOAT synergy, I'm not a fan of MLF in the HC role; he is a capable OC.
An OX furbishing a roster for a GOAT franchise is (unintentional) wolf in sheep's clothing; Gute needs to go.
Those ignorant to his critical GM missteps, particularly in the draft, homer up and keep drinking the kool-aid.
Being good vs being great is a choice.
Murphy will fall on his sword having curated Gute as GM.
Bitternotsour
February 11, 2025 at 10:34 am
You might be able to make a living adapting these observations to betting strategies. The world is clamoring for betting advice, why not centuries old Chinese strategems.
LambeauPlain
February 11, 2025 at 10:08 am
Draft an OL EVERY draft on day 1 or day 2. Build the room!
OL is where a top personnel team of scouts and evaluators can get starters and pro bowl players flying under the radar. OL players do not have the splash stats like other positions...Sacks, TDs, yards, Ints, PBUs, etc.
The Packers have been very good finding OL players with yes, size and RAS...but they also prize leaders, team captains, availability, solid college resumes, college programs with winning cultures, and high character.
Then get them to outstanding coaches who will take advantage of their competitive spirit. Here is where the Packers are waning. Promoting both Steno and Butkus to OC and Oline Coach weakened both staff positions IMO. The OL depth is very weak...is it players, coaching or both? I lean more to coaching failures.
Both the DL and OL need constant competitive churn, especially with the bottom 3 or 4 on the depth chart. Add to the rooms every draft. And start the best 5, not the favorite 5.
Everyone loves the skill positions, as do I...but the dirty work done consistently well in the trenches wins games.
dobber
February 11, 2025 at 10:34 am
""Draft an OL EVERY draft on day 1 or day 2. Build the room!"
Agree here, in principle. When you typically carry 9 on your active roster and rookie contracts are king, you need to keep cycling these guys. Talent is key, and the most talented guys go early.
"The OL depth is very weak...is it players, coaching or both? I lean more to coaching failures."
...two second-round guys in the room (Jenkins and Myers), a third rounder (Rhyan), and then a bunch of UDFAs and third day guys--shit, they're starting a 7th rounder at the keystone OL spot! We seem to be patting the Packers on the back for making do with later round guys--enough so that some people keep saying "just draft a couple day 3 guys and they'll continue to be just fine"-- but give them no credit for coaching them?...Jenkins was supposed to be a C and Tom wasn't supposed to be playing OT in the NFL if you follow the scouting reports.
There's little consistency in many of the OL narratives. Not every piece of clay turns into the Venus di Milo no matter how it's coached...sometimes the ceilings for these guys is a crappy ash tray, and they've done better than a bunch of crappy ash trays.
Leatherhead
February 11, 2025 at 10:52 am
Yes. You keep 9 OL on the roster, and they're on 4 year deals. Simple math says you have to add 2.25 players a year to offset losses. Add in injuries and mistakes and it's probably more like 3.
A Top 100 every year. A guy in the 4th/early 5th every year. A 7th or UDFA every year. And you still might have to go shopping in FA.
Regarding your point that the weakness in our current depth is more on coaching.......I think it's unrealistic to expect that a coach can turn a Day 3 rookie like Glover or Monk into a player that first year. Sometimes, it does happen, like with Tom, but more often that guy needs some time, like Walker.
I also don't think we need to churn the #7, #8, #9 guys. We have the practice squad for that. Nothing improves an offensive line more than practicing and playing together.
As regards the Dline, we have quite a few good defensive linemen under contract for next year already: Gary, Clark, Van Ness, Wyatt, Enagbare, Wooden, Brooks. We also already have another 5 guys that I'm not familiar with who are under contract.
This was a solid defense last year, especially against the run. I don't think the team is going to feel much urgency to spend a premium pick, or premium FA money, on this unit. Right now, we have 3 picks between #23 and #87, and money to add a FA or two , or even three if we can find a bargain.
That's about 5 spots. CB. CB. Oline. Oline. WR. Not necessarily in that order. Get a CB in FA and the draft. Get an Olineman in FA and the draft. Get a WR on Day 2 of the draft.
Bitternotsour
February 11, 2025 at 11:05 am
The practice squad shouldn't be undersold in the process. Talented guys slip through the draft, late picks can come good. I can't remember a time that the Packers deemphasized the O-line, though they have really been fortunate with those mid-round picks, it woud be nice if that happened again.
Again, they just drafted a tackle at #1, and they typically draft young, with the exception of Devonte Wyatt. I think you're close on where the emphasis is going to be this offseason, though we disagree on Jaire. WR is going to be a key pick. Two guys they counted on can no longer be counted on, and the rookie deals are going to end. I wish Doubs would retire, I'll be gutted if he gets career ends on a stretcher.
Leatherhead
February 11, 2025 at 11:57 am
I don't like the idea of going into the season depending on players like Watson and Alexander, who have dependability issues,or Doubs, who's probably one concussion away from done. Behind them, we have Wicks and Reed. Melton is a FA. We play a lot of 3 WR and use four in rotation. There's about 160 WR snaps available in a game.
Wicks and Reed, combined, had an astounding number of drops between them last year, and they are putative starters in 2025. They each had 9 drops last year and only two players in the league, Amari Cooper and Jerry Jeudy, had more.
Considering we don't throw that much, and that when we do throw we like to throw it downfield to WRs instead of dinking and dunking to RBs and TEs, that 18 drops is a drag on the offense. Those drops frequently ended possessions and cost us points and if we want to beat the big dogs, we're going to have to do better than that.
I think we'll see guys at the Combine. We're looking for a guy on Day 2 who has speed to get behind people and size enough to impact our running game. There can't be more than a few guys in that group. Hykeem Williams? Nick Harbor? Savion Williams? Elic Ayomanor?
I don't see any of these guys making the difference this year, just like I don't see a guy in FA who will make the difference. We can have a good group if people can stay healthy, but any real improvement in the WRs this year will have to come from Wicks and Reed .
Bitternotsour
February 11, 2025 at 12:37 pm
the great thing is we will learn what the front office thinks. if Jaire is cut or traded, that means they don't believe he's going to be a dependable contributor, if he's back...
guys can drop passes, but I've also seen both of the offenders make remarkable catches, is it one-off season, or are they suspect. I don't know, but we'll find out what the Packers think pretty darn soon. ultimately we need to be better on offense, whether that's by improving those we already have, scheming better, or improving the room it's pretty clear where the focus needs to be. the good news is there's youth abounding and Brian has shown he's unafraid.
splitpea1
February 11, 2025 at 11:21 am
The blueprint to beat the Eagles is to field a complete and well-coached team. You could see how well coached the Eagles players were as they hardly made any mistakes and cashed in on just about every opportunity. You're not going to win the Super Bowl just by adding a couple of better offensive linemen. In addition to the Eagles' pass rush, their secondary did a pretty gob job of coverage when Mahomes was scrambling and he was tackled before he could get away for any big gains. So I would suggest we think longer term and not worry about the Eagles so much. No matter what we need to improve the CB position significantly as well as the pass rush if we're going to make any hay in the playoffs. Besides, you're not going to be able to duplicate the Eagles OL either in one draft or with Gute in charge, as he prioritizes athleticism and versatility over bulk and power (Eagles have the heaviest line in the league). For right now I would hope we upgrade at center and focus on other areas of the team.
T7Steve
February 11, 2025 at 12:22 pm
Have to upgrade at least one starter and depth on the O-line. It would even be better if one of the starters was pushed/beaten to depth, improving the line in one move don't you think?
splitpea1
February 12, 2025 at 11:03 am
Yes, they either need to add quality depth on the IOL or develop the ones they recently drafted.
Lphill
February 11, 2025 at 11:42 am
forget about the Eagles, the Packers were a blocked field goal away from being swept by the North , that's unacceptable
T7Steve
February 11, 2025 at 12:23 pm
Let's never forget that!
Leatherhead
February 11, 2025 at 12:37 pm
At the end of the day, it's about winning your division. Everything else will flow from that.
XXXXXXXXXXX
In that spirit, I've been looking at the Lions. Their offensive line is old and expensive and their defense isn't good. I still think it'll take more than an 11-6 season to win the division, and that would have to start with being better than 1-5 in the division. A simple 3-3 split last year would have had us at 13-4.
Win your home games, pick up some wins on the road against weaklings. That's been the formula for winning the division for as long as I can remember.
dobber
February 11, 2025 at 12:39 pm
Yeah...screw the playoff game...you know, big picture and all that stuff.
T7Steve
February 11, 2025 at 12:45 pm
Like!
You know that he is right, by the way. LH above too.
How can you expect to go far in the playoffs when you can't even win near in the division?
Leatherhead
February 11, 2025 at 02:25 pm
I think the regular season is the regular season, and the playoffs are the playoffs. You can go 11-6 in the regular season and make the playoffs, but if you go 0-1, or 1-1 or 2-1 in the playoffs, you're done.
The point of the regular season is to make the playoffs. In the playoffs, you have to show you can execute against a quality opponent with all the marbles on the line. It's two different animals. Losing to the Eagles in the regular season didn't hurt much, but the playoff loss did.
Bitternotsour
February 11, 2025 at 12:42 pm
Football's funny right, despite that record in the north, we were the closest to beating the eagles in the playoffs, and that's with bullshit calls going against us and our best offensive lineman going off in the first quarter.
we'll soon learn what the front office thinks regarding where we need strengthening and like every other team in the league the new season will be welcomed with enthusiasm rather than dread. The good news is we have our quarterback, the defense is strong and improving, and the league is there for the taking.
TXCHEESE
February 11, 2025 at 01:44 pm
Agreed. Anyone that's watched the NFL a long time knows every season is a complete reboot of almost every team. While there are some at the very bottom that probably don't have a snow ball's chance, most every team will be quite different than they were at the end of the previous year. Players and coaches coming and going.
Philly got hot at the end of the year and played well. However, GB and LA both played them close, with LA being one missed blocking assignment from probably taking them down. The NFCC and Super Bowl created the perception that they ran roughshod over the NFL. They got hot at the end of this season. Last year they collapsed. What might it be next year? Gotta wait and see.
canadapacker
February 11, 2025 at 06:15 pm
Phillie has all the pieces but one thing that one needs to remember - He was coming off of his 2nd concussion when we just about beat them. I firmly believe that there are only 2 running QB's in this league who can continue to do it - Jackson and Josh Allen. Hurts, Tua and Kyler all need to stop forcing the issue or they will be like Washington's QB Robert Griffin 111. Even Daniels who put Washington back in the playoffs - got hurt by running too much - or at least not learning to slide properly and early. Longevity for these types of running QB's is not long. They need to develop the other skills and even the best of them like Mahomes was hurt several times this year.