The Eagles (6-2) are back from their bye week and travel to Green Bay to face the Packers (5-2-1) on Monday Night Football.
Here are some key matches to watch:
Jordan Mailata, Lane Johnson vs. Micah Parsons, Rashan Gary
The NFL world was shocked when the Cowboys traded Micah Parsons to Green Bay just before the start of the 2025 season. This meant the Eagles no longer needed to face Parsons in the first game or twice a season. But they will have to take care of it Monday evening. And the 26-year-old former first-round pick is unsurprisingly playing very well. In eight games with his new team, Parsons already has 6 1/2 sacks and 14 QB hits. According to NextGen Stats, Parsons is second in the NFL with 44 pressures and a pressure rate of 18%. He is still an absolute monster and Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson will have to be ready for him.
But they also have to be ready for Rashan Gary, who is also very good. Gary actually leads the Packers with 7 1/2 sacks, which ranks fifth in the NFL. Parsons and Gary have a total of 14 sacks this season; the Eagles have 16 sacks as a team. Parsons and Gary play on both sides, although Gary is aligned more to the left and Parsons more to the right. That means Johnson will likely see more of Gary and Mailata will see more of Parsons. It’s a fun match because it’s good on good. One of the best tackle duos in the league against one of the best edge rusher duos.
Saquon Barkley vs. Packers linebackers
Although Saquon Barkley’s 2025 season wasn’t as impressive as his 2,000-yard performance a year ago, he eclipsed the 100-yard mark in a game for the first time this season in Week 8 before the bye week. And if the offensive line is healthier after the bye week, the Eagles might be able to get their running game going. Barkley had success against the Packers in the wild-card round of the playoffs last year with 119 yards on 25 carries. And it’s going to be cold in Green Bay Monday night, with actual temperatures dipping into the teens. This might be a good time to run the ball.
The Packers’ run defense ranks fifth in the NFL this season, allowing just 89.4 yards per game. The Packers defense has good players at all levels, including linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and Quay Walker. But that run defense was dented in the Week 9 loss to the Carolina Panthers, who had 163 rushing yards. Rico Dowdle had 25 carries for 130 yards and 2 touchdowns against Green Bay.
Jalen hurts against Xavier McKinney
The backbone of the Packers defense is veteran safety Xavier McKinney, who was All-Pro last season with a career-high eight interceptions. In eight games, McKinney has two this season and picked up this second in the Week 9 loss. There are only two players in the NFL who have taken down Jalen Hurts three times: Trevon Diggs and McKinney.
So this is a game where Hurts will need to know where McKinney is at all times. Although Hurts hasn’t thrown for many yards this season, he was incredibly efficient with 15 touchdowns and just one interception in that opening loss to the New York Giants to cornerback Cor’Dale Flott. Of the 40 career interceptions thrown by Hurts, 13 have been aimed at safeties. In what could be a close game, Hurts needs to protect the football.
Eagles red zone offense vs. Packers red zone defense
The Eagles have been incredible in the red zone all season. Even when the rest of the offense was underperforming, they still found success in the red zone with unique and inventive play designs. Through eight games, the Eagles have scored touchdowns on 17 of 20 trips. That 85 percent makes them the best red zone offense in the NFL.
The Packers’ red zone defense? Not great. They have allowed touchdowns 14 of 22 times (63.6%), which ranks 23rd in the NFL. If this game is close, it could very well come down to this game.
Eagles secondary vs. Jordan Love
The Packers will enter this game without tight end Tucker Kraft, who was lost for the season after suffering a torn ACL against the Panthers. It’s an absolutely brutal blow. Kraft was the Packers’ leading receiver this season with 489 yards and 6 touchdowns. In addition to this injury, rookie receiver Matthew Golden suffered a shoulder injury and is a daily presence. And WR Jayden Reed has been on IR since Week 2 after needing foot surgery and isn’t ready to return yet. This leaves Love without a ton of weapons. The good news for Green Bay is that Christian Watson is back in the lineup and has helped, along with Romeo Doubs, who has the most catches and yards of their receiver group this season.
Green Bay doesn’t turn the ball over much. In eight games, the Packers have only coughed up the football five times. This is the second-smallest turnaround in the NFL behind…the Eagles, who have just three giveaways in eight games. But the Packers turned the ball over twice for the first time this season in their loss to the Panthers last week. And if you think back to that wild card round, the Eagles knocked out Love three times. It was only his third career game with three interceptions. Zack Baun, Quinyon Mitchell and Darius Slay put him in that one.
Zack Baun, Nakobe Dean vs. Josh Jacobs
While the Packers have the No. 8 passing offense in the NFL, they are middle of the pack (16th) in rushing. Josh Jacobs is their leader with 534 yards on 141 carries and 10 touchdowns. His average yards per carry went from 4.4 last season to 3.8 this season. Bringing him down is important, as Jacobs is 12th in the NFL in yards after contact with 439. Although Barkley’s 2025 season didn’t go as planned, the same can be said for Jacobs, who was a Pro Bowler last season with over 1,300 yards. He has yet to reach 100 yards in a game this season.
The Eagles now have three viable options at linebacker with Zack Baun, Nakobe Dean and Jihaad Campbell. Even if Baun just isn’t going to leave the field, there will likely be a rotation between Dean and Campbell for the rest of the game. But on early downs, Dean is probably the Eagles’ best option because of his ability to block the run. That physicality will be needed in this match. The Eagles started this season giving up over 100 rushing yards in each of their first six games. But in the two games since Dean’s return to defense, they’ve given up 89 yards to the Vikings and just 68 to the Giants. It’s not just the addition of Dean to the defense, but he’s certainly helped.
Eagles DT vs. backup left guard?
The Packers have a pretty good offensive line and got solid tackling play from Zach Tom on the driving side and Rasheed Walker on the left. If you’re looking for a weakness on the line, it might be at left guard, where starter Aaron Banks is dealing with a stinger that forced him out of the contest against the Panthers. Banks was replaced in this match by Sean Rhyan, who struggled. So this is definitely an area to watch.
The Eagles have strengthened their power forward over the past two weeks. They brought Brandon Graham out of retirement, traded him for Jaelan Phillips, then activated the practice window for Nolan Smith, who could make his return Monday night. All of this will help. But the biggest boost the defense could get in the second half is a better Jalen Carter. It hasn’t been a great season so far for the defensive tackle between two missed games, a shoulder injury and a return to better form. But before the bye week, Carter started showing signs of being that dominant force we’ve come to expect. With these additions on the edge and with Carter, Moro Ojomo and Jordan Davis inside, this defensive line has the makings of a very good group.
