National Football League
Packers-Eagles Preview
National Football League

Packers-Eagles Preview

Published Jan. 5, 2011 10:28 p.m. ET

The Green Bay Packers will have to win three games away from Lambeau Field if they plan on getting to the Super Bowl, a seemingly daunting task for a team that had a losing record on the road.

Their first opponent, however, hasn't exactly looked comfortable at home.

The Philadelphia Eagles were a .500 team at Lincoln Financial Field and lost their season opener there against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, who hope for a repeat result in Sunday's NFC wild-card game as they try to keep up with Michael Vick and the Eagles' big-play offense.

No team has won the Super Bowl after having a losing record on the road and no sixth seed has represented the NFC on the NFL's biggest stage, so Green Bay (10-6) has plenty working against it after going 3-5 away from home.

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But the Packers had their moments on the road, beating Minnesota and the New York Jets by a combined 40-3 and winning 27-20 in Philadelphia.

However, they struggled in close games. Green Bay's six losses came by a combined 20 points while the 10 wins came by an average of nearly 17.

"We can't have the kind of inconsistent performances we've had this year that have forced us to be the No. 6 seed," said Rodgers, the NFC's top-rated passer at 101.2. "When you're playing in the playoffs, it's the best of the best."

The Packers were fortunate to beat Philadelphia (10-6) in Week 1 after Vick nearly led a second-half rally. Starter Kevin Kolb left with a concussion and Vick took over, throwing for 175 yards and a touchdown and running for 103 yards before Green Bay's defense got a late stop to preserve the victory.

"I'll say this. It was one of those games where we didn't have an extensive game plan for him," Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers said. "We were counting on maybe six, eight plays in the game and he played the whole second half."

Vick, who wound up right behind Rodgers in passer rating (100.2), wondered this week what might have been had he not entered the game with his team already down 10.

"I feel like if I had been out there for four quarters," Vick said, "maybe we would have had a chance to win the game."

Rodgers missed one game with a concussion - a 31-27 loss at New England in Week 15 - while Vick has had a few injury issues. After winning the starting job in late September, he missed three games in October with a rib injury.

Vick also sat out the Week 17 defeat against Dallas with a quad injury suffered in Philadelphia's previous game, a home loss against Minnesota that cost it any shot at a first-round bye.

Those losses left the Eagles with a 4-4 home record - the worst of any team in the playoff field.

"As coaches and as players, we have to make sure we do our job better," said coach Andy Reid, whose teams are 7-1 in playoff openers. "But I know our fans, man. There's no better place to play than right here. And when they're cranked up it's a tough, tough (place to play)."

Vick is expected to be at full speed in his first playoff start since 2004 with Atlanta, but he'll have his hands full with Green Bay's defense.

Led by cornerback Charles Woodson - last season's Defensive Player of the Year - and linebacker Clay Matthews, a leading candidate for the 2010 award thanks to 13 1/2 sacks, the Packers finished second in points allowed per game (15.0) and fifth in total defense (309.1 yards per game).

Takeaways have been key to their success as the Packers forced 27 turnovers in their wins and five in their losses.

"Playoff football really comes down to cashing in on big-play opportunities, and that will definitely be something that we'll focus on this week," coach Mike McCarthy said. "They're a big-play offense and we're an up-tempo defense."

The Eagles have produced 80 plays of 20-plus yards - tied for the most in the league - with DeSean Jackson largely responsible for that explosiveness. Philadelphia's third-year receiver had 21 receptions of at least 20 yards, six of which went for 50 or more.

Running back LeSean McCoy, meanwhile, had an NFL-best five runs of 40-plus yards.

The Packers contained those two pretty well in the first meeting. McCoy had 82 total yards - 35 rushing - while Jackson had four receptions for 30 yards.

Green Bay's offense is certainly capable of producing big plays as well, and its 57 passes of 20 or more yards rank behind only the Eagles in the NFC.

Rodgers led the conference in yards per attempt (8.26) and helped the passing game thrive even after tight end Jermichael Finley's season-ending injury. Receiver Greg Jennings had 1,082 yards over his final 11 games - the most in the NFL.

Despite ascending into the league's elite class of quarterbacks, Rodgers is still looking for his first playoff win. He threw for 423 yards and four TDs in the wild-card round at Arizona last season, but his overtime fumble was returned for a touchdown to seal a 51-45 loss.

"Playoff wins are more team goals, and I understand the way everybody wants to put those types of things on the quarterback," McCarthy said. "(With) Aaron staying true to his standard of play, his brand of football, everything else will take care of itself."

The Packers have lost four straight playoff games on the road, including a trip to Philadelphia in the 2004 divisional round they'd love to forget. The Eagles converted a 4th-and-26 late in the fourth quarter that allowed them to kick a tying field goal en route to a 20-17 overtime win.

 

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