(Photo: Marca.con)
Special Preview- NFL, Week One
Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles
Packers: Do you remember when they were 3-6 after nine games last season? I certainly do and at that point, it was almost time to throw the towel in on them. If they didn’t make the playoffs, it wouldn’t have been too big of a deal because it was the first year in the post-Aaron Rodgers era and they’re a young team. That wasn’t the case at all with this group as they got hot and never looked back. What made me notice them even more was the Wild Card game in Arlington against the Dallas Cowboys as they went on the road and beat up America’s team. With that playoff win, the Packers became the first seven-seed to win a playoff game since the playoff format was switched. The Jordan Love era is off to a strong start and it will only get better from here. Speaking of the Quarterback, I want to elaborate on something I noticed in his first year starting. Anytime something good happened, I would notice every other Packer hype Jordan up and when I saw that, I immediately said to myself “You didn’t see this with the previous Quarterback”. The one thing Jordan has over Aaron is his leadership. He may not say much, but he led by example and I can’t think of a time when I saw Aaron rally the troops with Green Bay. I said this years ago and I will repeat it. You can pay a guy for what he can bring to your team athletically, but you can’t pay someone to lead. Either you have that trait or you don’t. In the off-season, they released Aaron Jones, but signed Josh Jacobs in the off-season which will add another weapon to this offense. Tonight, they will play in the NFL’s first-ever game in Brazil.
Eagles: I was never sold on them at any point during last year as I was during the 2022 season. They had the best record in the NFL at one time at 10-1, but they were a football team that just slid by teams compared to 2022 when they were putting teams away by the third quarter. Also, Jalen Hurts regressed in 2023, but I always said that teams had more film on him and they knew what he wanted to do. I also think he was playing through injuries and we’ve seen what a 100 percent Jalen Hurts can do when he’s healthy. It also didn’t help that the Eagles lost both their Offensive and Defensive Coordinators and the team as a whole just never appeared to mesh with the replacements. It’s one thing when a team loses one coordinator, but to lose both is a big deal. The turning point of their season came in December when they hosted the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch from the previous season’s NFC Championship and the 49ers simply broke them which I said would happen with them running into a good team and getting punched in the mouth. They lost focus and most importantly, the lead in the NFC East and they lost five of their final six games of the regular season. It’s been quite the off-season in South Philadelphia. Jason Kelce announced his retirement after 13 seasons as did Defensive Tackle, Fletcher Cox and those were two key pieces of the puzzle for many years for this football team. They were able to add a piece to the offense in Saquon Barkley who’s familiar with the NFC East from his time with the New York Giants. I liked that signing and it gives Jalen a Running Back to lean on most importantly, Saquon won’t be the focal point of the offense, but he’ll be one of many pieces a defense must consider. Tonight, the Eagles will take the field in Brazil.
Packers X-Factor: Quay Walker– I followed him closely during his Georgia days and I like the pro he’s becoming. Quay is a tackling machine and has recorded consecutive 100-tackle seasons. I love the instincts he plays with as he’s fast, physical, downhill, and knows how to place himself in the best possible position to make the best play. He’s active against the run and has great coverage skills to play in pass defense. Quay will be that spy against Jalen Hurts and will also be assigned to defend Saquon at times.
Eagles X-Factor: Jalen Carter– When the Eagles drafted him, that’s when I knew Fletcher wasn’t going to be playing much longer. Jalen was a key piece on those Georgia defenses for years and I see him being the same type of player for this Eagles group. Vic Fangio is going to love working with this kid. At 314 pounds, Jalen is very athletic for a man of his size and he plays with that quick get-off with the snap of the football. What have I always said about those interior guys on the defensive line? They do the ugly work in the middle so everyone else has an opportunity to get to the football and that’s exactly what Jalen does.
Final Thoughts: Our game is truly becoming more of an international sport and I’m here for it. This will be the first ever NFL game to be played in Brazil and we have some Friday Night Lights here! I’m high on the Packers this year and I can’t wait to see what they do with Jordan Love in his second full year starting. When the Eagles are clicking and key guys are healthy, they’re one of the toughest teams to stop in the league. This will also mark Saquon’s debut as an Eagle. This game will be decided by which team can limit the other’s rushing attack. I see this one being a shootout with both passing attacks on full display here tonight. Overall, the Eagles are stacked on both sides of the ball and that is what I feel will be the ultimate difference-maker in the end. I like the Eagles to kick off the year with a week one victory.
Prediction: Eagles 28, Packers 22
