For all the glamour and glitz that is the NFL, fireworks, J-Lo for the Super Bowl, pass happy rules (even with annoying pass interference deliberations and reviews), the game of football still comes down to 300 pound men trying to move 300 pound men.
Who can run the ball and stop the run? That is the question.
The Green Bay Packers could do neither and failed miserably when they got close to paydirt and it cost them dearly in Thursday night's 34-27 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Lambeau Field.
It handed Matt LaFleur his first defeat as Head Coach after three encouraging victories.
The now 2-2 Eagles, coached by former Brett Favre backup Doug Pederson, piled up 176 yards on the ground, averaging 5.3 yards per rush, while holding Green Bay to 77 yards, 46 of those were gained by the suddenly nimble footed 35 year old Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Jones gained all of 21 yards on 13 carries. He had 10 on his first 2 carries with a touchdown but six of his remaining 11 totes gained nothing or lost yardage. Jordan Howard cracked the Packer defense for 87 yards and Miles Sanders added 72 more.
The run game dominance allowed Carson Wentz to put up just 160 effective passing yards with three touchdowns as Philadelphia erased an early 10 point deficit by scoring touchdowns on four consecutive drives into the third quarter.
Rodgers constantly railled the Pack by putting up 53 attempts, completing 34 for 422 yards and two scores. After some grousing about Davante Adams getting only four targets last week against Denver, LaFleur made a concerted effort to get him involved. He finished with 10 receptions for a career high 180 yards, hauling in a 58 yarder on the opening series setting up a three yard scoring run from Jones. He snared a 40 yard pass in the second quarter which led to Mason Crosby's second field goal for a 13-7 lead.
The Eagles pushed in front with a pair of touchdowns less than two minutes apart late in the half. Dallas Goedert caught a three yard pass from Wentz with 2:45 left in the second quarter. Three plays later, Rodgers got the ball knocked out his hands on a strip sack and Philly recovered the loose ball at the 17. Howard smashed in from the 1 to make it 21-13.
The Packers responded with a lightning quick two minute drive, covering 70 yards in 7 plays in :50 without a timeout. Geronimo Allison somehow came down with the ball between two defenders for 31 yards and then finished the drive with a 19 yard scoring catch with :09 left in the half pulling Green Bay within one.
On the opening series of the third quarter, a sideline go route to Marquez Valdes-Scantling went incomplete as Avonte Maddox crashed into him with no flag thrown. LaFleur vehemently challenged but after a review, it was deemed not be pass interference.
The Eagles took over and Wentz found a wide open Howard in the left flat for a 20 yard touchdown and a seven point lead. Pederson oddly tried to make it a two score game by going for two but the pass to Alshon Jeffrey was knocked away by Kevin King.
Green Bay got even one last time when Rodgers beat a blitz to hit Jimmy Graham from 14 yards out.
Philadelphia just kept pounding the rock with Sanders going off left tackle for 30 yards to start a drive. Howard sliced through the middle for 16 and scored from the 2 on the next play with 14:13 remaining in the game.
Adams' 10th and final catch covered 13 yards to the Philadelphia 8 but on the play, he suffered a turf toe injury.
After a pass interference penalty in the end zone placed the ball at the one, the Packers were poised for the tying score. A fade route to Graham was knocked away. A play action keep pass was hurried by a clean blitzer forcing an incompletion. On third and goal, Rodgers had a run-pass option. He went for the pass but it was covered and he was forced to throw it away. On 4th and goal, a pass to the back of the end zone from Graham didn't connect.
The Eagles pushed the ball out to midfield before punting giving the Packers one last shot. With Allen Lazard and Darrius Shepherd getting snaps at receiver, Rodgers drove the Packers from their 11 to a first and goal at the 7 with an 11 yard hook up with Robert Tonyan.
On the play, Maddox was trying for the tackle when he got whacked by a teammate and stayed down with a serious looking neck injury. It took several minutes before a stretcher came on with the entire Eagles team circling him. It was the second frightening incident of the game. On Green Bay's opening offensive snap, Jamaal Williams took a short pass and was hit hard by an Eagle drawing a personal foul penalty. He too had to be taken to the hospital for a head and neck examination but the Packers did say he had feeling in his extremities.
With just over a minute to play, Jones gained 4 yards on first down and on second and goal from the three, Rodgers tried to fit the ball into a tight window at the goal line for Valdes-Scantling. The ball popped into the air and Nigel Bradham pulled down the interception in the end zone, Rodgers' first of the year, and ran out for 22 yards to seal the game.
That was the Pack's fourth empty trip among 7 inside Philadelphia's red zone.
A disheartening finish to a game where the offense piled up 491 yards but with only three touchdowns and two field goals. The defense, which made a living in the first three games with quarterback sacks and takeaways, came up empty in both departments.
Aside from losing Williams early and Adams late, Bryan Bulaga had to leave the game in the second half with a shoulder injury with free agent Alex Light stepping in at right tackle. Tony Brown also left with a hamstring injury and Will Redmond was evaluated for a concussion.
Plenty of headaches to go around as the Packers now have nine days to regroup and hit the road for a date against the formidable looking Dallas Cowboys on October 6.
