What’s changed for the Eagles and Packers since they last played each other?

129 days.

That’s what separates the Philadelphia Eagles’ Wild Card playoff game against the Green Bay Packers this Sunday from these two teams previously meeting back in Week 1.

The Eagles emerged victorious in that one, edging out the Packers by a final score of 34 to 29. While the Birds will be looking for a similar result, let’s take a look at what’s different from the last game.

QB INJURIES: Jalen Hurts and Jordan Love entered Week 1 healthy. This time, Hurts is coming off a head injury he suffered in Week 16. He’s expected to play but as of this publish time he’s still yet to officially clear the concussion protocol. Love, meanwhile, left Week 18 early after taking a hit to his funny bone and experiencing numbness in his throwing hand. Love is also expected to play but it remains to be seen if there will be any lingering effects.

NON-QB INJURIES: Barring anything unexpected, the Eagles’ active roster figures to be healthy for this game. Isaiah Rodgers will play in this game after missing Week 1. He figures to be the top backup cornerback on the outside in addition to seeing some limited snaps as a dime corner. Three Eagles players who notably played in Week 1 but are now on injured reserve: Brandon Graham, Britain Covey, and Ben VanSumeren. BG is obviously the most significant loss. The Packers, meanwhile, are missing multiple key starters. The big news this week is that Christian Watson is out due to a torn ACL. He only had three catches for 13 yards and one touchdown against the Eagles in Week 1 but his big-play presence adds an explosive element to the Packers’ offense. Elsewhere, Green Bay’s injured reserve list now includes top cornerback Jaire Alexander, who largely struggled to cover A.J. Brown but did manage to pick off Hurts.

2024 GB receiving core without Christian Watson on the field:

1.30 yards per route run
(would rank 13th)
2.4% explosive play per route
(would rank 19th)

with Watson on the field:

1.67 yards per route run
(would rank first)
3.7% explosive play per route
(would rank first)

— Theo Ash (@TheoAshNFL) January 6, 2025

BALL PROTECTION: Hurts turned the ball over three times in Week 1. In 14 games since then, he’s turned the ball over just seven times. Hurts has been much better at taking care of the ball. Love is in a similar boat; he hasn’t logged a giveaway since Week 11.

EAGLES OFFENSIVE IDENTITY: It’s not like the Eagles used Saquon Barkley sparingly in Week 1; he had 26 total touches go for 132 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. But that was before the Eagles really cemented their run-heavy offensive identity they formed coming out of their Week 5 bye. The Eagles will really be looking to lean into Saquon, as they should, in this game.

IMPROVED EAGLES DEFENSE: 29 points scored by the Packers is the third-most allowed by the Eagles’ defense this year. Vic Fangio’s unit was only worse in losses to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (36) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (33). The Packers gained the second-most yards against the Eagles this season with 414. Only the Bucs had more with 445. While the Packers deserve credit for their offensive prowess, it’s safe to say the Eagles’ defense has improved a lot since Week 1. Philly finished the regular season allowing the fewest offensive points per game (17.2) and yards per game (278.4).

DEPTH CHART, EAGLES DEFENSE: The Eagles’ primary defensive personnel is different than it was in Week 1. Cooper DeJean is now the nickel cornerback and he’s a been big upgrade over Avonte Maddox. Maddox played 60 of the Eagles’ 67 defensive snaps in Week 1. Barring injury issues, he won’t play any defensive snaps this Sunday. Nolan Smith only played 46% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps in Week 1. The second-year edge rusher has improved over the course of this season and will likely play a bigger role in this game. Jalyx Hunt was a healthy scratch in Week 1 and now he could be the third edge rusher behind Josh Sweat and Nolan Smith with Bryce Huff being the fourth guy in the rotation.

DEPTH CHART, EAGLES OFFENSE: Assuming Hurts plays, the Eagles will have the same starting lineup on offense that they had in Week 1. The biggest difference is that Mekhi Becton isn’t making his first regular season start at guard; he now has much more experience at that position.

DEPTH CHART, EAGLES SPECIAL TEAMS: The Eagles had Braden Mann handle kickoffs in Week 1 and most of the regular season. Packers returner Keisean Nixon, who can be dangerous, was limited to just one kick return for 24 yards. We’ll see if the Eagles roll with Mann again or go to Jake Elliott like they did in Week 17 when they wanted to neutralize KaVontae Turpin by mostly kicking the ball out of the end zone. DeJean will handle punt returns instead of Covey, who’s on IR.

DEPTH CHART, PACKERS OFFENSE: The Packers were utilizing a right guard rotation early in the season. They went away from that, sticking with Sean Rhyan there.

DEPTH CHART, PACKERS DEFENSE: The Packers traded veteran edge rusher Preston Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers prior to the trade deadline. Smith played 54 snaps in Week 1. His departure has led to a bigger role for third-year player Kingsley Enagbare, who’s logged a career-high 4.5 sacks this season. Rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper only played 11 defensive snaps in Week 11. His role has since increased and he’s made four starts this season. Remember former Eagles linebacker Eric Wilson? He only played 15 snaps in Week 1 but he’s played a lot more lately.

DEPTH CHART, PACKERS SPECIAL TEAMS: The Packers entered Week 1 with kicker uncertainty and Brayden Narveson notably missed a 43-yard attempt against the Eagles. Now they have veteran Brandon McManus, a Philly native and Temple alumnus. McManus has only missed one of his 21 field goal attempts (from 46 yards out) and he’s gone 30/30 on extra point kicks. He’s an upgrade on Narveson.

REST ADVANTAGE: The Eagles and Packers obviously entered Week 1 on equal rest. This time, the Eagles could benefit from resting starters/key players in Week 18 while the Packers played their starters in a loss to the Chicago Bears.

VENUE: The Eagles and Packers aren’t playing on that slippery field in São Paulo, Brazil this time. Instead, it’ll be a true home game at Lincoln Financial Field.

WEATHER: The Eagles and Packers played in the mid-60s at Corinthians Arena in Week 1. It’s projected to be about 36 degrees at kickoff on Sunday. It is supposed to snow on Saturday morning.