Pulling off an upset is something the Eagles are used to — just not recently.
While head coach Doug Pederson and his players have become known for pulling out a win when they are considered underdog, the reality is that the majority of those wins have come with Nick Foles at quarterback.
With Carson Wentz at quarterback, and Foles on the sideline, the Eagles are a very pedestrian 3-3 when they enter the game as an underdog over the last two seasons. They lost both games last season when they went on the road as underdogs, the exact situation they are stepping into Thursday night in Green Bay.
No, those losses don't fall on Wentz, but the fact remains that Thursday night is a great chance for Wentz to do away with some of the recent struggles he has had on the road in big spots, and add a signature win onto his resume.
Here is how the Eagles can avoid falling into a 1-3 hole:
Blitzes get home: It goes without saying that the Eagles need to get pressure on quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers might not be having a stellar start to the season stat-wise, but there is no question that if the Eagles allow him to sit back in the pocket on Thursday night they will pick apart their depleted secondary. It seems clear that at this point asking the front four to get pressure might be unrealistic, which is why it is likely that defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will be dialing up the blitz early-and-often on Thursday night.
The Eagles' new-found need to blitz has arrived to mix results. It helped them keep the Atlanta Falcons' offense in check in Week 2, but it also burned them on game-winning drive. Against the Detroit Lions, quarterback Matthew Stafford picked them apart when they sent extra defenders. The reason the blitz has struggled? The defenders aren't getting home, leaving the secondary out to dry.
That has to change vs. the Packers. If they don't pressure Rodgers it is going to be a very long night.
Catch the ball: This one is pretty self-explanatory. The Eagles lost to the Detroit Lions for a number of reasons, but if they catch even one-third of the seven passes they dropped, they are likely going into Lambeau on Thursday night at 2-1 instead of desperate for a win. The margin for error is small against the Packers and the Eagles can't beat themselves by dropping passes and not making plays that are there to be made.
Wentz has to show up: Wentz has not had a good track record on the road recently. Last season the Eagles went into New Orleans needing a win and they suffered a humiliating loss. They then went into Dallas needing a win to stay alive in the playoff race and needed a late rally to force overtime. Wentz struggled in both game, especially early on, putting his team in a hole. Seeing Wentz struggle early on vs. Atlanta, once again putting the team in a hole, was not encouraging. One issue Wentz has had without question this season is accuracy, and he can't big-play throws on Thursday night when they are there to be made.
It will take a complete team effort to beat the Packers, but as the quarterback, the reality is there is just more pressure on Wentz to turn in a big game and lead his team to a win. If he does, it might very well be he best win of his career. If he doesn't, the very real narrative that he can't beat good teams on the road will continue to follow him.
Get a lead: There is a reason Wentz always seems to be in a situation where he has to mount a comeback — the team is always behind. That is certainly not completely on Wentz, and the reality is that no quarterback would have a winning record if he was behind in seven of the last eight games like Wentz has been. Wentz plays a role in the team having the worst first-quarter offense in the NFL since Week 1 of 2018, but the defense and special teams hold some blame in well in this team always playing from behind. Getting an early lead would be huge in what should be a crazy atmosphere in Green Bay on Thursday night.
Strong play from running backs: The Packers' defense is much improved, but opposing offenses have had some success moving the ball with their running backs. Last week the Denver Broncos got 203 total yards from their running backs on 44 touches, an average of almost five yards per touch. The Minnesota Vikings also featured their running backs against the Packers, and Dalvin Cook finished with 191 yards on 23 touches in Week 2.
The Eagles don't have a player as good as Cook, but they do have three running backs in Miles Sanders, Jordan Howard and Darren Sproles that they should be able to count on to make plays. Sanders showed the impact he can have in the passing game last week when he finished with 73 yards through the air and 126 total yards on the day.
Pederson will never be a run-first running back, but he should consider feature his running backs on Thursday night.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
