Eagles dispatch Packers, move on to divisional round

PHILADELPHIA -- In a game where quarterback Jalen Hurts and the passing attack struggled, the Philadelphia Eagles leaned on their top-ranked defense to fend off the Green Bay Packers 22-10 in the wild-card round of the playoffs Sunday.

Packers quarterback Jordan Love hadn't thrown an interception since Nov. 17 against the Chicago Bears -- a streak spanning seven-plus games -- but he had two passes picked off in the first half, including in the closing minute by All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun.

The Eagles' defense finished the regular season first in yards allowed per play (4.7) and second in points allowed per game (17.8). Vic Fangio's unit smothered a Packers offense that was missing receiver Christian Watson (torn ACL) and lost more players along the way, including fellow receiver Romeo Doubs.

Hurts was out of sync after missing the last two games of the regular season because of a concussion. Receiver A.J. Brown also wasn't his normal dominant self (one catch for 10 yards) after he was absent for two days of practice this week due to a knee injury.

The Eagles proved during the regular season they are good enough to win even when one area of their operation isn't clicking, and they showed they can do it in the playoffs when the competition is tougher.

The offense will need to be better to keep the season rolling.

Philadelphia Eagles (15-3)

Eye-popping stat: Hurts went 90 minutes between completed passes before heating up late in the third quarter. He went 6-of-13 for 39 passing yards before going 3-of-3 for 61 yards on a drive that began with 5:46 left in the third quarter. Tight end Dallas Goedert capped the drive with a stiff-arm-fueled 24-yard touchdown reception.

Pivotal play: Trailing by nine points midway through the fourth quarter, the Packers needed a scoring drive to keep hope alive. It looked like Love completed a fourth-and-3 pass to receiver Malik Heath, but Heath came down with the catch out of bounds for a turnover on downs.

Most surprising performance: Former Packers linebacker Oren Burks set the tone for the game thanks to a huge hit on returner Keisean Nixon on the opening kickoff, jarring the ball loose for an Eagles' takeaway that led to seven points. Burks also filled in for Nakobe Dean, who left in the first half due to a knee injury, on defense and had five tackles. -- Tim McManus

Green Bay Packers (11-7)

For most of Sunday's 22-10 loss, the Packers' defense did its part.

The offense and special teams, not so much.

If that sounds familiar, it's because the Packers lost a playoff game Sunday in nearly the same way they fell to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round in 2021.

In that game, the Packers were the No. 1 seed.

This time, they were the No. 7 seed trying to upset the No. 2 seeded Eagles. The Packers pulled off that same 2-7 upset in last year's playoffs when they won at the Dallas Cowboys. But that season, they went into the playoffs with momentum, winning six of their last eight regular-season games. This season, they limped in on a two-game losing streak.

It didn't help that Love finished the game without his top three receivers. After Watson suffered a torn ACL in the regular-season finale, Doubs (evaluated for a concussion) and Jayden Reed (shoulder) dropped out in the second half. Love was 6-for-6 on passes to Reed and Doubs before they left but Love had little success elsewhere. He finished the game 20-of-33 for 212 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.

The Packers fell to 0-6 against the NFC's top teams, losing twice each to the Eagles, Lions and Vikings this season.

Troubling trend: If it's a playoff game, that usually means the Packers will have breakdowns on special teams. The game started with Nixon's fumbled kickoff return and then Brandon McManus, who had missed one kick all season, missed wide right from 38 yards in the second quarter with the Packers trailing 10-0. Last year's playoff loss to the 49ers included a missed field goal attempt with 6:21 remaining. In their 2021 divisional loss to the 49ers, the Packers had a field goal attempt and punt attempt blocked, the latter of which was returned for a touchdown.

Troubling trend II: The Packers fell to 1-12 with Love as the starter when they've been behind by at least 10 points, including playoffs. The lone win came against the Saints in Week 3 last season, when they turned a 17-0 deficit into an 18-17 victory. Love has lost 11 straight such games since.

Biggest hole in the game plan: The Packers didn't have a viable plan after former Pro Bowl left guard Elgton Jenkins suffered a shoulder injury/stinger in the first half and didn't return. First, they tried rookie sixth-round pick Travis Glover, who had played only 13 snaps all season. Glover lasted only 20 snaps and was pulled after getting called for three penalties -- two holds and an ineligible downfield infraction. Kadeem Telfort replaced him at the two-minute warning of the first half and was called for a holding penalty in the third quarter. -- Rob Demovsky