Sunday NFL Playoff Games: Packers/Eagles

All eyes will be on the quarterback matchup in this one. You have the still polarizing Michael Vick leading the Philadelphia Eagles. On the other sideline, it's the one of the league's top 5 QBs in Aaron Rodgers for the Green Bay Packers. This could unfold into a high scoring affair.

Green Bay Packers v. Philadelphia Eagles
Game Time: Sunday, Jan. 9 @ 4:30 PM ET
Network: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman

The Linc will be in an uproar. We all know that Philly sports crowds can be unforgiving for their team and the opponent. You don't need to pay a whole lot of attention to the announcing. Listen for the crowd. They'll let you know what's happening.

When the Eagles have the ball...

	Scoring (Rk)	Total Yds (Rk)	Pass Yds (Rk)	Rush Yds (Rk)
offense	27.4 (3rd)	389.4 (2nd)	244.1 (9th)	145.2 (5th)
defense	15.0 (2nd)	309.1 (5th)	194.2 (5th)	114.9 (18th)

No secrets here for Philly. The ball is in the redefined hands of Vick. When he was a Falcon, it was basically watch Michael run. It can transpire into that still, but the Eagles have weapons the Vick-led Falcons teams didn't have.

Look at the receivers he has. Speed with both DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. Consistency with Jason Avant. A more than capable TE in Brent Celek. A RB that can catch and run in LeSean McCoy. And you have to worry about Vick and his talent, too. Hard to fathom this team didn't lead the NFL in total offense. How didn't they?

If Vick must run a lot, the Eagles may not win.
Image by Ed Yourman via Flickr

For the past few seasons, the Eagles have evolved into an offense that throws the ball more than anyone. While that's a nice aspect to have, they have become weak in the running game. The past couple of seasons, Philly has lacked that one play that can provide just one yard. How often do they get stuffed in those situations? Plenty. And playoff football almost demands you be able to rush. While the numbers point out that Philly has been successful in 2010, a ,lot of that can be attributed to Vick and his scrambles.

For the Eagles to continue the trek to Dallas, LeSean McCoy must establish himself in the ground game. That will do two things. Limit the hits on Vick and opposing offenses will have to respect the fact the Philly is willing to run the ball with McCoy. A healthy Vick is a lethal Vick especially in the passing attack.

But the Pack offers resistance, mostly in grounding the passing game. If you're to get them, you must be able to run the ball on them. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers, one of the NFL's best DCs, will have his guys ready. A fervent pass rush shold make for an interesting matchup of the Packers O line and the Eagles D line and LBs.

When the Packers have the ball...

	Scoring (Rk)	Total Yds (Rk)	Pass Yds (Rk)	Rush Yds (Rk)
offense	24.2 (10th)	358.1 (9th)	257.8 (5th)	100.4 (24th)
defense	23.6 (21st)	327.2 (12th)	216.8 (15th)	110.4 (15th)

When RB Ryan Grant went down during the week 1 game between these two teams, I immediately thought the Packers would struggle to even make the playoffs. I was correct in that, and Green Bay had to defeat the Chicago Bears last week to become a wild card. No running game (24th overall) meant opposing defenses simply had to go after QB Aaron Rodgers.

A facet of Rodgers that gets lost,
his running ability. Image by
Darin House via Flickr

Didn't that guy take enough sacks in 2009? And now he's been concussed twice in 2010 from hits. He still takes too many. And there's has been no one that can run the ball for Green Bay. That may well prove to be the Achilles heel on down the line (if the Packers make it past this game) if no running game emerges for Green Bay.

But people think of the Rodgers and his stables of receivers. Losing TE JerMichael Finley early in the season didn't slow down the aerial assault. Like the Eagles, the Packers have three gifted receivers. Donald Driver, Greg Jennings and James Jones are as good as any trio in the league. And don't forget Jordy Nelson either.

The Philly defense? Not near what we saw in the past. They'll still blitz you almost every down, but the effectiveness isn't the same under former DC Jim Johnson. After Johnson's passing prior to last season, Eagles opponents knew what was coming and couldn't stop it. Not that way now. Philly ranks in the middle in both the pass and rush.

And you really need to ask yourself two questions this if your Green Bay: Where's Asante Samuel? Where's Trent Cole? If you answer those and can avoid them, you're better off...and most likely going to win.

This game will boil down to two things: Can Green Bay find a running game and can Michael Vick not receive so many hits.

They say defense wins in the postseason, but at times this year, if you bet against Vick, he made you pay.