Eagles-Packers predictions: Inquirer beat writers analyze Thursday night’s game

Our three beat writers predict the outcome of Thursday night’s Eagles-Packers game at Lambeau Field.

Verdict: a split-decision.

The realist in me thinks the hole just gets deeper.

Sure, the Eagles will be motivated and primed and all that, but they have frittered away two games they should have won, and now they’re playing at Lambeau Field, where before the season, even with many of us thinking this was going to be a championship-level Eagles team, we knew they would be hard-pressed to win.

Expecting them to win there now, just because their situation is dire, seems like magical thinking.

I think their offense is hamstrung without DeSean Jackson and their defensive front is hamstrung by the combination of Malik Jackson’s season-ending injury and Fletcher Cox’s inability to return to form quickly after a foot injury.

If they are going to win, it’s going to take a mistake-free night with a strong commitment to a running game that so far has been lackluster, both from a blocking standpoint and in terms of the performance of the backs.

Unless Alshon Jeffery is really 100% and has an amazing evening, I think the offense is going to look like it looked against Atlanta and Detroit: painfully limited, hit and miss. Green Bay has the best defense the Eagles have faced.

Except for Aaron Rodgers, I’m not that impressed with Green Bay’s offensive talent. Despite the 3-0 record, the Packers aren’t, say, the Patriots. If Jim Schwartz’s defense can make this a really low-scoring game, maybe the Eagles win.

I think we’ll see a strong effort, one that might cover the 4 1/2-point spread. But envisioning the Eagles being good enough to win in a tough road environment, four days after that careless mess they made at home against Detroit, takes more optimism than I can summon.

Prediction: Packers 20, Eagles 17

The Packers are 3-0 and the Eagles are 1-2, but the Packers aren’t that good and the Eagles aren’t that bad.

Aaron Rodgers still is feeling his way in Matt LaFleur’s offense, and other than Davante Adams, he doesn’t have a particularly good group of people to throw the ball to.

What the Packers do have is an excellent defense. Mike Pettine’s defensive back-heavy packages give quarterbacks headaches when they have a full week to prepare. Carson Wentz pretty much had a couple of days of film study and walk-throughs.

So that concerns me.

But Doug Pederson has done a good job of getting his team ready for short-week games in the past (the Eagles are 3-0 in Thursday night games under Dougie). And it looks as if Alshon Jeffery might be back, which will provide a big boost to the offense.

Pettine wants to get offenses in third-and-medium or third-and-long, and then sic his pass-rushing dogs on you. The Eagles haven’t been very good at staying out of third-and-mediums and third-and-longs.

Thirty of their 48 third-down situations have been six yards or more. Only Arizona has more (31). But the Packers haven’t been very good against the run, and I think the Eagles are going to be able to run the ball on them. Which might keep them out of a lot of those third-and-longs.

This is going to be a low-scoring game. It’s going to be a game that could turn on field position, which is why I have the punters as one of the three key matchups.

Prediction: Eagles 16, Packers 13

This was a loss in my preseason predictions, but I didn’t foresee the Eagles losing two straight to the Falcons and Lions. Not many did. But here we are. Doug Pederson’s team is 1-2 for the first time in his four seasons and has to travel to Lambeau Field to face Aaron Rodgers and the Packers on a short week.

And, oh yeah, Green Bay is 3-0. The new Packers offense hasn’t exactly gobbled up yards and lit up the scoreboard. But it has been stellar in the red zone, converting 6 of 7 possessions into touchdowns. Rodgers has been workmanlike. Aside from receiver Devante Adams, he doesn’t have much else to throw to. But he’s yet to toss an interception. It should be noted that he has won nearly 80 percent of his games at home.

The story of the 2019 Packers thus far is its improved defense. Coordinator Mike Pettine’s 3-4 unit has allowed only 11.7 points a game. The defense hasn’t been especially great against the run, allowing 131 yards a game, but the pass rush has preyed on quarterbacks. Green Bay has 12 sacks. The Eagles defense, for comparison, has only two.

Pederson is 3-0 on Thursday night games, though. I liked how he turned the page quickly on the ugly Lions loss. Getting receiver Alshon Jeffery back and having Dallas Goedert back full-time will significantly help quarterback Carson Wentz.

As several Eagles said to me this week, I don’t think they’re a 1-3 team. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong. I’ve been wrong many times before. But I’m going with the Birds.

Prediction: Eagles 24, Packers 23