Packers understand firsthand the challenge Jalen Hurts presents: ‘It’s going to be hard to contain him’

The last time the Green Bay Packers faced the Eagles, Jalen Hurts set a record for rushing yards by an Eagles quarterback with 157.

It may have been two years ago, but that game on Nov. 27, 2022 — a 40-33 Eagles home win — is still fresh in the Packers’ minds ahead of the rematch in Brazil.

“Jalen is like the fastest chicken in the yard with no fence,” Green Bay edge rusher Preston Smith told reporters on Monday. “It’s going to be hard to contain him, but it’s a task we set out to do, and we have to make sure we don’t let him get comfortable, and don’t let him have a big game again.”

Things will be a lot different on Friday compared to their last meeting two years ago. The Eagles brought in nine new coaches this offseason, highlighted by new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

» READ MORE: With Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox gone, the future of the Eagles could depend on their replacements

The Packers also made some changes on the sidelines. Green Bay’s rushing defense was 28th in the league in 2023, allowing 128.3 yards per game. After losing in the divisional round to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay fired defensive coordinator Joe Barry and brought in Jeff Hafley, previously head coach at Boston College, as a replacement.

“We have a great run scheme,” Smith said. “We have a great defensive front and great coaches. The scheme we have is pretty great to help us stop the run. We just have to go out there and showcase it. … I think in this first game, it’s going to show what we’ve been working on, show our keys, and we’re going to show how great of a run defense we can be.”

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur thinks the Eagles’ offensive line will present a tough first test, even after Jason Kelce’s retirement this offseason. LaFleur called left tackle Jordan Mailata “one of the best in the game” on Monday.

“I think Philly, over the course of the years, especially the last handful of years, five years or so, have had one of the best offensive lines in the game of football,” he said. “They had five guys that can start on most teams. So it’s going to be a good challenge for our defense, for sure.”

With both teams bringing new faces to their Week 1 matchup, preparation has required some imagination. Smith said that the Packers are expecting some different looks from the Eagles offense with Moore at the helm.

“It’s a combo,” he said. “You look at both [Hurts’ and Moore’s] styles, what they like to run, and what they feel comfortable having Jalen do, and you look at his style on what he may have a quarterback like Jalen do.”

Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love said the offense has been watching film from Fangio’s 2023 season with the Miami Dolphins to try to predict what defensive schemes the Eagles might throw at them.

“It’s hard to know anything, honestly,” wide receiver Christian Watson said. “We’re kind of going into it blind. We have an idea of what the coach has done in the past. … So we’re going to go out there and do us, and adjust as needed.”

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The last time the Packers were in Philly, Love was Aaron Rodgers’ backup. He took over in the fourth quarter after Rodgers went down with an injury, and his comeback attempt came up just short.

Now Love — in his second season as a starter — joins Hurts on a mural on the side of a building in downtown São Paulo, painted by Brazilian artist Crica Monteiro to spotlight both teams ahead of Friday’s game.

“I saw that, me and Jalen Hurts, that’s very cool,” Love said. “Same draft class, been around him a couple times. I think he’s a phenomenal player. I love the way he carries himself. … He’s just a dog. I think he’s one of those quarterbacks. He’s going to scramble and he’s not going to slide, he’s going to take some hits, and he’s a bigger guy. I think he just has that mindset.”