Eagles Preparing For High-Powered Packer Air Attack
By Ed Benkin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Last Monday, the Eagles terrorized Panthers Quarterback Cam Newton. This week, the defense will face a much tougher test.
The Eagles will travel to Green Bay to take on a Packers' squad with one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Aaron Rodgers is playing at a high level after leading his team to 55 points last Sunday against the Bears. For Eagles such as Linebacker Connor Barwin, it is clear the bar has been set much higher for this week's matchup.
"There's a lot of similarities between how we approach the quarterbacks," said Barwin. "We will have to be a lot better, though, against Aaron Rodgers than Cam. If we make any mistakes, Cam might have missed some of them but this guy we've got this week won't."
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The group which will face the biggest challenge will be the secondary. The Eagles came up with five interceptions last Monday, but Rodgers has thrown just three interceptions all season while tossing 25 touchdown passes. His passer rating is 120.1 and Safety Malcolm Jenkins knows one mistake can result in a quick touchdown for the Packers on Sunday.
"He's arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the league," Jenkins said. "If you give him the lanes and you give him the opportunity, he'll carve you up no matter what defense is out there. It's not surprising. You see he has the ability if you let him to throw a touchdown every drive he's out there."
Rodgers is not known as a running quarterback, but Jenkins added that Rodgers can still make plays on the run. Even if the Eagles are able to flush Rodgers out of the pocket, Jenkins believes Rodgers is just as dangerous when rolling out away from the pass rush.
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"He has the mobility to get out of the pocket and move and throw on the run," said Jenkins. "But when you keep him in the pocket, he's just as accurate with the ball in the pocket as he is out of the pocket. He has the best of both worlds."
The Eagles recorded nine sacks on Monday, but the players acknowledged it will be quite difficult to match that total in Green Bay. However, Defensive Coordinator Bill Davis believes his unit can still find ways to get pressure on Rodgers throughout the game.
"There's always a way," Davis said. "I think they're a very high efficient offense, but we're playing better and better defensively. We'll do the things that we do and see how we match up against their protections. We're excited about the challenge. It will really be a heck of a test to see where we are as a defense against them."
The Eagles will have another round of workouts on Thursday. Temperatures are expected to be in the 20's Sunday in Green Bay and could drop into the teens as the game progresses.
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