Maggie’s Pre-Game Six Pack – 2024 Week 1

For the sixth straight year, the Green Bay Packers will travel for Week 1 of the regular season. It’ll be a Friday night under the lights as the Packers meet the Eagles in São Paulo, Brazil. Here are six things to keep in mind as we dive head first into Week 1. We made it! 

1. History in South America

When the Packers and Eagles face off Friday night, it’ll be the first Friday night kickoff on an opening NFL weekend in over 50 years, with the last game dating back to 1970 between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams. It will also be the first regular season game in South America in NFL history. 

Packers and Eagles fans in attendance should be in for a high-scoring affair, as the Packers have scored 27 or more points in their last five games versus Philadelphia. When the two teams last met in 2022, quarterback Jordan Love was called into emergency duty and almost led the Packers to a comeback, falling just short at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles won that game 40-33.

This will be the first time Love actually starts against Philly, and he’ll be going up against a revamped roster, but more on that later. When it comes to the head coaches, Matt LaFleur and Nick Sirianni have only met once (in 2022), though LaFleur is 1-2 all-time against the Eagles. 

2. Fly In Fly Out

The Eagles made one of the biggest splashes in free agency when they lured division rival Saquon Barkley away from the Giants. It’s a move that made sense for them with D’Andre Swift heading to Chicago. Barkley now joins a high-powered offense headlined by Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and DeVonta Smith. The Eagles also traded for Jahan Dotson, hoping the wide receiver can rejuvenate his career away from Washington. On defense, C.J. Gardner-Johnson returned to Philly after a brief stint in Detroit, and the Eagles signed pass rusher Bryce Huff in free agency. Huff had a 10-sack season in 2023. 

On the flip side, the Eagles lost some pieces, too. All-Pro center Jason Kelce retired this offseason, as did his fellow All-Pro, defensive lineman Fletcher Cox. Those are two notable losses, both in terms of talent and leadership. Philadelphia also traded away dominant edge rusher Haason Reddick to the Jets. He had a combined 27 sacks in his two seasons with the Eagles. 

In the draft, the Eagles bolstered their secondary, selecting Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell and Iowa’s Cooper DeJean in back-to-back rounds. They’ll join Gardner-Johnson, Darius Slay, and Reed Blankenship in a loaded room. Slay led the defense in passes defensed last season with 14, and Blankenship led the defense in interceptions with three. 

3. Ask Vic

Sirianni returns for his fourth season as head coach in Philly, but his seat may be hot after last season’s playoff implosion. This season, he’ll have new coordinators on both sides of the ball. Kellen Moore comes in as offensive coordinator after one year with the Chargers, and Vic Fangio takes over as defensive coordinator after one year with the Dolphins. 

The Eagles had the 30th ranked defense in points against in 2023, allowing an average of 25.2 points per game. They also had the 31st ranked defense in third down conversion percentages (46.4%) and the 30th ranked defense in red zone percentage, allowing a touchdown 66.1% of the time. 

For comparison’s sake, the Dolphins fared a bit better, ranking 22nd overall in points against allowing an average of 23 points per game. Miami’s red zone defense struggled, ranking 28th overall, but they improved slightly on third downs and ranked 20th, allowing a conversion only 38.9% of the time. 

The Eagles really struggled through the air. They ranked 10th on defense in rushing yards, allowing an average of 103.4 yards per game. But against the pass, Philly falls all the way to 31st in both yards and touchdowns, allowing an average of 252.7 receiving yards and 2.1 passing touchdowns per game. With Super Bowl aspirations again in 2024, the Eagles have to hope that Fangio will be able to turn around a struggling unit. 

4. I Spy With My Linebacker Eye

There’s a new defensive coordinator in Green Bay, too. Not sure if anyone heard, but Joe Barry did not return after three seasons with the team. Jeff Hafley is the new DC in town and will usher the Packers into a 4-3 base defense (though, yes, a lot of base packages are nickel packages now). While Hafley’s specialty is working with defensive backs, there’s a lot to like when it comes to how he utilizes his front seven. 

For starters, we should see more inside linebackers on the field for Green Bay depending on what base personnel the team is in. That strategy was evident as early as draft weekend when the Packers spent two Day 2 picks on inside linebackers, grabbing Edgerrin Cooper in the second round and Ty’Ron Hopper in the third. Unsurprisingly, both Cooper and Hopper are not currently starters on the depth chart as Cooper works his way back from a hip injury. That means we should see a lot of Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, and Eric Wilson on Friday. 

With a dual-threat quarterback in Hurts and a 1,000-yard back in Barkley, the Packers will have to preach gap integrity in Brazil. Last season, defending the run was…not Green Bay’s strong suit. The Packers ranked 28th in rushing yards in 2023, allowing a whopping 128.3 yards per game on the ground. 

The defense was also 31st in interceptions with only seven picks on the year. Given what we’ve already seen out of training camp and the preseason, expect Keisean Nixon, Javon Bullard, and Evan Williams to all play certain looks as the nickel and dime defenders. With Hafley’s background working with defensive backs, we should see that interception total climb significantly in 2024. 

5. Bulldogs in Brazil

If there’s any NFL team that loves Georgia Bulldogs as much as the Packers, it has to be the Eagles. It’ll be a college reunion in São Paulo on Friday. Nine Bulldogs have been drafted between the Packers and Eagles since 2021. Let’s run through them quickly: Eric Stokes (2021), Jordan Davis (2022), Quay Walker (2022), Devonte Wyatt (2022), Nakobe Dean (2022), Jalen Carter (2023), Nolan Smith (2023), Kelee Ringo (2023), and Javon Bullard (2024). 

Notably, all nine play defense, and all nine are expected to be contributors in 2024. Stokes is working his way back from leg injuries that sidelined his 2022 and 2023 seasons. He’s expected to start the season as the starting boundary corner opposite Jaire Alexander. 

Davis and Carter are the big men in the middle for Philly and will be tasked with shutting down Josh Jacobs in his Packers debut. They combined for 8.5 sacks and 14 quarterback hits in 2023. Dean and Smith are depth pieces at linebacker, and Ringo is one of Philadelphia’s starting corners. 

On the opposite sideline, remember how we just talked about Green Bay’s transition to a 4-3 base? It’s possible no one will benefit more from that than Wyatt (except maybe Kenny Clark). Wyatt posted 5.5 sacks and played 50% of defensive snaps in 2023. That number should increase this year. 

Bulldog paw prints are all over this matchup, and we can expect some big plays from defenders on both teams Week 1. 

6. Welcome Pack

It’s worth noting that nine of Green Bay’s eleven starters on offense were starters last season, too. The only changes occur at right guard and running back, but more on that in a second. With Jon Runyan Jr. leaving for the Giants, both incumbent Sean Rhyan and rookie first-round pick Jordan Morgan have taken snaps at right guard throughout training camp. LaFleur indicated the team has a plan for Week 1, so while Rhyan is listed as the starter on the existing depth chart, don’t be surprised if Morgan also sees snaps and the two rotate during the game (sort of like Rhyan did with Runyan Jr. last season, too). 

Of course, the Packers will also have an entirely new running back room in 2024. Green Bay signed Josh Jacobs in free agency and let Aaron Jones leave for Minnesota (that’s all I’ll say about it). The team is gambling that Jacobs can get back to his 2022 form when he posted 2,053 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns. Still, Jacobs has never had less than 1,100 scrimmage yards in a season or fewer than six touchdowns. He’ll also be playing with a much better quarterback and offensive line than he’d seen in Las Vegas. Entering his sixth season in the NFL, Jacobs still does not have a receiving touchdown on his stat line. Expect that to change this season with Love, possibly as early as Friday. 

With A.J. Dillon placed on season-ending injured reserve, the backup running back job is also open. Third-round rookie MarShawn Lloyd is the official backup on the depth chart, but it’s unclear if he’ll play Friday as he works his way back from a hamstring injury. If he can’t go, Emanuel Wilson should be ready to play after an impressive preseason, though he’s also limited on the injury report with a hip injury. 

Defensively, though, is where this team really looks different, specifically in the secondary. The Packers completely overhauled their safety unit and spent big in free agency to sign the top-name free agent at the position, Xavier McKinney. McKinney had three interceptions in 2023 and a career-best 11 passes defensed. He also finished with 116 tackles, one forced fumble, and a half-sack. 

The Packers invested three draft picks into the safety unit, grabbing Bullard, Williams, and Kitan Oladapo to round out the new safety room. Bullard is expected to get the initial starting snaps opposite McKinney. Only Zayne Anderson returns from last season, and he’s never played a single defensive snap. In 2023 with the Packers, Anderson played in 10 games and played 51% of special teams snaps. Darnell Savage (Jaguars), Jonathan Owens (Bears), and Anthony Johnson Jr. (Giants) are all on 53-man rosters while Rudy Ford, who led the Packers in interceptions in 2023 with two, is a free agent. 

Also of note, there’s a new kicker! After a long training camp battle between Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph, the Packers decided to go with…neither, and claimed Brayden Narveson on waivers from the Tennessee Titans. Narveson went 6-of-7 on field goals in the preseason, including making a 59-yarder, and he was 196/196 on extra points in his collegiate career. 

Phew. I think that’s everything. Now it’s time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the game. Week 1 is here! Go Pack Go!