Packers vs. Eagles: 5 things to watch and a prediction

The Green Bay Packers (8-3) and Philadelphia Eagles (3-7-1) will face off Sunday at Lambeau Field in a matchup of potential playoff teams in the NFC.

The Packers are the clear front runner in the NFC North, while the Eagles are still holding onto hope of winning the wasteland of a division known as the NFC East.

Here are five things to watch and a prediction for Sunday:

Another situational situation

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Last week, the Packers dominated on third down and in the red zone against the league's No. 1 defense in both categories, converting their first five third downs and scoring touchdowns on their first four red-zone trips. The Packers are averaging a league-best 8.1 yards per third-down play and are starting to score consistently in the red zone. Another tough situational defense is up next. The Eagles have the fifth-ranked defense on third down, although Jim Schwartz's group is only 23rd in the red zone. The Eagles' pass-rush has been particularly disruptive on third down. Another situation to watch: fourth down. The Packers converted all three last week and have been the most aggressive team in football on fourth down this season. The Eagles have allowed only five conversions on 14 tries in 2020, good for the third-best fourth-down defense in the NFL.

Marquee matchup

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) rolls out of the pocket against the Philadelphia Eagles in the second quarter Thursday, September 26, 2019, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.

This game could be won and lost at the line of scrimmage when the Packers have the football. There's no better positional battle than the Packers' top-ranked offensive line against the Eagles' deep and talented defensive line. Philadelphia has 36 sacks and 83 quarterback hits, mostly from a defensive line that runs seven or eight players deep. Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox are the headliners, but Derek Barnett, Javon Hargrove and Josh Sweat can disrupt consistently. Can the Eagles win without keeping Aaron Rodgers under constant pressure? The Packers have been great at protecting the quarterback this season, save for one bad afternoon in Tampa Bay.

Davante vs. Darius, again

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Few cornerbacks have faced Davante Adams more than Darius Slay, the former Lions star who is now the No. 1 cover man for Jim Schwartz in Philadelphia. Expect Slay to shadow Adams for most of Sunday afternoon. He's been good for much of 2020 but got beat up by DK Metcalf last week. This is still a terrific one-on-one matchup. Can Slay take Adams away and force the Packers to go elsewhere in the passing game? Or will Matt LaFleur find ways to get Adams into plus matchups against Slay for big plays? If Adams is cooking Slay, it'll be hard for the Eagles to keep the Packers off the scoreboard on Sunday. This is a big opportunity for Adams to cement his status as an All-Pro in 2020.

Attacking Wentz

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) evades a sack by Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith (55) during the second quarter of their game Thursday, September 26, 2019 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.

If the Packers enjoyed attacking Mitchell Trubisky last week, they'll love Carson Wentz, who is doing his best Trubisky impression in 2020. He looks a lot like a broken quarterback, the result of constant injuries and constant hits and a revolving door of players around him. The Eagles are getting back Zach Ertz, but the offensive line is a patched-together group and Wentz doesn't look comfortable or confident playing the game's most important position. Opportunities for sacks and takeaways could be plentiful. Wentz is going to hold the ball, and he's going to force it into some spots. The Packers got three takeaways and should have had more last week, and this is a good spot to build on the turnover production.

Run defense test

Sep 26, 2019; Green Bay, WI, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Jordan Howard (24) rushes for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Last year in this matchup, the Eagles used a bunch of two tight end sets and ran the football successfully against Mike Pettine's defense, producing 176 rushing yards in the 34-27 victory. Jack Wepfer of Packers Wire analyzed the Eagles' gameplan and how they worked it to perfection following the Packers' loss last September. The Eagles will have tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert on Sunday, giving Doug Pederson a chance to run a similar scheme. Can Pettine and the Packers find more answers this year if the Eagles go big and stress personnel? This is a sneaky important matchup. The Eagles will need to run the ball to protect Carson Wentz and keep the Packers off the field.

Prediction: Packers 34, Eagles 17 (7-4)

The Eagles could stress the Packers in some notable ways, particularly with consistent pressure on defense and potentially even running the ball from big formations on offense. The Packers would still need to fail to meet the challenge in both areas for the Eagles to pull off the upset. The guess here is that the Packers offensive line continues to play at a high level, giving Aaron Rodgers a chance to score a lot of points, and the defense has little issue corralling an offense with such a big problem at quarterback. A few takeaways early help the Packers build a lead and cruise to a comfortable win.