DeVonta Smith’s TD catch helps Eagles edge Packers in defensive struggle

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Jalen Hurts threw a 36-yard pass to DeVonta Smith for Philadelphia’s only touchdown, as the Eagles’ defense led the way to a 10-7 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Monday night.

Brandon McManus’ attempt at a game-tying, 64-yard field goal as time expired fell several yards short.

Green Bay’s second straight loss dropped the Packers (5-3-1) to third place in the NFC North, behind Detroit and Chicago. The Packers, who owned the NFC’s best record before their 16-13 loss to Carolina on Nov. 2, would have the conference’s seventh and final playoff seed if the regular season ended now.

A defensive struggle that featured the first scoreless halftime tie of the season had a serious lack of big plays until the Eagles (7-2) delivered a one-two punch early in the fourth quarter.

Philadelphia led 3-0 and faced third-and-7 from its own 23-yard line when Saquon Barkley caught a pass 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage, made a spin move past cornerback Carrington Valentine and burst up-field for a 41-yard gain.

On the next play, Smith made a leaping catch in the end zone over safety Evan Williams, giving the Eagles a 10-0 lead with 10:35 remaining.

Green Bay cut Philadelphia’s advantage to 10-7 on Josh Jacobs’ 6-yard touchdown run with 5:49 left. The Packers then had a couple more opportunities in the closing minutes.

The Packers got the ball back at their own 10 with 2:18 and two timeouts remaining, but that drive ended when Jacobs fumbled while getting stopped for a 4-yard loss on fourth-and-1 from Green Bay’s 44.

Green Bay had one last chance with 27 seconds left from its own 36 after the Eagles threw a long incompletion on fourth-and-6 rather than punting. An 18-yard completion from Jordan Love to Bo Melton got the Packers beyond midfield, but McManus couldn’t convert what would have been the longest field goal in team history.

The Packers couldn’t get a measure of revenge against the defending Super Bowl champions.

Philadelphia had beaten the Packers twice last season, knocking them off 34-29 in Brazil on the season’s opening week and then beating them, 22-10, at Philadelphia in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs.

During the offseason, the Packers proposed banning the tush push that Philadelphia has used so effectively in short-yardage situations over the last few years. The measure was supported by 22 of the NFL’s 32 teams, two votes shy of the three-quarters majority needed for passage.

The Packers actually executed the first quarterback sneak of the game, and Love didn’t need a push to convert a fourth-and-1 on the game’s opening series. During its first drive, Philadelphia answered with a tush push that gave Hurts a 3-yard gain on third-and-1 from the Eagles’ 18-yard line.

There weren’t many other successful plays by either offense for much of the night.

This was the first NFL game to be scoreless at halftime since Dec. 10, 2023, when both the Minnesota Vikings’ 3-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders and the New York Jets’ 30-6 triumph over the Houston Texans had no first-half points. Philadelphia finally broke through on Monday when Jake Elliott’s 39-yard field goal capped the Eagles’ opening series of the second half.

Each quarterback fumbled away his team’s best first-half scoring opportunity.

Green Bay’s Edgerrin Cooper knocked the ball away from Hurts at the end of an 11-yard run that would have put the Eagles inside Green Bay’s 15-yard line on Philadelphia’s opening series. Keisean Nixon recovered the fumble and returned it 22 yards.

The Packers had second-and-10 at Philadelphia’s 27 in the final minute of the second quarter when Love lost the ball while getting sacked by Nakobe Dean. The fumble was recovered by Jaelan Phillips, who was making his Eagles debut after coming over from Miami at the trade deadline last week.

INJURIES

Eagles: Right tackle Lane Johnson went to the locker room with an ankle injury in the second quarter but returned in the fourth quarter. Center Cam Jurgens (knee) didn’t play.

Packers: Center Elgton Jenkins (ankle) and wide receiver Romeo Doubs (chest) left the game. Wide receiver Matthew Golden (shoulder), defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness (foot) and cornerback Nate Hobbs (knee) didn’t play.

UP NEXT

The Eagles host the Detroit Lions on Sunday night.

The Packers visit the New York Giants on Sunday.