The Green Bay Packers were able to count on star performances from Zach Tom and Jayden Reed and impressive debuts from Edgerrin Cooper and Xavier McKinney on defense, but a dominant performance by the Philadelphia Eagles offensive line and large plays from AJ Brown, Devonta Smith and Zack Baun proved too much for the team, which lost 34-29 in its season opener on Friday night.
Defensive end Jeff Hafley’s long-awaited debut was mostly a flop.
Here are the best and worst players from the Packers’ season-opening loss to the Eagles, based on Pro Football Focus ratings:
Top 5 crimes
1. RT Zach Tom: 92.0
2. WR Jayden Reed: 89.2
3. LG Elgton Jenkins: 78.4
4. Running Emanuel Wilson: 69.4
5. RG Jordan Morgan: 67.7
Tom didn’t allow a single pressure in 43 pass-blocking snaps and earned an elite run-blocking grade. Reed had a slump, but he also averaged 4.93 yards per route run, gained 54 yards after the catch and had a 33-yard rushing touchdown. Jenkins didn’t allow a single pressure in the passing game and was solid in the running game. Wilson had two runs of 10+ yards, a tough catch on the first pass and a solid block on Reed’s touchdown run. Morgan allowed one quarterback hit in 19 pass-blocking snaps and was solid in the running game.
Best Defense 5
1. LB Edgerrin Cooper: 85.9
2. S Xavier McKinney: 76.2
3.LB Eric Stokes: 66.7
4. CB Keisean Nixon: 65.4
5. DE Lukas Van Ness: 65.3
Cooper had a run stop, a pass deflection and three total tackles in just 11 plays. McKinney intercepted a pass, threw just one pass to his primary defense and made four tackles without a miss. Stokes had a missed tackle but ultimately gave up just two receptions to his defense. Nixon had a Jalen Hurts sack, a pass breakup and two stops but gave up four receptions and didn’t make two tackles. Van Ness had one rush and one run stop in 19 plays.
Bottom 5 offense
1. TE Luke Musgrave: 43.8
2. WR Dontayvion Wicks: 44.0
3. C Josh Myers: 50.1
4. TE Tucker Kraft: 55.1
5. WR Christian Watson: 59.6
Musgrave ran eight routes but didn’t catch a target and was the target of an interception by Jordan Love. Wicks had a drop and was 0-of-3 on targets. Myers had two pressures, was penalized once and had average run-blocking grades. Kraft was solid as a run blocker, but his 30 routes came with just two targets. Watson caught a touchdown but converted 28 routes and five targets for just 13 yards.
Defense of the lower 5
1. LB Isaiah McDuffie: 35.7
2. Defenseman Kenny Clark: 39.4
3. DE Kingsley Enagbare: 41.3
4. Defenseman Karl Brooks: 42.4
5. Defenseman TJ Slaton: 42.7
McDuffie missed two tackles and threw a touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts to Saquon Barkley. Clark had four rushes but received terrible grades against the run. Enagbare had no pressure or rush for more than 30 touchdowns. Brooks had pressure and two stops but received the team’s lowest run defense grade. Slaton had three assists and a rush but also received indigent grades against the run.
Special teams
Edgerrin Cooper had a tackle on the kickoff and was the highest-rated player on special teams. Zayne Anderson also had a tackle. The Packers didn’t miss a single tackle on special teams, but Rasheed Walker, Xavier McKinney and Isaiah McDuffie all had penalties. Brayden Narveson missed a 43-yard field goal. Daniel Whelan put one punt out of bounds inside the 20-yard line and forced another fair reception — his net average was 37 yards.
Playing the quarterback
Jordan Love: 64.6
Malik Willis: 42.5
Love was credited with two “big throws” and two “interception-worthy plays,” as well as three drops, two throws while being hit and three sacks. His adjusted completion percentage was 69.0 with an average depth of target of almost 10 yards. Love completed 3 of 5 passes for 20 yards down the field, but was just 2 of 8 in the intermediate areas. He was 3 of 10 — including a 70-yard touchdown pass — on 12 pressured dropbacks. Willis threw incomplete for his first touchdown and was sacked before attempting a Hail Mary for his second and final touchdown.
Statistics to know
Cornerback Jaire Alexander had an interception, but also allowed four receptions for 108 yards and was penalized for holding. AJ Brown was responsible for all four receptions against Alexander, including a game-changing 67-yard touchdown run early in the second half that secured the Eagles’ decisive victory in this primetime game.
