#10. Green Bay Packers (4-6) @ Philadelphia Eagles (5-5)

It’s time for our (cough) expert predictions for the Week 12 matchup.

The Philadelphia Eagles have a considerably shorter list. “I read about it just like everybody else”, said McCarthy, who has the daily media clips delivered to him each morning by Packers public-relations director Jason Wahlers – though how often McCarthy does anything more than skim them is hard to say. And I’m confident that if we can get this thing started out a little better each week that we can get on that roll and be tough to stop.

This is a battle of two pretty desperate teams. The Eagles (5-5) are looking to remain undefeated at home.

Monday night, the Eagles can all but put an end to that streak by beating the Packers on Monday Night Football. With Ryan out, the Packers started Joe Thomas alongside regular starter Blake Martinez, only to see Martinez suffer a knee injury with 5 minutes left in the game. They’ve won each of their four games played this season inside Lincoln Financial Field. It becomes more hand signals. This game’s over/under comes in at a combined 47.5 points.

These are not your father’s Green Bay Packers and certainly not your grandfather’s from the Lombardi days. The Eagles have to make sure they know where 52 is. “It’s all we’ve got right now”. Eagles fly at high at home.

He’s not quite Joe Namath, but Aaron Rodgers has a history of calming the nerves in Green Bay, and he tried it again this week in advance of the Packers’ Monday night matchup in Philadelphia, a game that in many ways can nearly be considered a playoff eliminator. All the math favors the Eagles here. “I really do”, Rodgers began, having been asked why, following last Sunday night’s loss at Washington, he’d said he was “very optimistic” about the team’s chances. Green Bay hasn’t allowed back-to-back 40-point games since 1953 or four consecutive 30-point games since 1952.

To do that the Pack would have to start with a win over the Eagles (5-5), who are a tad more relevant in the hunt for a playoff berth. They don’t protect their quarterback and they can’t cover anybody, probably not even Nelson Agholor. The Eagles jump out to an early lead by crushing Aaron Rodgers and forcing key mistakes. It is up to Pederson to keep Wentz in his comfort zone. Their last away game will be Week 15 against the Baltimore Ravens (5-5), as they host division rivals the New York Giants (7-3) in Week 16 and then the Dallas Cowboys (10-1) in Week 17, who are now the best team in the NFC East and the entire NFL. The Eagles try to make offenses one-dimensional, but the Packers can do it for them.

The public scorn has not fallen on rookie quarterback Carson Wentz, who, with all his precociousness and poise, remains in a honeymoon period.

“I know the Redskins went vertical” against Green Bay, Matthews said.

Attrition has hit the defense as well. That is by far the worst in the National Football League, with the Buccaneers being the next closest team at 8.1.

Give me Green Bay and the points.

“I think the way you have to approach it is to see the light at the end of the tunnel and understand that it’s there”, said Hicks.

Entering Monday night’s game the Eagles defense has allowed an average of 9.5 points per game at home but has been gashed for an average of 24.5 at home. Another running back, Darren Sproles, will attempt to play with a cracked rib.

Either way, 2016 won’t be remembered for how the Eagles finish the season. They beat the Vikings and their impressive defense. But when a person can put those two things together that’s when they’ve got the “it” factor.

In comes another one-sided team. Rookie Wendell Smallwood and fourth-stringer Kenjon Barner would be have to lead the rushing attack if Mathews is out.