***MNF IN THE SWAMP - GB @ PHI***

***GREEN BAY PACKERS @ PHILADELPHIA EAGLES***

Tonight's Monday Night Football matchup is a very intriguing one. Much like last week's SNF game where the Green Bay Packers got slapped up in Washington by the Redskins, the Pack will now try their luck in NFC East territory once more when they take on a hungry Eagles team in Philadelphia tonight. The Packers have been a major disappointment this year and the organization's frustrations have been very publicized since they are not used to trailing in the NFC North. That being said, the Cheese is on high alert and on the verge of hitting the panic button if they haven't already done so. As mentioned above, the last time we saw this team was in Washington last week when QB Kirk Cousins and the Redskins took advantage of and dismantled the weak Packers secondary in what turned out to be a lopsided affair. Needless to say the Pack was abused and embarrassed nationally for all to see. This was also a follow up to another surprising shellacking at the hands of the Titans in Tennessee the weak prior. The brutal loss they suffered against the Titans marked an indication that something is severely wrong with this team. It was a game where after two tough losses back to back, they were expected to get a win over a who at the time was considered a lesser opponent. Some say the problems start with Head Coach Mike McCarthy, some think their is a rift between QB Aaron Rodgers and his teammates, others think it could the injuries to the offensive line and RBs that limits their production, and the obvious answer is the injuries and poor play by this defense. I think it is indeed a bit of all of the above, but as I mentioned in my Redskins writeup last SNF, it my opinion it is majorly this defense. QB Aaron Rodgers hasn't had his best year that is no secret, but he is still very much capable of getting the job done and has been playing better as of late. This defense however has not helped him and the offense out whatsoever and cannot stop a nosebleed. They have been playing extremely undermanned all season, but especially during this losing streak.

Fortunately for them, they now finally get some help back with the return of their defensive leader LB Clay Matthews and believe it or not- despite the lack of depth at CB, the Pack defense is still full of talent and is fully capable of bouncing back tonight. I only say this because of the matchup they face and the Prime Time spot it falls in. Up against an Eagles offense that is also struggling as of late, with a rookie QB in Carson Wentz who has been very limited in the passing game due to the poor play by his WRs, I think the Pack defense can totally hang with them here. In my opinion Wentz has been great this season. It has been an up and down ride for him thus far but he has shown that he has all the tools necessary to one day be a big time QB in this league. The Philly WR core has been the weak point of this offense, consistently dropping big passes and not coming up with the catch in crucial spots. For the most part, Wentz has made all the passes necessary in tight moments of a game and these guys, mainly Nelson Agholor and Dorial Green-Beckham, just do not rise to the occasion and make the play to bail out their QB. It has gotten to the point where I believe the negative mental aspect has now set in for these guys and I won't be surprised to see some immediate changes at WR for this team. As for tonight goes, the Eagles also cannot afford a loss since they are at the bottom of their division but not far behind. Both of these teams as a matter of fact still have a chance to make a run at the playoffs but need to start doing so with a win tonight. Both of these teams have winnable games remaining on the schedule including divisional battles against all three of their rivals, we can assume these teams will be focused and on their A game tonight. That all being said, this makes for what should be a very entertaining game but I am going to side with the veteran QB Aaron Rodgers and a Packers team that is looking to redeem themselves in the national spotlight. I think that while the Eagles defense is stout and especially tough at home, where they have been a force and haven't lost yet, Rodgers and his WRs are starting to click and he will get it done. With the long awaited return of one of his new toys in TE Jared Cook now added as another dimension in the passing game and weapon in his arsenal, Rodgers will be under pressure tonight that's for sure, but that is sometimes where he is most dangerous, on the run and making plays backyard football style. Also, another week with the return of RB James Starks and the addition of the newly acquired RB Christine Michael should help the Pack effectively mix up the run and pass game once again and further open up the aerial attack for Mr. Rodgers to successfully find his targets. I don't think the Wentz and the Eagles have the passing game to fully take advantage of the Packers secondary woes and beat them with the deep ball like Kirk Cousins did last week for example. In fact, when looking at their four losses during this losing streak; GB fell victim to QBs like Matt Ryan, Andrew Luck, and Kirk Cousins, all who naturally exploited them with the deep ball because that is their bread and butter. In the case of the Titans matchup, Tennessee had a gameplan for the ages, and the young QB Marcus Mariota was able to cause the heads of the Packers defense to spin with tons of misdirection and trick type plays. The Eagles run a more simplified dink and dunk type of offense for their rookie QB, and as mentioned a few times now- they are unable to throw the deep ball with their struggling WRs to capitalize on this. RB Ryan Matthews also being out may be a bigger factor than some may realize. Yes, the rookie Wendell Smallwood has looked good with the limited touches he has gotten and the veteran scat-back Darren Sproles of course is always the X-Factor, but in the redzone when it comes to pounding the rock between the tackles Matthews has been their guy and he could be missed greatly in this one. Bottom line is, I like the Packers to save some face here and avoid dropping two straight Prime Time games, and mainly avoid five straight losses in general to remind us that despite their recent woes, the season is not over, and they ain't dead just yet. The Cheese will serve the Birds their first home loss tonight. PACKERS+5