Observations: Eagles 27, Packers 13

GREEN BAY, Wisc. – Here’s what we saw during the first half of today’s Eagles-Packers game.

OFFENSE

* It was a strange day for the Eagles’ offense. They got a little luck on their way to their first touchdown. Nick Foles eyed DeSean Jackson deep, but underthrew him. Two Packers defensive backs collided, and the ball popped into the air before Jackson came down with it for a 55-yard touchdown.

* Then in the third, Foles threw one up for grabs, and Riley Cooper did a great job of finding the ball for a 45-yard touchdown. It looked like the ball moved a little when Cooper hit the ground, but the score stood.

* Later in the third, Cooper got wide-open with a double move and scored from 32 yards out. Overall, Cooper had three catches for 102 yards. In the last five games, he has 462 yards and five touchdowns.

* Foles’ numbers looked good: 12-for-18 for 228 yards and three touchdowns. But as described above, he got a lot of help. In the first half especially, he looked a little hesitant.

* LeSean McCoy had a monster game. He piled up 155 yards on 25 carries (6.2 YPC). In the second half, McCoy carried 16 times for 141 yards. Jackson had four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown.

* Foles was sacked in the fourth quarter and fumbled, giving the Packers possession in the red zone, but the defense held them scoreless.

* Jason Peters suffered a pair of injuries in the first quarter. He left the game with an apparent head injury, returned for one play and then suffered a quad injury that sidelined him for the afternoon. Allen Barbre replaced him.

* The Eagles squandered an opportunity in the second. After a takeaway by the defense, they went three-and-out before Alex Henery missed a 39-yard field goal. Henery has already missed five field goals on the season.

* Did you notice the officials miss a blatant face-mask on a McCoy run in the second?

* Herremans gave up pressure in the second. Foles tried to launch it deep, but Jackson lost the ball in the sun.

* With the Eagles trying to kill the clock, James Casey picked up 8 on a 3rd-and-7 late in the fourth.

* Foles had seven rushes for 39 yards on the day.

DEFENSE

* The Eagles’ defense got another break as Seneca Wallace suffered a groin injury on the first possession and was replaced by Scott Tolzien. But the Birds lost a couple starters themselves. Mychal Kendricks and Earl Wolff both suffered knee injuries that knocked them out of the game.

* Huge play in the fourth quarter. Tolzien targeted Jordy Nelson in the corner of the end zone on fourth down. The refs ruled incomplete, but Mike McCarthy challenged the call. Nelson pinned the ball against his body, but it hit the ground. The ruling on the field stood, and the Eagles got the ball back with a 27-13 lead.

* The Eagles’ run defense was excellent. It helped that the Packers were one-dimensional, but Billy Davis’ unit swarmed to the ball against a very good rushing offense. Eddie Lacy needed 24 carries for 73 yards (3.0 YPC). As a team, the Packers had 99 yards on 30 carries (3.3 YPC).

* Tolzien finished 24-for-39 for 280 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

* On the final drive of the first half, Nelson made a great play in between Brandon Boykin and Colt Anderson for 30 yards. That set up a Packers field goal. Mason Crosby missed a pair in the first half, but hit that one.

* In the third, Cary Williams deflected a pass and DeMeco Ryans made a terrific interception. Ryan had 13 tackles (11 solo, two for loss), a pass defensed and a pick. Monster game for the Eagles’ middle linebacker.

* The Eagles blew a coverage in the third as tight end Brandon Bostick got wide open for a 22-yard touchdown. Tough to tell whether Patrick Chung or Roc Carmichael was at fault.

* With the Packers threatening to score in the second, Boykin intercepted a Tolzien pass and returned it 76 yards.

* Najee Goode replaced Kendricks. He had two chances for interceptions, but couldn’t come up with either play. He was also called for roughing the passer in the second half.

* Vinny Curry had his fourth sack of the season in the second half. Curry came into the game having only played 19 percent of the Eagles’ defensive snaps, yet he leads the team in sacks.

* In a bit of a surprise move, the Eagles started Carmichael at cornerback instead of Boykin. Bradley Fletcher was inactive with a pectoral injury.

* The Eagles used their dime defense for the first time all season. Colt Anderson joined Nate Allen and Patrick Chung at safety. Ryans was the lone linebacker on the field.

* Williams gave up a 36-yard completion to Jarrett Boykin. Replays showed Boykin was out of bounds, but the Eagles failed to throw the challenge flag.

* With the win, the Eagles improve to 5-5 on the season.

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
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