Open Thread: Eagles vs. Packers

The dress rehearsal is here, as the Eagles take on the Packers in the third week of the preseason. We’ll pop in with some updates and thoughts from time to time. Feel free to join the conversation in the comments section below.

11:09 – Final score: Eagles 39, Packers 26. That’ll do it for the Eagles’ latest trip to Lambeau Field. The Birds’ backups go scoreless in the second half. The entire team finishes with 25 first downs, 66 plays, and 402 yards of offense. The Eagles will finish up the preseason against the Jets on Sep. 3.

11:01 – A Randall Evans interception in the red zone gives the Eagles with 3:33 to play in the fourth quarter. The Eagles have two interceptions in each of their first three games of the preseason.

10:51 – Tim Tebow enters the game at quarterback with 9:10 to play in the fourth quarter and a 39-26 lead. Matt Barkley’s night is over after a modest third-quarter performance. He finishes 5-for-9 for 28 yards.

10:47 – Matt Blanchard’s first drive at quarterback for Green Bay ends in a 27-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Janis and another unsuccessful two-point conversion. The Packers are now out-gaining the Eagles in yards, 434-345, after Blanchard orchestrated a 95-yard drive.

10:29 – The Packers cap an otherwise uneventful third quarter with a four-yard touchdown pass to Kennard Backman before failing to convert a two-point conversion. The Eagles’ offense notched just six plays and eight yards in the entire quarter after racking up 27 plays and 325 yards in the first half.

For Green Bay, Brett Hundley has been the quarterback of record for the first three quarters. He’s completed 21 of 31 passes for 303 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Eight of his 21 completions came on the most recent touchdown-scoring drive.

10:10 – Good note from Les Bowen on the Eagles’ prolific first-half offense:

Eagles were 5-for-5 in the red zone in the first half

— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) August 30, 2015

10:06 – Matt Barkley enters the game for the Eagles’ first drive of the second half, and the Birds promptly go three and out. John Moffitt is in at right guard after Andrew Gardner played there for the entire first half. On the defensive side of the ball, the majority of the backups are in the game.

9:35 – Halftime: Eagles 39, Packers 14. A 50-yard screen pass to Kenjon Barner sets the Eagles up for a two-yard pass to Trey Burton with four seconds to play. Mark Sanchez and the Eagles marched 92 yards in seven plays, taking up just 57 seconds of clock. Sanchez is now 13-for-19 for 150 yards and two touchdowns.

9:31 – The Packers finish off their second scoring drive of the night with a 36-yard Brett Hundley touchdown pass to Rajion Neal. Hundley marched Green Bay 80 yards in eight plays and 2:03, completing five passes.

9:20 – Mark Sanchez threw a 9-yard touchdown to Jeff Maehl to cap off his second drive at the helm. The Eagles drove 55 yards in 3:57 with eight pass attempts from Sanchez, who is now 9-for-12 with 67 yards and one touchdown. Kip Smith converted the extra point, and the Eagles lead the Packers, 32-7, late in the second quarter.

8:57 – Sam Bradford’s night is over, as Mark Sanchez takes the field with 12:53 to play in the first half. He finishes without an incompletion, going 10-for-10 with 121 yards and three touchdowns.

8:53 – The Packers find the end zone for the first time on a one-yard rush from James Starks. Green Bay never faced a third-down on the seven-play, 74-yard drive, and the Eagles were penalized three times.

8:40 – Another drive, another touchdown for Sam Bradford and the Eagles’ offense. After starting with a 33-yard completion to Darren Sproles, Bradford found Brent Celek open in the back of the end zone. Bradford has yet to throw an incompletion; he’s now 10-for-10 for 121 yards and three touchdowns. This time, Kip Smith converted the extra point to put the Eagles up, 25-0.

Patrick Wall has the Eagles’ offensive stats through one quarter, and they’re impressive:

18 plays, 152 yards, three touchdowns. 6:50 off the clock. Pretty remarkable.

— Patrick Wall (@ByPatrickWall) August 30, 2015

8:33 – According to Brandon Lee Gowton, Lane Johnson is out for the rest of the game but is expected to be fine.

Spuds says Lane Johnson is ruled out for the rest of the Packers game, but he’s going to be OK.

— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) August 30, 2015

8:29 – Walter Thurmond intercepted an errant Brett Hundley pass and returned it, untouched, 28 yards for a touchdown. This time, Kelly brought on Kip Smith for the extra point, but Smith missed the kick wide right. So after three touchdowns, the Eagles lead, 18-0. Unorthodox, to say the least.

8:25 – Lane Johnson is on the sideline being checked out by Eagles trainers, according to Jeff McLane:

Lane Johnson is laying back on the trainer’s table getting his leg looked at. #Eagles

— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) August 30, 2015

8:24 – The Eagles strike again, this time on a touchdown pass from Bradford to Trey Burton, this time on fourth down from the three-yard line. Bradford has started the game 7-for-7 for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Chip Kelly brought Tebow back out to try another two-point conversion, and this time had him throw. He tried to rifle a pass on a slant but was nearly intercepted.

8:18 – The Packers go three-and-out on their first drive of the game. Of note, Eric Rowe moved to outside cornerback and Nolan Carroll moved to the slot on the third down play.

8:09 – Raheem Mostert returned the opening kickoff 67 yards, and the Eagles’ offense capitalized on the field position in a hurry. Sam Bradford completed all three of his passes on the drive, including an eight-yard touchdown pass to Darren Sproles on a wheel route. Tim Tebow came on to try a two-point conversion but was stifled by the Packers’ defense on a keeper run up the middle. Tommy Lawlor was impressed with Bradford’s accuracy on the touchdown pass:

Great touch and accuracy on the TD pass to Sproles. Bradford should help the team execute much better in the Red Zone this year.

— Tommy Lawlor (@lawlornfl) August 30, 2015