Jordan Love said he’s ‘hopeful’ he’ll play on Sunday.

Jordan Love: ‘We’ll see, yeah, I’m hopeful.”

I have a question: Why does Donald Duck put on a towel after he showers when he doesn’t wear pants? Kind of makes a fella wonder.

I have a second question: WHY DO WE DO THIS IN SPORTS? Every damn time there’s a question on an injury we’ve got coaches and players acting like, “ohhhhh, I don’t know, maybe I’ll play but maybe I won’t play. I hope I can play. I want to play. I’m going to play. But I’m not sure if I’ll feel good enough to go.”

STOP THE INSANITY.

The Eagles are doing the same thing with Jalen Hurts! “Well he practiced but he’s still in concussion protocol. We hope he can play. We pray he can play! That’s the only update we have.”

Look, it’s going to be Jalen Hurts and Jordan Love on the field on Sunday. 1,000% stone cold mortal lock. If it’s any combination of Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett starting, I’ll eat my hat live on the blog*. The Eagles know Jalen Hurts is starting, the Packers know Jordan Love is starting, I don’t understand this gamesmanship angle any time things like this come up. Regardless of what anyone says, the Eagles were going to spend some time this week prepping for a Malik Willis package. And the Packers are going to at least be vaguely aware of what an Eagles gameplan would look like if Pickett got the start, or had to come into the game. Playing coy isn’t changing anyone’s plan.

Anyhow, we’re going to talk more about this on the podcast tomorrow, but I don’t think I’m breaking any news by saying this is going to be a tough game for the Packers. The Eagles are 14-win team for a reason, they’re the #2 seed for a reason. Not only are they loaded with talent, they’re healthy as well. *IF* Jalen Hurts starts they’re going to have 21 of their 22 preferred starters on each side of the ball. They have the best running back in the league, are loaded at receiver, and their defense is #1 in the NFL in terms of yards given up per game, and #2 in the NFL in terms of points given up per game. They’re a load.

But you know what? We said all of those same things going to Dallas last year! And the Packers showed up, showed out, and played their most complete game of the year in that Wild Card win. They’re going to have to do the same thing on Sunday. I think if the Eagles at full health play the Packers at full health 10 times, the Eagles probably win 7 of them. Especially in Philly. But that’s the thing, what if Sunday is one of the three games the Packers win? Philadelphia is more talented, but I don’t think there’s a mountain of a gap between the two teams. It’s going to take their best effort of the year to get a win, but they are capable of doing just that.

I just hope the Packers take the stance that all of the pressure is on the Eagles to perform as the favorite at home. Play free and loose (which they haven’t done this year in big games), take some risks and put pressure on Philadelphia. If you turn the ball over or lose because you gambled too much, so be it. Fire every last shot you have and see what happens.

*Longtime readers of the blog know this is my go-to. And I think I’ve been wrong at least 5-7 times. I’ve got a LOT of hypothetical hats to dine on.

PS: This game is almost entirely on how Matt LaFleur calls the offense and how Jordan Love executes those calls. I do NOT expect a ton from our defense against that Philly offense. I think the defense has been better under Jeff Hafley, I love how they generate turnovers and I hope they can at least do that on Sunday. But my feeling is that the Eagles are scoring 30+ in this game. Somehow the Packer offense has to be able to keep pace. This is the kind of game you need to win 34-31. Maybe 40-37.