The Green Bay Packers were dealt a season-opening loss and a multiple-week injury to quarterback Jordan Love during a 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1 of the 2024 season.
The defeat, while disappointing, wasn’t at all damning. The Packers had multiple opportunities to take hold of the game or win it late, and missed opportunities are almost always costly. A few stars wearing green and gold shined under the bright lights in Brazil, but an underwhelming performance in the red zone and from Jeff Hafley’s defense ended the international business trip with a loss.
The injury to Love could be tricky to navigate. Matt LaFleur’s team is now in an 0-1 hole and facing the prospect of playing three or more games without Love under center. At least this team knows how to dig out of an early-season hole.
Here are the stars, studs and duds from the Packers’ Week 1 loss to the Eagles:
Stars
WR Jayden Reed: The opener was a magnificent assemblage of playmaking music orchestrated by Reed, who turned only five touches into 171 total yards and a pair of breathtaking scores. His rare combination of burst, vision, creativity with the ball in his hands, long speed and toughness make him special in multiple ways. On his 33-yard touchdown run, Reed burst through the hole and made a tackler miss in the open field. On his 70-yard touchdown catch, Reed ran away from the coverage on a deep over route and then juked the last man. In the second half, he made a running catch moving right to left and then immediately absorbed a big hit. On the final drive, his spinning catch along the sideline gave the Packers hope late and will likely go down as one of the finest catches made by a Packers player in 2024. If he can avoid nagging injuries, Reed could have a special second season.
RT Zach Tom: Against a deep and talented defensive line, Tom nearly pitched a shutout in the passing game, and he was dominant in the run game. The only pressure Tom allowed all night was when he was asked to reach block Jalen Carter — a tough assignment for any lineman. Bryce Huff, the Eagles’ prize free agent addition, accomplished next to nothing as a pass-rusher against Tom.
Studs
RB Emanuel Wilson: His four carries created 46 yards, including runs of 14 and 18 yards. He has good feet and burst for a 226-pounder. The second-year back also made a tough catch in traffic for a first down, and his lead block on Reed’s touchdown run helped spring the big play. The Packers can take their time with MarShawn Lloyd because Wilson looked more than ready to be RB2 in the opener.
S Xavier McKinney: On the first series alone, McKinney showed his playmaking ability. On second down, he ranged to his right and helped disrupt a sideline throw. A play later, he ranged to his left to intercept Jalen Hurts’ throw up the seam. As a last line defender, McKinney made a couple of sure tackles in the open field. “X” came as advertised.
TE Tucker Kraft: The Packers would probably like more impact from Kraft’s 30 routes run in the passing game, but he did have a catch-and-run for 29 yards to help set up a touchdown. He’s in “studs” because of his work as a run blocker. Both inline and on the move, Kraft got the job done. He’s a physical player who seeks out contact and doesn’t shy away from hunting defensive ends and linebackers as a blocker in the Packers run scheme.
LB Edgerrin Cooper: The speed and playmaking ability jumped off the screen across only 11 defensive snaps played. On a second-down run in the second half, Cooper made a sure and physical tackle on Saquon Barkley after a 2-yard gain. On the first play of the fourth quarter, he came on the blitz, batted down a quick throw to the flat and likely prevented a big play to A.J. Brown. The rookie also made an impact special teams play, producing a tackle inside the 20-yard line while covering a kickoff in the first quarter. Expect to see more of No. 56 moving forward.
LG Elgton Jenkins: He didn’t allow a single pressure across 43 pass-blocking snaps, and he was a people mover in the run game. Showcasing his versatility again, Jenkins moved inside to center for the final two snaps of the game after Josh Myers went out with cramping.
Duds
CB Jaire Alexander: The interception was a huge play, no doubt about it. Alexander came off coverage and made an instinctual play as Jalen Hurts was navigating the scramble drill. But Alexander still had a tough opener. A.J. Brown beat him for four catches. On the first, Brown won inside on a slant. Later, Alexander was playing 10 yards off the ball when Brown ran a quick out, made the catch and circled around Alexander’s tackle attempt for 20 yards on 3rd-and-8. He also beat Alexander on a deep dig for 13 yards. The killer play was the 67-yard bomb. Brown beat lazy coverage and out-ran Alexander for six.
LB Isaiah McDuffie: The -year linebacker missed a pair of tackles, gave up a touchdown pass to Saquon Barkley and committed a penalty on special teams. While he plays hard on every down, it’s fair to wonder if the Packers can have a plus run defense with McDuffie playing close to 100 percent of the defense’s snaps.
LT Rasheed Walker: Committing three penalties in a game is a sure-fire way to land in “duds.” Walker was flagged for holding on the third play following Xavier McKinney’s interception, helping force the Packers to settle for a field goal. Later, he false started on a field goal. Finally, Walker’s second holding penalty turned 2nd-and-1 into 2nd-and-11, and Love was intercepted on the next play. As a pass protector, Walker gave up a team-high four pressures.
WR Dontayvion Wicks: He dropped his first target in traffic. On his second target, Wicks slipped coming out of his break and couldn’t recover in time to make the catch even though he was wide open — a tough result given the field conditions. Later, Jordan Love’s sideline throw drifted inside and Wicks couldn’t make the catch through contact. He ran 16 routes but didn’t have a catch.
TE Luke Musgrave: He played only 17 snaps and was surprisingly relegated to TE2 in the opener. At this point, Tucker Kraft is just far superior as a do-it-all tight end. Musgrave was targeted twice and didn’t have a catch, and it’s possible the coaches will put some — if not all — of the blame on Musgrave for Jordan Love’s interception. He drifted and didn’t attack the ball in the air. In the run game, the gap between Musgrave and Kraft as blockers is gigantic.
