Eagles Keep Cool While Packers Lose Composure And The Result Is What You Might Expect

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On the one hand, in this playoff game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers, you had one team personified by A.J. Brown – sitting on the sideline, not getting many catches or even targets, remaining composed and calm. 

He was actually reading a book on the sideline.

Brown was reading Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy.

“It gives me such a peace,” Brown said after the game. “That’s a book I bring every single game. My teammates call it a recipe. That’s the first time I heard y’all got me on camera. He’s got a lot of points in there about the mental game … It’s how I refresh every drive regardless of whether I score a touchdown or drop a pass. It’s how I refocus.”

And then you had the Packers doing ridiculously dumb, stupid, poorly-thought-out stuff that cost them yardage and opportunities and points time and again.

Packers Lost Their Composure

Let us present to you Packers defensive lineman T.J. Slaton as exhibit A:

He decided that with 4:53 to play and the Packers needing to get the football back while trailing 19-10, he would try to bully Eagles running back Saquon Barkley by throwing him down to the turf when the 2,000-yard rusher was already stopped and in the grasp of multiple tacklers.

The stunt cost his team 15 yards. That got the Eagles into field goal range, which they turned into three more points.

And, yes, this supremely selfish penalty got Slaton chewed out by not just his position coach but also head coach Matt LaFleur.

And it caused FOX to launch into a report on how LaFleur had stressed in the production meeting the importance of keeping composure. Keeping cool.

LaFleur showed the team multiple film clips about trash talking after a play or hitting late or out of bounds and warned them those kind of plays lose playoff games.

LeFleur: ‘Got To Be Disciplined’

“We got to be disciplined at all times,” LeFleur said. “And I get it, football is an emotional game, but you’ve got to keep your emotions in check … Bottom line, you’ve got to keep your emotions in check. You can’t do anything to put yourself in the cross-hairs of the officials.

“We’ve got to be better. Bottom line.”

Packers won’t ge the chance until next season. 

Eagles 22, Packers 10.

The lack of composure was everywhere. And it showed early on. Green Bay’s special teams opened the game with a fumble on the opening kickoff. 

“You can’t start a game better than that,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni noted.

You can’t move on much worse than how the Packers did. They had a holding call on the next kickoff. And they missed a 38-yard field goal. 

Eagles Pick Off Love Three Times

There was also the poor play of quarterback Jordan Love, who threw three interceptions. Cannot say it was a surprise he was off target, because his elbow injury from a week or so ago was obviously not quite right. 

Fact is the Packers had plenty of excuses for getting blown out. The club played the second half with only three healthy bodies at wide receiver. 

That’s because Romeo Doubs left the game to be evaluated for a concussion. Jayden Reed left the game with a shoulder injury. And, of course, Christian Watson didn’t make it to this game because he is out for the season with a knee injury.

And yet, despite the refusal to give up, the facts ultimately prevailed. The Packers lost the turnover battle, 4-0.

“We know when we take care of the football, the things that happen,” Sirianni said.

The things that happen is the Eagles were 28-2 in games they won the turnover battle. This game they won that battle, the battle of attrition and the battle for composure.