The Green Bay Packers, led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers, are just hours away from meeting the Philadelphia Eagles in an NFL Week 12 matchup, on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
The matchup will feature the reigning NFL MVP and Jalen Hurts, the opposing quarterback who should currently be in the top 3 of voting as it now stands.
With both teams featuring star power on both sides of the ball, we’re previewing 15 impact players to watch.
QB Jalen Hurts
Sunday night offers a prime-time opportunity for Jalen Hurts to outplay Aaron Rodgers while putting his team that much closer to a No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
QB Aaron Rodgers
The two-time defending MVP is still among the NFL’s leading passers despite playing with a broken thumb.
Rodgers has compiled 2,542 yards (6th in the NFL) and 19 touchdowns (4th in the NFL).
RB Miles Sanders
Sanders is 8th in the NFL with 157 carries and 9th in yards (757) and rushing touchdowns (6).
Philadelphia will need him to be explosive against a Packers defense that ranks 25th against the run.
RB Aaron Jones
Jones is the Packers’ lead running back, and his 778 yards are eighth in the NFL. Jones has also caught 40 of 49 targets for 248 yards and three touchdowns.
WR DeVonta Smith
Smith will draw former Eagles cornerback Rasul Douglas on Sunday night, a matchup he must exploit.
WR Christian Watson
The rookie wide receiver out of North Dakota State had two receiving touchdowns in Week 11 and can become 1st rookie all-time with 2+ touchdown catches in 3 consecutive games.
Watson is a big target with speed to get downfield, and he’ll challenge Darius Slay and James Bradberry.
LT David Bakhtiari
One of the NFL’s elite left tackles when healthy, Bakhtiari is questionable for Sunday night, and he’ll be needed against one of the top pass rush units in football.
LT Jordan Mailata
LB Preston Smith
Smith leads the Packers’ linebacker corps. As a pass rusher, Smith had 1.5 sacks last week & has a 5th-career season with 5+ sacks.
LB Haason Reddick
Reddick leads the Eagles with 7.5 sacks and will called upon to pressure Aaron Rodgers.
LB Quay Walker
The former Georgia All-American linebacker has become the team’s leading tackler with 82 tackles. Along with Walker, fellow rookie Kingsley Enagbare also starts for the Green Bay Packers’ young defense.
Walker will be tasked with slowing down Miles Sanders.
LB T.J. Edwards
Edwards leads the Eagles with 96 tackles and seven tackles for loss. He’ll play a vital role in slowing down Aaron Jones.
CB Jaire Alexander
A Pro Bowl cornerback, Alexander leads the secondary with 3 three interceptions (t-8th in the NFL) and ten passes defended (5th in NFL). Alexander is an elite cornerback who’ll draw A.J. Brown.
CB Rasul Douglas
The former Eagles cornerback landed a new deal with the Packers after being among the league leaders in interceptions last season.
Douglas will be tasked with covering DeVonta Smith.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson
Gardner-Johnson leads the Eagles with an NFL-high six interceptions, and he’s third on the team with 59 total tackles.
He’ll play a huge role in limiting the big play chances for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
