One difference between Packers, Eagles: Late-game offensive execution

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Meanwhile, the Eagles have lost two straight games because they haven’t done that despite opportunities, literally, in their hands.


On the road in prime time in Week 2, Philadelphia had just given up the lead to Atlanta but had one final two-minute drive for a chance to win. On the second snap of the possession, receiver Nelson Agholor was open, running full speed down the sideline, and QB Carson Wentz’s pass hit him right in stride.


But it went through his hands instead of for a 60-yard touchdown, and the possession eventually stalled in the red zone in a 24-20 loss.


Then last week, having rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half, the Eagles blocked a Lions field goal to keep it a three-point game and then faced fourth-and-15 from their own 45 with just under a minute left.


Wentz lofted one deep down the middle for JJ Arceda-Whiteside, who outjumped the Detroit defender inside the 5-yard line but couldn’t secure the ball. A game-tying field goal at a minimum, and potentially a game-winning touchdown, were squandered.


“That’s just the key right there. We’re maybe two plays or three plays away from possibly being 3-0 or at least 2-1,” Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said in a conference call with Green Bay media this week. “The players know. They’re smart enough. I don’t have to sit there and remind them or beat them over the head with all of that.


“They understand what could have happened, but look we’re not. We’re 1-2 and have some work to do.”


So do the Packers, who are trying to avoid the offensive lulls that have prevented them from extending leads earlier in games, which in turn has put so much emphasis on those fourth-quarter drives.


More consistent production would have made some of those fourth quarters easier to navigate for the Packers, but coming through in clutch situations is a building block in itself as a long season wears on.


One can never know when that gotta-have-it drive late in the game on offense will come while trailing on the scoreboard, as the Eagles have encountered.


“There’s always going to be ups and downs, and it’s about how you respond,” Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said. “I think that’s one of the great things is watching them respond when it’s on the line.”