Physical Matchups Are Like Second Nature When the Eagles Meet the Packers.
In the wanning moments of the Eagles and Packers Game on Friday night with Green Bay’s offense down 34–29 and needing a touchdown late in the fourth quarter and desperately trying to get into range for one last-gasp hail mary — Green Bay quarterback Bryce Love was sacked by Jalen Carter. Writhing in pain on the night Brazilian Turf — Love was taken off of the field and replaced by Malik Willis — who was also then sacked to secure the first Philadelphia win in a season where the Eagles are considered a top contender in the NFC for the Super Bowl.
The Eagles and Packers have both seen this before.
In another season when the Eagles were a Super Bowl contender, the 1991 season opened with Philadelphia playing at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers. The Eagles began the season with perhaps the franchises best defense in team history, coupled with one of the NFL’s most dynamic quarterbacks in Randall Cunningham. In the second quarter, Packers linebacker Bryce Paup landed on Randall Cunningham’s knee — tearing his ACL — an injury that would sideline him for the rest of the 1991 season.
That 1991 team did give us some amazing moments. The defense was number 1 against the pass, the run, and total yards against. During an away game at Houston in a stadium designated as the House of Pain — the Eagles obliterated Warren Moon and the Houston Oilers’ Run and Shoot Offense. In week 3, the Eagles sacked Dallas Quarterback Troy Aikman eleven times in a 24–3 romp at Texas Stadium. Against the Cleveland Browns in Week 10, the Eagles would come back from a 24–0 deficit to win 32–30.
Unfortunately, without Cunningham and an injured two-time Super Bowl Champion in Jim McMahon — the Eagles had to rely on a carousel of signal callers like veteran Jeff Kemp — and would miss the playoffs with a 10–6 record.
Some will blame the turf at Corinthians Stadium or the Eagles defense for Love’s injury in Brazil. For two of the oldest franchises in NFL history, everyone must expect a physical matchup. In Brazil — that’s exactly what we got.
After the 1991 win in Houston against the Oilers, Eagles Defensive Tackle Jerome Brown said, “They brought the house. WE brought the pain.”
The post An ACL and An MCL? appeared first on Philadelphia Sports Nation.