Packers vs. Eagles: Score and Twitter Reaction for Monday Night Football

The Green Bay Packers aren't going away without a fight.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers dissected the Philadelphia Eagles defense Monday at Lincoln Financial Field to lead his team to a critical 27-13 victory. Having snapped a four-game losing streak, the 5-6 Packers are within striking distance of the 7-4 Detroit Lions and 6-5 Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North.

The Eagles, who are in last place in the loaded NFC East, dropped to 5-6, including 1-4 in their last five games.

Rodgers completed 30 of 39 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 26 yards, wasn't sacked and didn't turn the ball over in a vintage performance.

Davante Adams played the role of Rodgers' top target Monday, posting 113 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Jordy Nelson added 91 receiving yards, and eight Green Bay pass-catchers finished with at least one reception.

ESPN Stats & Info pointed out a late postseason push despite a lackluster record would be nothing new for the franchise:

Philadelphia rookie Carson Wentz couldn't match Rodgers, tallying 254 passing yards, zero touchdown throws and an interception, though he did score on the ground. Dorial Green-Beckham led the way for a thin Eagles receiving corps with 82 yards on six receptions.

Top receiver Jordan Matthews missed much of the game with an ankle injury, which was even more concerning for Philadelphia after it had announced before the contest that wide receiver Nelson Agholor was among the team's inactive players.

While the Eagles had issues at receiver, the Packers thrived on their first possession. Rodgers capped a 10-play, 75-yard march that included two receptions by Randall Cobb with a 12-yard touchdown strike to Adams.

Rodgers also ran for 25 yards on two scrambles as he consistently broke free from the pocket.

Philadelphia struck back on the ensuing possession, as Wentz completed all six of his passes and scored from a yard out to complete an 11-play, 81-yard drive.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reacted to the struggling Green Bay defense:

The defense-optional pace continued on the third drive, as Rodgers threaded the needle to Adams for a 20-yard touchdown to cap a nine-play, 75-yard march. "That might be the best throw I've ever seen with my own two eyes," Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com tweeted.

The NFL shared video of the head-turning highlight:

The defenses forced back-to-back punts in the second quarter, but the Eagles trimmed their deficit to 14-10 with a 48-yard Caleb Sturgis field goal on a drive that started at their own 1-yard line.

The Packers regained their edge in the third quarter when Ha Ha Clinton-Dix intercepted an airmailed Wentz throw after Philadelphia had moved into Green Bay territory.

Tom Pelissero of USA Today noted Wentz had issues on similar passes in the Eagles' last game:

The Packers parlayed the turnover into a 33-yard Mason Crosby field goal four plays after Adams made a terrific over-the-shoulder catch for 50 yards.

Sturgis answered with a 50-yarder to make it 17-13, and Rodgers came back onto the field after spending time in a sideline tent. Jenny Vrentas of Sports Illustrated noted he had been stretching his left leg while the medical staff watched.

Injured or not, Rodgers gave Green Bay a two-score lead early in the fourth quarter by directing a 75-yard touchdown drive. Aaron Ripkowski finished it with a one-yard touchdown run, which was the first rushing score for a Packers running back all season.

ESPN Stats & Info mentioned Green Bay made history with the drought:

Rodgers' 23-yard slant to Adams on 3rd-and-10 from the 26-yard line set up the score, and Jason B. Hirschhorn of Sports on Earth reacted to the play:

The Packers forced Philadelphia to punt on the next possession and essentially clinched the game with a fourth-down conversion. Green Bay had punted, but the Eagles were penalized for having 12 men on the field, and Green Bay elected to go for it on 4th-and-5 from the 35.

Rodgers found Nelson for 21 yards along the sideline, and Philadelphia didn't get the ball back until Crosby had kicked another field goal and there were less than two minutes remaining.

The Eagles then turned the ball over on downs, and the Packers kept their postseason hopes alive.

What's Next?

Green Bay will return home for its next two games against the 6-5 Houston Texans and 7-3-1 Seattle Seahawks. It'll finish with games against the 2-9 Chicago Bears, Vikings and Lions in a closing stretch that should give the team a chance to make up ground in the division.

Philadelphia will hit the road to face the 3-7-1 Cincinnati Bengals before a difficult closing stretch against the 6-5 Baltimore Ravens and three division opponents: 6-4-1 Washington, the 8-3 New York Giants and the 10-1 Dallas Cowboys. Like the Packers, the Eagles can take solace in the fact they have head-to-head opportunities against the teams they are chasing.

Postgame Reaction

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said he elected to sit Agholor so the receiver could "see the game with calmer eyes," per Brandon Lee Gowton of Philadelphia magazine.

Matt Mullin of PhillyVoice.com shared more of Pederson's comments:

"We needed it," Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy said, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. "... But it's one win, we're 5-6 and we're looking at this as a launching pad."

McCarthy praised Adams' performance, per the Packers: "I thought Davante Adams was key for us. In one-on-ones, he won big at big times. Davante's playing his best football of his career."

Rodgers said he hurt his hamstring but expects to play against the Texans, per Lance Allan of WTMJ in Milwaukee.

That is welcome news for Green Bay, which would surely not be able to make a late charge at the playoffs without its star quarterback.