Green Bay Packers-Philadelphia Eagles: Key Matchups To Watch

The Green Bay Packers will embark on one of their most anticipated seasons in recent memory Sunday when they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles.

With all the talk this preseason about how good the Packers should be, it will finally be time for fans across the nation to get a glimpse at everyone's sexy Super Bowl pick.

Here are some less obvious, yet key matchups for the Packers against the Eagles on Sunday.

Packers' Chad Clifton vs. Eagles Trent Cole

The horror stories from the Packers 2009 season along the offensive line are well-documented: 50 total sacks, seven from the Vikings Jared Allen, five from the Bengals Antwan Odom in one game, and so on.

Needless to say, the play of the Packers offensive line in total last season was atrocious. Many of the early protection debacles occurred in the first half of 2009, and if the Packers' line gets off to that kind of start again, Green Bay's Super Bowl aspirations could be in immediate trouble.

Which brings me to Eagles defensive end Trent Cole. Cole registered 12.5 sacks last season, and his battle against Green Bay's left tackle Chad Clifton will be an important one to keep your eye on Sunday.

It seems that the only way this Packers offense might be slowed in 2010 is with consistent pressure, and Cole has the type of talent to cause the aging Clifton troubles. Eagles defensive coordinator Sean McDermott is one of the most aggressive blitzers in the NFL, and he surely will be looking for opportunities to let Cole have one on one opportunities against Clifton.

Green Bay needs to be aware that if Clifton does struggle, the offense may need to keep extra blockers in to ensure quarterback Aaron Rodgers has time to get the ball to his offensive weapons. Many times in 2009 the Packers were late to make adjustments in protection when it was painfully obvious that individual blockers were being beat consistently.

Packers kick coverage vs. Eagles returner Desean Jackson

The Packers have again taken some gambles in their approach to special teams heading into the 2010 season, and you'll be hard pressed to find a more difficult match up in the return game then the Eagles' Desean Jackson.

Last season Jackson maintained a 15.1 yard average on punt returns, including two touchdowns and seven returns over 20 yards. While Jackson is not a load to bring down, he is blessed with elite speed and elusiveness that will put the Packers' coverage unit to the test.

Green Bay will come into the game with former Kentucky Wildcat Tim Masthay as their punter, a second year player who has yet to punt a football in a regular season game. It will be important that Masthay does a good job in directional punting, making sure to limit the opportunities for the dangerous Jackson.

Field position should be a key, and the Packers will want as long a field as possible for Eagles first-year starter Kevin Kolb to navigate. Short fields and easy scores are exactly the things that could jump-start his confidence and lead to trouble for Green Bay.

Packers secondary vs. Eagles passing options

If you have already read my last article, you know of my worries in the Packers secondary. With the injuries to both Al Harris and Atari Bigby, Green Bay appears to be quite thin at the backend of the defense.

Rookie nickel cornerback Sam Shields will be on the field a lot Sunday, and knowing he has only a year of experience at the position under his belt, you have to think the Eagles will be coming at him hard. With all the inexperience in the Packers secondary (rookie safety Morgan Burnett will also start), it should only be expected that there will be mistakes that happen Sunday.

And don't forget, the Eagles are not some average, middle-of-the-pack offense. With weapons such as the aforementioned Jackson (62 receptions, 1162 yards, nine touchdowns), Jeremy Maclin (56, 773, 4), Brent Celek (76, 971, 8), Jason Avant (41, 587, 3) and LeSean McCoy (40, 308), the Eagles have plenty of talent in their aerial attack.

Kolb, in his limited action last season, put up some solid passing stats as well. In his two starts, Kolb threw for 741 yards and four touchdowns. Add in how much head coach Andy Reid loves to throw the ball, and it's clear that the Packers secondary could have its hands full Sunday.

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy vs. national expectations

As humble as the 2010 Packers want to act heading into their season opener, there is almost no doubting the fact that they've heard how good they should be this season. Pundits from across the nation are hailing the Packers as one of the NFL's best teams, and many are predicting the green and gold to bring back the Lombardi Trophy to Titletown.

While Green Bay is undoubtedly a talented team, no team is getting a cake walk to the Super Bowl in this age of the NFL. This makes McCarthy's job at keeping the team focused throughout the season absolutely imperative.

We've seen the Packers fail when expectations were high recently, including both Vikings games last season and in the playoffs against the Cardinals. Most certainly the Packers came out flat against Arizona in the Wild Card game last season after everyone expected Green Bay to win the game.

Once again Sunday, the Packers are picked by many to win this game and begin their journey towards Dallas in February. It will be McCarthy's job to make sure Green Bay is focused solely on beating the Philadelphia Eagles.

Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb vs. the city of Philadelphia

Packers fans have seen this before: an untested first-year starter taking over the reins from a legend. What Kevin Kolb is about to go through this season, Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers already went through in 2008 following He Who Shall Not Be Named.

Kolb will be taking over for Donovan McNabb, who was traded inside the division to the Washington Redskins and whom many of the Eagles' fans love still resides. It will be up to Kolb (much like what Rodgers has already accomplished) to win over his city and prove to everyone that what the Eagles' brass did this offseason was the right move.

And much like Green Bay, the city of Philadelphia loves its football. They can be a hard-loving group of fans to win over (ask Santa Claus), and surely Kolb will have his ups and downs throughout the ride.

Yet Kolb has a chance Sunday to make a major statement to his Eagles faithful. By beating the Packers at home (much like Rodgers beating the Vikings in his opening game at Lambeau Field), Kolb will go a long ways in winning over the city of Philadelphia.

Prediction

Overall, the Packers are the better team in this matchup. There is no excuse for a team that wants to play in the Super Bowl to lose to a first-year starter in the season opener.

With that said, the Eagles are talented on both sides of the ball and typically play very well at home. This game won't be a defensive battle by any means, but look for the Packers to win 38-28.