Philadelphia Eagles: Brandon Boykin vs. Randall Cobb Will Prove Pivotal

After a 45-21 dismantling of the Carolina Panthers on Monday Night Football, the Philadelphia Eagles get arguably their biggest test of the season when they face the red-hot Green Bay Packers.

Aaron Rodgers is coming off a six-touchdown performance (in the first half!) against the Chicago Bears, and he's playing as well as he did when he was named NFL MVP back in 2011. Per ESPN Stats & Info:

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Aaron Rodgers leads NFL in Total QBR (85.5) and is off to his best start since his 2011 MVP year (88.6 QBR through nine games)

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 11, 2014

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The Eagles will have their hands full trying to slow down Rodgers, a quarterback they've never beaten. In fact, due to Rodgers' 2013 collarbone injury that forced Scott Tolzien to start against Philadelphia, the Eagles haven't even faced Rodgers since the NFC Wild Card Game in January 2011.

The ability of the Eagles' suddenly-lethal pass rush to get to Rodgers will be vital, as will the outside matchup of Cary Williams against top receiver Jordy Nelson.

But perhaps the make-or-break battle will feature nickel cornerback Brandon Boykin against slot receiver Randall Cobb. Cobb, not Nelson, leads the Packers in receiving touchdowns (10) this season, and this is the kind of matchup Boykin needs to show he can win.

Per Mike Clay of Pro Football Focus Gold (subscription required), Cobb plays the slot receiver role 90 percent of the snaps he's on the field, while Boykin lines up covering the slot receiver on a full 98 percent of snaps.

Boykin is a third-year player who broke out as an NFL sophomore in 2013, when he recorded six interceptions, including two of them in the final minute to seal victories against divisional opponents.

Tim Sharp/Associated Press

But he's struggled this season, and his playing time has dropped as a result.

After playing about half of the team's defensive snaps in 2013 (per PFF), Boykin is down to just a shade over 40 percent this season.

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Boykin has made it clear in the past that he's frustrated with his lack of playing time, but defensive coordinator Billy Davis has been equally as adamant that Boykin is better suited inside, due to his smaller frame.

Boykin's struggles against Larry Fitzgerald in the Arizona loss won't help his case to play outside; there's no shame in getting beat by a future Hall of Famer with a distinct size advantage, but maybe that's why Davis prefers Boykin inside.

Boykin has had his moments this season, though. He completely shut down Andre Roberts in Week 3, allowing just one reception on four targets.

He was getting the best of Victor Cruz before Cruz's devastating injury in Week 6. And he's still allowed just a 73.0 passer rating and no touchdowns this season, numbers courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

This week's matchup against Cobb will go a long way in determining the outcome. Cobb is one of Rodgers' top-targeted receivers. He's tied for 18th among receivers with 44 targets, this despite playing in just 500 snaps, which rates 39th at his position.

Cobb has shown a high propensity for catching touchdowns this season. He's hauled in 10 scores already from Rodgers, and the duo is arguably the most dynamic quarterback-wide receiver tandem in the league.

Per PFF's signature stats, the two have combined on a 147.9 passer rating, which is far and away the top in the league. (Ironically, the second-best duo is Rodgers-Nelson).

Cobb is fresh off an outstanding one-handed grab in the end zone, his sixth consecutive game with a touchdown. The highlight-reel score, per SB Nation:

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Here’s Randall Cobb’s one-handed catch to put the Packers up 42-0: http://t.co/vtShwseswppic.twitter.com/EdjPlCGjhG

— SB Nation (@SBNation) November 10, 2014

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So it's no surprise that Cobb is on a record-setting pace. Per NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson:

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. @rcobb18 = TD catch in 6 straight. @packers franchise record is 7 straight, by Don Hutson.

— Scott Hanson (@ScottHanson) November 12, 2014

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Cobb is also second among all slot receivers with 2.08 yards gained per slot route ran. A surprising stat is the number of dropped passes from Cobb; he actually leads the league in drops (6) from the slot receiver position.

Other than that, there isn't much to criticize from Cobb's season, and it will go a long way for Boykin's future payday if he can contain Cobb. 

After all, the Rodgers-Cobb tandem is working as well as any in the league, and that’s a big reason the Packers are on such a hot streak.