Eagles vs. Packers 2013: Philadelphia, Green Bay trending opposite directions

Neither team looked particularly good during Sunday's matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers. The Eagles were able to pull out a 27-13 win, though the Packers were without Aaron Rodgers and, after the first series, Seneca Wallace. Injuries elevated Scott Tolzien to the starting quarterback position, and though he played surprisingly well, he hardly looked like an NFL MVP.

Though the Eagles were fortunate that the Packers were ailing, fans will still be happy with the win and a first-place standing atop the NFC East with the Dallas Cowboys. The win didn't go exactly as planned for Philadelphia — the team suffered several key injuries, most notably to Jason Peters — but the team appears to be trending upwards. Mike Kaye at Eagles blog Bleeding Green Nation isn't questioning the result.

While a lot of the media will make this game about the Packers missing Aaron Rodgers, the story for Eagles fans should be that the team was able to win on a so-so performance. Please enjoy this win. I think this team is showing a lot of improvement, even when their play is suspect at times. The defense's okay days look like last season's best days, and that is a sign of Billy Davis doing a great job with his players. Foles has looked great on the stat line but also sharp (for the most part) on the field over the last two weeks. Kelly has players like Jeff Maehl, Najee Goode,Colt Anderson, Clifton Geathers and Damion Square playing snaps in spots other than special teams, and is winning while doing so. That is impressive.

Packers fans, meanwhile, are dealing with a drastic shift in momentum. Green Bay had sole possession of first place atop the NFC North heading into last Monday night's game against the Chicago Bears. Since, they lost their best player to a broken collarbone and dropped two straight games. Evan "Tex" Western at Packers blog Acme Packing Company is ... well, he's miserable.