Packers vs. Eagles 2016: Time, live TV schedule for ‘Monday Night Football’

The Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers are clinging to fading playoff hopes, making their Monday Night Football clash a must-win for both sides. These teams are on the periphery of the NFC wild card race and will need a strong finish in December if they want to keep playing in January.

Seeing the Packers in must-win mode is unusual, but that’s where they find themselves after yet another listless performance dropped them to 4-6. The defense had almost no answers for Kirk Cousins, who threw for three touchdowns and 375 yards as Washington romped to a 42-24 win on Sunday night. The Packers lost their fourth straight game, putting even more heat on head coach Mike McCarthy.

The NFC North looks like it’ll be wide open this year, but after the Detroit Lions beat the Minnesota Vikings on Thanksgiving to go 7-4, Green Bay’s margin for error has evaporated. The Packers will need everything they can get from Aaron Rodgers, who broke out of his slump with 351 yards and three touchdowns against Washington.

The Packers’ fatal flaw has been their defense, which is 18th in yards allowed per game and 27th in points allowed per game. Losing starting cornerbacks Sam Shield and Damarious Randall to injury has hurt the secondary, and it’s fair to wonder if GM Ted Thompson regrets letting Casey Hayward walk in free agency. (He’s having a strong season with the San Diego Chargers.) The Packers have a stagnant roster propped up by an all-time great QB, and their weaknesses have been exposed this season like never before.

The Eagles don’t quite have the same identity crisis, but they certainly regret squandering a 3-0 start to fall to 5-5. Although Philly is still alive in the postseason race, it’s in last place in the NFC East and will need a wild card spot to keep playing in January. That will be a tall order with the teams ahead of them in the division (New York Giants and Washington) holding both wild card spots.

Since that three-game winning streak to start the season, the Eagles have dropped five of seven games, the last one being a stinker against the Seattle Seahawks on the road. The Seahawks at home have a knack for making otherwise strong teams look like chumps, but the Eagles were barely competitive in the 25-16 loss. Carson Wentz truly hit the rookie wall, throwing two interceptions and looking like a deer in headlights at times. The No. 2 overall pick has thrown just two touchdowns to four interceptions in his last three games.

Compounding matters for the Eagles is the spectacular failure of wide receiver Nelson Agholor. A first-round pick in 2015, Agholor has been an abject disaster this season, dropping easy passes and lining up wrong on multiple occasions. He’ll likely see less playing time this week with Jordan Matthews and Dorial Green-Beckham carrying the load.

With both teams facing a free fall, this Monday night game should have a sense of urgency around it, making the game a potentially entertaining affair as the Eagles and Packers try to save their seasons.

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

Place: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia

TV: ESPN

Announcers: Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden, Lisa Salters

Online: WatchESPN