PHILADELPHIA — With the regular season in the books following a 20-13 victory over the New York Giants, the Eagles’ wild-card matchup is set. The No. 2-seeded Eagles will take on the No. 7-seeded Green Bay Packers next weekend at Lincoln Financial Field to kick off the postseason.

In the Packers’ 24-22 loss to the Chicago Bears that solidified their seeding, quarterback Jordan Love went down with an elbow injury in the second quarter and did not return to action. Receiver Christian Watson was carted off with a non-contact knee injury in the second and was later ruled out.

The Eagles last faced the Packers in the regular-season opener in São Paulo, Brazil, pulling off a 34-29 victory over the NFC North team. Saquon Barkley made a statement in his Eagles debut with three total touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving. That game was the only non-divisional loss for the 11-6 Packers of the season, as they went on to lose all four of their games against the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions and their most recent contest against the Bears.

The Packers and the Eagles are no strangers in the postseason. The two franchises have met in the playoffs three times dating back to 1933. Most recently, the Packers defeated the Eagles in the 2010 wild-card round on their way to winning Super Bowl XLV. The Eagles have the 2-1 all-time edge in the postseason.

In a loaded NFC North, the Packers continued to build on last season’s success, which ended in the divisional round of the playoffs. Love has been steady second year as the starter. Josh Jacobs, the 26-year-old running back whom the Packers added in free agency, finished the season ranked third in the league in rushing yards behind Barkley and Baltimore Ravens tailback Derrick Henry.

Meanwhile, all eyes are on the health of Jalen Hurts going into the upcoming week of practice. The fourth-year starting quarterback sustained a concussion in Week 16 against the Washington Commanders and has not practiced since exiting that game.

McKee makes first start

Early in his first NFL start, McKee picked where he left off last week when he saw his first regular-season action against the Dallas Cowboys. The 2023 sixth-rounder out of Stanford was poised and confident in the pocket for most of the afternoon, completing 27 passes on 41 attempts for 269 yards and two touchdowns touchdowns.

The Eagles got out to a fast start on their opening possession thanks to the connection between McKee and Dallas Goedert, who made his return to action after spending the last four weeks on injured reserve with a knee issue. On the first Eagles play of the day at their own 48-yard line after the defense forced a turnover on downs on the Giants’ opening possession, McKee completed a 16-yard pass to Goedert on a play-action rollout. One play later, McKee found Goedert again on an out-breaking route for a gain of 17 yard to the red zone.

Goedert’s efforts set up a play-action touchdown pass to rookie receiver Ainias Smith, the first of his NFL career, to put the Eagles up, 7-0. With most of the starters resting, McKee only had the luxury of Goedert in his receiving corps for the first two series of the contest. The 30-year-old tight end finished the day with four receptions for 55 yards.

Jahan Dotson, the Eagles’ third receiver behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, made his most substantial impact in an Eagles uniform against the Giants. The 24-year-old receiver hauled in a season-high seven receptions for 94 yards, including a 19-yarder over the middle of the field late in the third quarter to land the Eagles deep in New York territory. That play led to EJ Jenkins’ 7-yard touchdown catch, marking the first of the tight end’s career.

The Eagles had shaky moments on offense that contributed to their three punts on the afternoon. Behind a backup offensive line, McKee took a pair of sacks, one from Giants outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux in the third quarter and another split between Thibodeaux and Giants defensive lineman Elijah Garcia in the fourth. McKee nearly threw an interception late in the second quarter on a pass intended for Dotson with Giants cornerback Dru Phillips and safety Dane Belton nearby.

Giants’ rally falls short

The Eagles defense, comprised of backups, prevented the Drew Lock-led Giants from generating explosive plays until the fourth quarter. On third-and-8 from the Eagles’ 45, Giants’ top receiver Malik Nabers beat Eli Ricks off the line of scrimmage and hauled in a deep shot outside of the numbers from Lock. The rookie receiver walked the tightrope down the right sideline to stay in bounds before somersaulting into the end zone.

His touchdown pulled the Giants within seven points, as the Eagles led, 17-10. But the defense held strong on the next Giants possession. Despite the Giants starting the drive at the Eagles’ 38-yard line following a backed-up punt from the 15 and a 25-yard return from Giants punt returner Ihmir Smith-Marsette, the defense limited them to a field goal.

The Eagles were up, 17-13, with seven minutes, 21 seconds remaining in the game and they did not give up the ball until 47 seconds were left on the clock. A 16-play, 36-yard, 6:34 drive that ended with a Jake Elliott field goal to put Philadelphia up, 20-13, ate up the clock and limited the Giants’ likelihood of a comeback. Sydney Brown made the game-sealing interception with 24 seconds left.

Elliott misses eighth field goal

Elliott’s shaky season continued early in the season finale. On the Eagles’ second possession of the game — a 14-play, 60-yard drive — the group sputtered at the Giants’ 21-yard line and settled for a field-goal attempt. The 29-year-old kicker missed the 39-yard try wide left, keeping the Eagles up, 7-0.

The miss marked Elliott’s eighth overall this season and his first between 30 and 40 yards. Eight field-goal misses total is a career worst for Elliott, who hadn’t missed more than five in a single season until this year. The majority of Elliott’s unsuccessful field-goal attempts have come from beyond 50 yards this year (one made and six missed).

Although Elliott missed his first kick of the day, he rebounded as the game continued, making a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter, a 32-yarder in the fourth, and nailing all three of his extra point attempts.

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