Rodgers, Green Bay take care of Birds

PHILADELPHIA >>

Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes to Davante Adams and the Green Bay Packers beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-13 Monday night to snap a four-game losing streak.

Rodgers had 313 yards passing and Adams had 113 yards receiving to help send Philadelphia (5-6) to its first home loss this season.

The Packers (5-6) kept their sinking playoff hopes alive but they’re still two games behind the Lions (7-4) in the NFC North.

Carson Wentz had 254 yards passing, ran for a score and threw an interception. The last-place Eagles are 2-6 since a 3-0 start.

Rodgers came out firing and led the Packers on consecutive touchdown drives to start the game. Rodgers extended the opening drive by running twice for 25 yards and tossed a 12-yard TD pass to Adams for a 7-0 lead.

After the Eagles answered on Wentz’s 1-yard TD run , Rodgers led another 75-yard scoring drive. He threw a perfect 20-yard TD pass to Adams to give the Packers a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter. Nolan Carroll had excellent coverage on the play, but Rodgers put the ball in a tight spot and hit Adams in stride in the back of the end zone.

Aaron Ripkowski’s 1-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter extended Green Bay’s lead to 24-13.

The Eagles had allowed only three touchdowns at home while outscoring opponents 108-38 in their first four games at Lincoln Financial Field.

Green Bay gave up at least 30 points in each of its previous four games, including 89 in the last two. But the defense harassed Wentz and shut down the Eagles’ inconsistent offense.

Philadelphia’s Caleb Sturgis kicked field goals of 48 and 50 yards while Green Bay’s Mason Crosby connected from 33 and 32 yards.

*** Acting in the best interests of all involved, the Eagles deactivated embattled starting receiver Nelson Agholor for their Monday night game against the Packers.

Agholor didn’t dress for the game or participate in the pregame warm-ups. He was shown on the sidelines in street clothes during the TV broadcast.

Additionally the Eagles scratched guard Brandon Brooks, who was hospitalized with an undisclosed illness.

Brooks was among three offensive linemen to start each of the

Eagles’ games this season.

Rookie Bryce Treggs started at wide receiver in place of Agholor, coming off a difficult game in which his penalty cost the Eagles a touchdown, and a dropped pass robbed the offense of a 25yard gain.

The decision to sit Agholor, who started each of the previous 10 games, follows an unusual week in which head coach Doug Pederson praised the resiliency of the second-year player while also saying he wanted to do what was best for Agholor, the person.

Agholor basically had an emotional meltdown in the locker room after the loss to the Seahawks, intimating he was overwhelmed by his mistakes.

On Friday Agholor felt he had been practicing well and that he’d dug out of the emotional mess and would be ready to play, if needed.

Agholor also said he was OK with whatever Pederson did.

The Eagles dressed four wide receivers for the Packers, the others Jordan Matthews, who leads them in receptions Dorial GreenBeckham and rookie Paul Turner. It was Turner’s first NFL action after being promoted from the practice squad. DGB had a productive first series with four catches for 53 yards.

The loss of Brooks was surprising

in that he wasn’t on the injury report.

The Eagles planned on using veteran Stefen Wisniewski and rookie third-round pick Isaac Seumalo at left guard, as the incumbent there, Allen Barbre, moved to right tackle in place of the injured Hal Vaitai, who was scratched.

Instead, Seumalo made his first NFL start at right guard.

The only other active offensive linemen for the were veterans Matt Tobin and Josh Andrews.

Darren Sproles, wearing a flak jacket to protect a cracked rib, started at running back in place of Ryan Mathews, who was deactivated with a sprained knee.

Pederson activated just three running backs, the others rookie Wendell Smallwood and Kenjon Barner.

The Eagles also scratched defensive end Steven Means, guard Dillon Gordon and defensive tackle Taylor Hart.

*** The Packers entered the game short three starters.

Scratched were linebacker Jake Ryan, guard T.J. Lang and center JC Tretter, all starters, were scratched.

Clay Matthews moved to inside linebacker, with Corey Linsley playing the pivot and Jason Spriggs filling in for Lang, inactive the previous

two games.

The Packers welcomed back Damarious Randall, their best cover corner, who had been out with a groin injury.

*** The Packers lost Matthews on the opening series with a left shoulder injury when Barbre drilled him with a blind side “nobody comes into this house without paying the price” block.

Matthews came back for a goal line play but the shoulder clearly was bothering him.

*** Eagles greats Harold Carmichael, Bill Bergey and Ron Jaworski, along with Dick Vermeil came out for the opening coin flip.

Their presence caused the Packers to lose.

The Eagles deferred until the second half.

*** Merrill Reese, the Voice of the Eagles, fired up the crowd with a quick emotional speech after being inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame.

“I’d like to thank Jeffrey Lurie and the Eagles for this great honor,” Reese said. “I’d like to thank everyone at WIP including all of my partners for their great support over the years.

“But most of all I’d like to thank you, the most loyal, passionate and

wonderful fans in the NFL.” The place erupted. Cowboys announcer Brad Sham, in his 38th season of play-by-play, was in the video tribute for Reese.

“I mean, you can’t get any more antithetical than the franchise fan bases of the Eagles and the Cowboys,” Sham said. “You just can’t. And so here we are, the two guys that have been doing this the longest in the NFL and we might be better friends with each other than anybody else doing that job anywhere else in the league. So maybe there’s hope.”

*** Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter also was inducted into the Eagles’ Hall of Fame, thanked the ownership, his teammates and gave a wave to the crowd.

Mike Quick, the radio analyst and former Eagle, thinks Trotter would have been a perfect fit for the defense played under the late Buddy Ryan.

“We got a lot of great Sundays, a lot of great years watching No. 54 blow up offenses and disrupt offenses and then give you that patented ax move at the end of it,” Quick said. “The guy that really affected the middle more than anybody since Bill Bergey was Trotter.”