GREEN BAY, Wis. -- — The Green Bay Packers’ playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last season offered a stark reminder of how far they must go to catch up with the NFL’s top teams.

Ten months later, the Packers will get an indication of how far they’ve come since.

Green Bay hosts Philadelphia on Monday night after losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles twice last season. The Packers opened their 2024 campaign with a 34-29 loss to the Eagles in Brazil before falling to them 22-10 at Philadelphia in an NFC wild-card playoff game

“Obviously, two losses against them last year, so it’s going to be a test,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “We know that.”

Both teams are on pace to return to the playoffs.

The Packers (5-2-1) gained star power since that postseason loss by acquiring defensive end Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys shortly before the season. Green Bay leads the NFC North but has endured surprising losses to the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers.

“I think they play hard,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “They play with good fundamentals. They have good schemes with good, talented players. A lot of respect. A lot of good players throughout every layer of their defense, a lot of good players through every layer of their offense and special teams.”

Philadelphia (6-2) owns a commanding lead in the NFC East and shares the conference’s best record with Tampa Bay, Seattle and the Los Angeles Rams.

With such a crowd of teams at the top of the NFC standings, this game could help determine playoff positioning. For the Packers, it’s also a measuring stick.

“That’s exactly what it is,” Packers defensive lineman Colby Wooden said. “It’s a new opp. That’s all you can ask for is an opportunity. They’re the defending champs.”

Eagles’ new faces

The Eagles were busy around the trade deadline and added some key pieces, including edge rusher Jaelan Phillips from Miami.

They also landed two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander from Baltimore. Alexander played seven years with the Packers before his stint with the Ravens this season.

The trio of bye-week trades started with the acquisition of nickel cornerback Michael Carter II from the New York Jets.

Brandon Graham also returned to the Eagles after the 37-year-old defensive end concluded his brief retirement. Graham has 76 1/2 career sacks to rank third in team history.

Tush push drama

Green Bay was the team that proposed a ban on the tush push that the Eagles have used so effectively in short-yardage situations for years.

A ban on offensive players pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping or encircling a runner was supported by a 22-10 vote — two votes short of the three-quarters majority required under league bylaws.

“The key to defending it (is) don’t let them get third-and-short, obviously,” Wooden said.

Losing Kraft

The Packers will be playing their first full game since losing star tight end Tucker Kraft to a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Kraft had 32 catches for a team-high 489 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

Luke Musgrave is likely to take over as the first-string tight end. The Packers took Musgrave in the second round and Kraft in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft.

Count on Brown

A.J. Brown is still an Eagle after rumors swirled around the trade deadline that the franchise was open to trading the wide receiver.

Brown missed the Giants game with a hamstring injury and has been vocal — both in the locker room and on social media — about his unhappiness over his decreased production this season. Brown has 29 catches for 395 yards.

Brown has twice this season had less than 10 yards receiving in a game, and the five-time 1,000-yard receiver is well off that pace.

“I think that when you’re trying to be a great team, it’s hard to trade great players, and A.J. Brown’s a great player,” general manager Howie Roseman said. “He wears the ‘C’ for a reason. He’s an important part of this team, of this organization.”

Packers’ kicking issues

Green Bay's Brandon McManus has gone 4 of 7 on field-goal attempts since returning from a quadriceps injury that sidelined him for two games.

The Packers still have kicker Lucas Havrisik on their active roster. Havrisik booted a franchise-record 61-yard field goal while McManus was sidelined.

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AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

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