Monday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles carries implications beyond just a win or loss.
It's a tone-setter for where the young Packers roster stands among NFC contenders.
For Green Bay and HC Matt LaFleur, if they idealize walking out of Lambeau Field still atop the NFC North, linebacker Edgerrin Cooper may be the key to flipping this game on its head.
Modern linebacker, massive stage: Edgerrin Cooper is ready for primetime
A second-year standout out of Texas A&M, Cooper has been everything the Packers envisioned when they spent a premium pick on him two springs ago, a modern-day linebacker built for today's game.
A long, fast, fluid, and violent athlete in pursuit, Cooper's athletic profile jumps off the screen. But what's most impressive has been how quickly he's absorbed the game mentally. Playing next to Quay Walker, Cooper has brought a new dynamic to the middle of the defense, giving Green Bay range and explosiveness at both second-level spots.
Against Philadelphia, that modern skill set will be tested in every imaginable way.
The Eagles' offense is one of the NFL's most layered attacks -- built on physicality in the run game and timing in the RPO and quick-game structure that puts linebackers under constant stress, both horizontally and vertically. But Cooper's rare ability to mirror dual-threat quarterbacks, flow laterally against the run, and cover tight ends makes him an ideal chess piece to limit chunk plays.
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Then there's the task of slowing Saquon Barkley, who, despite his lack of overall success in 2025, had his best game this fall in the Eagles' most recent game, in Week 8 against the New York Giants (150 yards and a TD), and could just now be finding his footing.
Just as crucial will be his job as a spy against Hurts, preventing those off-script, drive-extending plays that have become a staple of Philadelphia's success. When Hurts breaks contain or scans for his second or third read, Cooper's burst and closing speed could be the difference between a 4-yard scramble and a back-breaking 25-yard hookup to DeVonta Smith down the sideline.
And then there's Dallas Goedert, the Eagles' reliable middle-field weapon. Green Bay's secondary will have its hands full with Smith and AJ Brown (should he play) outside, which means the Packers will rely on Cooper to neutralize the veteran flex weapon underneath -- the kind of dirty work that doesn't show up on stat sheets, but changes games.
For a Packers roster growing into its identity, Cooper represents the next generation of defensive tone-setters -- players who can erase mismatches before they happen while competing and producing at an elite level on all three levels.
Should Green Bay take care of business, expect Cooper's fingerprints to be all over it.