PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The Philadelphia Eagles won't have to face Aaron Rodgers when they take on the Packers in Green Bay on Sunday.
They will have to face Seneca Wallace, and the Eagles say he presents his own set of problems.
Rodgers broke his left collarbone during Monday night's game against Chicago, and Wallace is expected to start at quarterback against Philadelphia. Wallace was 11 of 19 for 114 yards in Green Bay's 27-20 loss to the Bears.
"Nothing changes for us," Eagles cornerback Cary Williams said. "Any given Sunday, regardless of who's at the helm at quarterback, they're obviously capable of winning games. They wouldn't be here if that was not the case."
Williams knows.
ADVERTISEMENT
He was with the Ravens last year when they won the Super Bowl, but one of their losses was to veteran backup Charlie Batch, who was starting for Pittsburgh in place of the injured Ben Roethlisberger.
"I think it's pivotal for us to go out there and play with great effort, the same way we've been playing these last few weeks," Williams said. "We think Wallace is a very capable quarterback. He's obviously a savvy veteran."
Rodgers has thrown for 2,218 yards and 15 touchdowns this season despite a slew of injuries for some of his top targets. The 2011 NFL MVP has 186 touchdowns and 50 interceptions in his career, and his 105.2 passer rating is highest in NFL history.
Wallace, a fourth-round pick of the Seahawks in 2003, has won six of 21 career starts. His last starts came in 2011 with the Browns, when his head coach was current Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur.
"One thing about Seneca, he's a veteran player (and) he knows how to play this game," Shurmur said Tuesday. "He's got a good set of legs on him, and he can move around and make throws. I think he's got a very strong arm."
Thirteen quarterbacks were drafted in 2003 but only Wallace and Carson Palmer are still active.
If Wallace does start Sunday, he'll be the Packers' fourth starting quarterback over the last 22 years, following Brett Favre (253 games), Rodgers (86 games) and Matt Flynn (two games).
"He's a great move quarterback, the boots, the sprints," said Eagles defensive coordinator Billy Davis, who was in Cleveland on Shurmur's staff when Wallace was with the Browns. "He's a very athletic guy. And (he's played) nine years now, so he really knows how to run that offense."
ADVERTISEMENT
Wallace started a game for the Seahawks against the Eagles in 2008, completing 13 of 29 passes for 169 yards. Seattle's only points came on Wallace's 90-yard pass to Koren Robinson for the third-longest TD pass the Eagles have ever allowed.
"Since I've been in the NFL, I've realized that any team's capable of beating you in any type of situation, so we're going in there with that mindset," rookie safety Earl Wolff said.
"Regardless of records, regardless of who's playing, regardless of who the quarterback is, anybody can beat you. He's been in the league 10 years for a reason."
