Although the fall season is just barely underway, the Packers have already fallen to near the bottom of the NFL standings, and the upcoming schedule provides little relief for the struggling Pack.

That being said, Monday Night’s game in Philadelphia can already be considered a must-win game for Green Bay — and it certainly won’t be easy.

The Eagles have a healthy Donovan McNabb and a notoriously tough defense, but as was evident in a week two collapse against the Giants, the birds are beatable. If McNabb and Co. aren’t all on the same page, the Packers need to take advantage.

Here are three simple keys to victory on national television:

3. Don’t give up on the ground game: Although it may be frustrating to watch Ahman Green and whatever other scrubs Ted Thompson brought in for the week try to find holes behind an inexperienced offensive line, the Packers have to keep it on the ground. Eventually, the Eagles defensive line will wear down — even against a poorly constructed zone-blocking scheme.

A consistent running game will take some pressure off Brett Favre, who throws the majority of his interceptions late in games when the rushing attack has already been abandoned. If McCarthy continues to give up on the run, he might not make it through the season before Green Bay gives up on him.

2. Better play from the linebackers: The front four has looked surprisingly serviceable for the Green and Gold to this point, but beyond that, the Packers defense is a mess. A.J. Hawk isn’t as NFL-ready as everyone hoped, and I doubt Brady Poppinga will ever be NFL-ready.

Poppinga is an over-achieving special teams player, and his promotion to the starting defense was primarily based on that.

With guys like Ben Taylor and Abdul Hodge on the bench, McCarthy should, at the very least, use a rotation at the third linebacker position.

1. Catch the ball: Elementary as it sounds, dropped passes have plagued the Packers thus far. With the exception of Donald Driver and sometimes Greg Jennings, Green Bay’s receivers have been incredibly unreliable.

Favre is 0-5 in his career in Philadelphia, and if he picks up loss number six on Monday, you can bet that dropped passes will be a big reason why.

That, and the fact that the Packers just aren’t very good this year.

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