Lions vs Eagles: Storylines to follow heading into Sunday Night Football

The Eagles escaped Lambeau on Monday night with a win, even though the offense looked completely lost and the defense bailed them out at every turn. Now they are 7-2 and back home for a massive Sunday night showdown with the Detroit Lions.

Now the Birds come home at 7-2 for a Sunday night fistfight against the Detroit Lions, a game everyone circled the second the schedule dropped.

Philly and Detroit have not met as true contenders in years. That changes Sunday, as both teams are fighting for playoff seeding.

The Eagles run defense has to survive the best running back duo in football

Detroit brings a thunder and lightning combo that nobody else in the league can match. Jahmyr Gibbs is averaging 5.4 yards per carry. David Montgomery is pounding teams at 4.5.

Together they have 232 carries for 1,159 yards and 13 touchdowns. Unlike the Eagles or Ravens or Bills, the Lions do this without a running quarterback inflating their totals.

Gibbs is the home run threat. One missed tackle and he is in the tunnel. Montgomery is the bruiser who looks like he was created in a factory that specializes in broken ribs.

The Lions want to run the ball more than anybody outside of Seattle or Buffalo. They rank ninth in run rate and that is without Goff adding anything on the ground.

This is pure old school football but that makes the blueprint against Detroit is simple.

If you stop their run game, the offense sputters. When the Lions are held under 100 rushing yards, their entire operation collapses. Look at the losses this season. When defenses shut down Gibbs and Montgomery, Detroit cannot keep up.

The Eagles have not faced a duo this good yet. The run defense has been the strength of the team, so this matchup decides everything.

The Birds have the speed to keep Gibbs bottled up as a receiver just like Green Bay did when they held him to ten catches for thirty one yards. That part of the matchup actually favors Philly.

The ground game is the war zone. If Montgomery and Gibbs get rolling, everything else opens up for Detroit.

The Eagles secondary is facing a perfectly balanced set of skill players

Because of the Lions’ elite running game, a lot of people tend to sleep on Detroit’s receivers and that is a mistake. Amon Ra St Brown is a volume monster. Jameson Williams is a walking deep threat. Sam LaPorta is a tight end built like a fullback who runs like a slot receiver.

Every one of them attacks defenses in a different way. St Brown lives in the slot and eats zone coverage alive. The Lions move him around and create easy yards after catch opportunities with motion, rub routes, and schemed spacing.

Cooper DeJean will get the assignment in the slot. It is a premium one on one matchup between two elite players.

Williams is terrifying because corners have no choice but to respect his speed. He averages 17.6 yards per catch. Detroit has been hitting him on deep comebacks and crossers because defensive backs panic and overcommit.

If the Eagles pass rush does not get home, Goff will absolutely take shots.

LaPorta is the engine of their middle of the field passing game. He is not massive, but he is violent after the catch and almost always falls forward.

All three are on pace for at least 895 yards. And the Eagles will be dealing with them while Detroit gets creative in the run game. This is a test for Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and the entire secondary.

The Lions offensive line is banged up and the Eagles interior should be licking their chops

Detroit usually has one of the best offensive lines in football, but not this week. Christian Mahogany is on IR. Frank Ragnow retired.

The Lions are rolling out Kayode Awosika and a rookie in Tate Ratledge. Graham Glasgow is playing center and it has been a noticeable downgrade.

Taylor Decker is steady at left tackle and Penei Sewell is the best run blocking right tackle in the league, but the interior is a legit issue.

Brian Flores already laid the blueprint when Minnesota hammered Detroit’s interior offensive line two weeks ago. The Eagles should attack the exact same spots.

This is tailor made for Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis to take over. Moro Ojomo should get opportunities too. Expect Fangio to send Nakobe Dean and Zack Baun up the middle on simulated pressure looks.

Jared Goff gets the ball out fast, but not fast enough if the pocket collapses instantly.

The Eagles receivers have a massive matchup advantage against a Detroit secondary that is falling apart

The Lions secondary is a medical ward right now.

DJ Reed is still recovering from his hamstring injury. Terrion Arnold is in concussion protocol. Kerby Joseph has been unable to shake a knee injury. Amik Robertson showed up on the injury report too.

If Reed, Joseph, and Arnold are all out, Detroit’s secondary will be hanging on by dental floss. That forces Rock Ya Sin and Arthur Maulet into heavy snaps. Both are undersized. Both can be bullied at the catch point.

This is where the Eagles have to attack. The passing game could not get anything going in Green Bay except for one heroic DeVonta Smith touchdown. The staff has to scheme AJ Brown open and stop forcing him to run a route tree that makes absolutely no sense.

Detroit is allowing just ninety four rushing yards per game. Philly will have to win through the air. This is the week where you test deep shots. This is the week where AJ Brown needs eight to ten targets. This is the week where Patullo either puts together a grown man gameplan or exposes himself again.

The Lions secondary is the weak spot. The Eagles must go hunting.

Aidan Hutchinson is a game wrecker and the Eagles offensive line is banged up

Hutchinson has seven sacks in nine games and leads the league with four forced fumbles. He does not sack quarterbacks, he takes the ball from them.

Normally the Eagles do not care about elite edge rushers because Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata erase them. As we all know, the offensive line is dealing with injuries and Lane rolled his ankle in Green Bay.

If Lane is anything under one hundred percent, Hutchinson becomes a real threat. Regardless of who is in the trenches Sunday night, the pass protection cannot afford a slow start. Hurts has to protect the ball and trust the pocket. Hutchinson has already wrecked multiple games this season.

These teams are heading in opposite health directions

The Eagles are nearly fully healthy. Jurgens is the only starter who is not a full participant. Nolan Smith, Darius Cooper, Jakorian Bennett, and the rest of the depth pieces are ready to go.

Detroit has sixteen names on the injury report including their right tackle, star pass rusher, tight end, free safety, slot corner, starting corner, and multiple rotational defenders.

This matters. A lot.

This game is a true NFC litmus test.

Detroit has elite talent across the offense. The Eagles have the better quarterback, the better roster, and the deeper bench.

Detroit’s injuries give the Birds a massive window that Philadelphia needs to capitalize on early. If the Eagles shut down the run game, they win. If they attack Detroit’s damaged secondary, they win. If AJ Brown finally gets a real route tree and ten targets, they win.

If they let Gibbs and Montgomery run wild, or if the offense goes stagnant again, this becomes a war. Sunday night is the real measuring stick. Time to find out where this team actually stands.

Join The Chase