The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl champions. What lessons can the Detroit Lions learn from the Eagles to win a title for themselves?
The NFL is a copycat league. Once the Gatorade bath settles, teams start eyeing next season and how they can replicate the success of that season’s Super Bowl champion. To cap off the 2024 season, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in dominant fashion.
The Detroit Lions were not the only 15-2 team to get outplayed in a playoff game, but unlike the Chiefs, the Lions never made it out the starting gate. A quick loss to the Washington Commanders ended any Super Bowl aspirations for the Lions, and it sent them home as spectators to the title game.
Looking at the game plan that made the Eagles into Super Bowl winners, is there a recipe that the Lions could borrow from? The Lions have their own identity, but there are reasons why certain teams win the big game. What pieces are the Lions missing from their team to become a winner like the Eagles?
Today’s Question of the Day is:
What do the Detroit Lions need to match the success of the Philadelphia Eagles?
My answer: Pass rush.
When you look at what makes the Eagles successful, the similarities to the Lions stand out. Both teams have excellent general managers in Howie Roseman and Brad Holmes that have helped build the team through the draft. They have dominant offensive lines. Those blockers up front help facilitate an impressive run game, with the Eagles powered by Saquon Barkley and the Lions splitting duties between Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. The Eagles boast a talented receiver duo of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, while the Lions have Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Sam LaPorta and Dallas Goedert are solid, well-rounded tight ends. Assuming that Kellen Moore leaves to become the New Orleans Saints’ new head coach, both teams will have lost their offensive coordinators as well.
On defense, the Eagles have a good pair of safeties in C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Reed Blankenship, but the Lions have them beat with the elite grouping of Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. Zack Baun and Alex Anzalone are two former New Orleans Saints linebackers that have thrived in their new homes, while the linebacking corps are also filled out by young talents in Nakobe Dean and Jack Campbell. Each team drafted a pair of defensive backs early in the 2024 NFL Draft, and while Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are further along than Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw, the Lions’ young pair could still blossom into a capable duo.
There are two big differences between the Lions and Eagles. Firstly, Jared Goff is the complete opposite of Jalen Hurts when it comes to mobility, something that no scheming from an offensive coordinator can change. However, the Lions do not need him to be Hurts with his legs. Goff had a phenomenal year through the air, beating Hurts in counting stats like touchdowns and passing yards, as well as rate stats like completion percentage, yards per game, and quarterback rating. The Lions lean on Goff’s arm, the Eagles lean on Hurts’ legs. Both are valid ways to build around the strengths of their quarterbacks.
What really stands out to me is the pass rush. The Eagles may have scored 40 points on the day, but none of that is possible without a historically dominant defensive performance up front. The Eagles wrecked havoc for Patrick Mahomes, sacking him six times and contributing to multiple turnovers via pressure.
It all comes down to the bodies up front. Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill are among the best at their respective positions, but the Lions simply do not have the horsepower to compete. DJ Reader is a solid nose tackle, but he does not have the pop that Jalen Carter or Milton Williams possess. Levi Onwuzurike had a great year, but he is a pending free agent and his future in Detroit is unknown. The Eagles do not have a player of Hutchinson’s caliber, but they make up for it by having two great pass rushers in Nolan Smith and Josh Sweat. Philadelphia has plenty of depth pieces that contribute on a weekly basis as well, including Moro Ojomo, Bryce Huff, and Jalyx Hunt. As the Lions learned in 2024, you need quality depth pieces, and the Lions’ rotational guys simply did not cut it.
Marcus Davenport went down early and was hardly a factor on his one-year deal. Josh Paschal provided some much-needed stability, but he looks like a moderate-floor, low-ceiling type of defensive end. Al-Quadin Muhammad was a modest surprise, but he is a pending free agent with limited career success. Midseason acquisition Za’Darius Smith was a shot in the arm for the pass rush, but entering his age 33 season on a very cuttable contract, he probably is not a long-term cure. The Eagles were getting positive contributions up and down their defensive line, but the Lions were struggling to find bodies, let alone capable starters.
If the Lions want to reach the highs of the Eagles and dominate a team like the Chiefs, they need to improve their defensive line. I think the run stopping is good enough as is, but the pass rush needs immediate improvement.
Your turn.
