“I guess we’re good again.”
That was a sentence said in the Detroit Lions locker room after their 44-22 victory over the Washington Commanders in Week 10. The Lions’ offense felt alive and moved like a well-oiled machine, never punting the football all game. The defense stood tall and made some key stops, and suddenly, this Lions team looked like themselves. Now, it’s time to move on and focus on who they have next, the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
In a matchup everyone expected to be for the NFC title before the Lions fell to the Commanders last year, we finally get what we’ve been wanting. How can the explosive Lions offense do against a strong defense in the Eagles? Can the Eagles find success with their offense against a surging, improved, and mostly healthy Lions defense? These questions will be answered this week in what is the best game as two of the top teams in the NFC collide.
With that being said, let’s take a look at how the Eagles’ season has been so far in our Week 11 scouting report.
Philadelphia Eagles
2025 season thus far (7-2)
Week 1: Defeated the Dallas Cowboys 24-20
Week 2: Defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 20-17
Week 3: Defeated the Los Angeles Rams 33-26
Week 4: Defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-25
Week 5: Lost to the Denver Broncos 21-17
Week 6: Lost to the New York Giants 34-17
Week 7: Defeated the Minnesota Vikings 28-22
Week 8: Defeated the New York Giants 38-20
Week 9: BYE
Week 10: Defeated the Green Bay Packers 10-7
Stats:
- 12th in points scored, 10 in points allowed
- 7th in DVOA
- 8th in offensive DVOA (7th in pass DVOA, 22nd in run DVOA)
- 13th in defensive DVOA (11th pass DVOA, 21st in run DVOA)
- 21st in special teams DVOA
Despite being 7-2, the Eagles haven’t felt like a juggernaut like last season. They started 4-0, but it wasn’t a clean 4-0, with each win being by a touchdown or less. They’ve almost lost games they had in the bag, and their biggest win this season, score-wise, was against a banged-up Giants team. I’m not trying to discredit the Eagles; they’ve beaten three good teams in the Chiefs, Bucs, and Rams, but they weren’t in a dominant fashion.
In the end, a win is a win, and that’s all that matters come February when you compete for a championship. The Eagles are aiming to repeat their title game aspirations this season, but it might be more on the defense than the offense this time around. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has played well, but not flashy so far, throwing for 1,860 yards with 16 touchdowns and only one interception, he’s also the leader on the team in rushing touchdowns with five to go along with 234 yards.
After having an almost record-breaking season last year, running back Saquon Barkley has seemingly come back down to earth this year. He’s rushed for 579 yards and four touchdowns but his efficiency has dropped from 5.8 yards per carry all the way down to 3.9. He isn’t the only one seeing a dip in production; top wide receiver A.J. Brown appears to have taken a backseat in the receiving game. After averaging 83.0 yards per game last year, he’s down to just 51.0. Fellow wide receiver DeVonta Smith is the leader in yards and catches with 48 for 657, finding the end zone three times, but tight end Dallas Goedert has been a scoring machine, getting 34 catches for 332 yards and team-leading seven touchdowns.
With the offense overall not as explosive as last season, it’s the defense that has stepped up this year. The defensive line has undergone some changes with players retiring and unretiring to give them a boost, but their biggest success is with defensive tackle Moro Ojomo, who leads the team in sacks with four. The secondary has been helpful, just not as explosive with its turnovers, as the team only has five interceptions, two from the secondary, with them being from safety Andrew Mukuba. The cornerback duo of Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean is still making plays; both are in the top two spots for pass deflections, combined for 16 between them.
Overall, the Eagles are still a strong team, but maybe they aren’t as scary as they used to be. The offense seems to have taken a step back, and while the defense isn’t perfect, it’s been a big reason for the team’s success this year. The defending champs aren’t pushovers, and this game won’t be a blowout, as I expect it to be another one-score game, but will it go in Detroit’s favor or Philadelphia’s?
Injury notes
Key players ruled out: EDGE Azeez Ojulari (IR), LB Ogbo Okoronkwo (IR),
Key players to monitor: RT Lane Johnson (ankle), IOL Cam Jurgens (knee)
The Eagles are very light on the injury load, which is rare for a team at the midpoint of the season. They are missing some contributors on defense in EDGE Azeez Ojulari and linebacker Ogbo Okoronkwo, who are on injured reserve with only Ojulari getting the chance to return this season.
Starting center Cam Jurgens hasn’t practiced in weeks, as he missed another game last week; he might be a long shot to play on Sunday. The biggest injury for Philly is with right tackle Lane Johnson, as he left the game against Green Bay with an ankle injury. However, he returned, so if he can overcome the pain from the injury, expect him to go up against Lions EDGE Aidan Hutchinson Sunday night.
Biggest strength: Secondary
While the secondary isn’t generating a ton of turnovers, it’s been a strong part of the team’s success. The Eagles have allowed a completion percentage of 58.9 percent, third-lowest in the NFL, and 1,979 yards, 10th fewest in the league. According to PFF, their coverage grade is only 62.8, 13th in the league, but the secondary has been better than the grade shows.
DeJean is their top guy according to PFF, getting a 72.5 coverage grade in zone and 74.4 in man. Mitchell hasn’t had as much success in man coverage (57.9 grade), but his zone is ahead of DeJean (72.7). It appears that the Eagles perform best in man coverage, as no one in the secondary has allowed over 100 yards in it, but in zone, four players have.
Quarterbacks struggle facing this Eagles secondary, as Philadelphia has allowed an 80.2 quarterback rating, the fourth-lowest. This secondary has faced some good quarterbacks as well in Baker Mayfield, Matthew Stafford, Patrick Mahomes, and Dak Prescott, so the competition hasn’t been easy. Those teams have some stellar wide receiver rooms, and to beat all four of them isn’t easy.
Biggest weakness: Pass rush
What was arguably the Eagles’ main reason for winning the Super Bowl last season hasn’t been what it was so far this year. The Eagles have been aggressive in making moves, trying to help their defensive line generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks. They were rumored to be talking to the Cleveland Browns for EDGE Myles Garrett and the Dallas Cowboys for Micah Parsons before he was traded to Green Bay. They signed former Lions EDGE Za’Darius Smith before the season started, and traded for Miami Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips. The team has done everything possible to get help, but it hasn’t worked out for them.
Smith randomly retired back in October, and the team was desperate for help, going as far as calling EDGE Brandon Graham out of retirement to help them out. The team did get linebacker Nolan Smith Jr. back this past week as he brings them some juice that needs help.
The other pass rushers are linebackers Jalyx Hunt, Joshua Uche, and Patrick Johnson, who’ve all combined for just four sacks, as the defensive line has had to rely on the interior to generate pressure. Defensive tackles Ojomo and Jordan Davis have seven combined sacks, so if they can step up, that could give the Eagles life. In total, the defense has 19 sacks, ninth-fewest in the league, a step down from their 41 last season.
Key matchup: Lions’ defensive line vs. Eagles’ offensive line
When it comes to beating the Eagles, the best way to do that is to win the battle in the trenches, especially on the defensive side. Slowing down Barkley won’t be easy, and neither will be containing Hurts, but if Detroit can do both, it will win the game. The Eagles might be down a starting lineman in Jurgens, so the Lions have a chance to have more success up the middle.
Defensive tackles Alim McNeill and DJ Reader will have to shut down anything that comes up the middle, and I’m sure we will see the annoying tush push play. The Lions have done well in containing quarterbacks compared to years past, as the likes of Lamar Jackson and Mahomes didn’t damage them much on the ground. Hurts is a different animal, though, as not only is he quick, but he’s strong.
If they can contain Hurts, great, but they must stop Barkley from creating explosive plays. Barkley hasn’t had the same season as last so far, but he’s starting to find his groove, and if he continues to play on an upward trend, it could be a tough day for Detroit. If the Lions’ run defense can stand tall, they could pull off the win, but if the Eagles get success with their legs, they might show why they’re the defending Super Bowl champions.
Vegas line for Sunday: Eagles favored by 2.5
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