Ten months later than expected, we finally got the highly-anticipated Detroit Lions vs. Philadelphia Eagles matchup.
The Lions struggled early on, mostly on the offensive side, as quarterback Jared Goff couldn’t get things moving through the air, facing pressure throughout the game. Even when he didn’t have pressure, he threw some rough passes, giving nobody a chance to catch them. The running game didn’t find much success, and despite the defense doing all it could, holding the Eagles to 16 points, it wasn’t enough in the end.
Let’s get into my six takeaways from the loss against the Eagles.
Lions’ run defense stands up tall
The Eagles’ ground game hasn’t been as stout as last year, and that trend continued Sunday night. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley was contained for 83 yards on 26 carries, averaging 3.2 yards per carry. The Lions saw the dreaded tush push six times (two times getting wiped away due to penalties on the Eagles), with the only success coming from the one-inch line, which is an automatic touchdown for just about any team in the NFL.
Philadelphia got all of its offensive linemen back from injuries as center Cam Jurgens returned after missing two games, but he did leave the game in the fourth quarter. Right tackle Lane Johnson left the game early with a foot injury and never came back. Despite Detroit holding the Eagles to 148 yards, 3,7 yards a carry, and one rushing touchdown, the team couldn’t secure the win.
Fourth down decisions could’ve been better
The Lions’ offense was struggling to get the ball moving in the first half, and twice Lions head coach Dan Campbell decided to risk it on fourth-down plays. The first was a dumb play call, a run up the gut in back-to-back plays after it failed on third-and-1; it failed again on fourth-and-1. It would have made sense to do a quick pass or play action to wide receiver Kalif Raymond on a short route instead.
The second fourth-down attempt was a fake punt that the Eagles sniffed out, as they left their starting defense on the field. Facing the Lions’ special teams, it was a clear mismatch. Linebacker Grant Stuard ran for no gain, and the Eagles got into plus territory. Neither of those play calls was smart at all by Campbell.
The Lions failed on every fourth-down attempt, going 0-5 on the night. When it wasn’t poor play calling, it was poor execution by someone, which deflated all the work the offense tried on those drives.
Secondary depth balls out again
The “Legion of Whom” played against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and posted an iconic performance. And while this time the Lions’ secondary wasn’t as depleted, it was still a night where players like cornerback Rock Ya-Sin and safety Thomas Harper had a challenge in front of them, and they answered the call. Hurts tried again and again to get the passing game going, but it never saw anything special.
Hurts finished going 14-for-28 for 135 yards as wide receiver A.J. Brown was force-fed the ball with seven catches for 49 yards. While the Eagles’ struggling to throw the ball isn’t out of the norm for them this season, with the Lions down both of their starting cornerbacks and a safety, it was a positive sign for Detroit that their depth can still compete at a high level.
Amon-Ra St. Brown continues to struggle with drops
Entering the league back in 2021, St. Brown caught a lot of attention after his practice routine of catching passes from the jugs machine caught attention. St. Brown would showcase why it was important for him, as he rarely dropped passes and made some catches that made you ask, “How did he do that?”
This year, St. Brown might need to re-evaluate his practice routine and make some adjustments. Each time St. Brown drops a catchable ball, the commentator team usually says something along the lines of “oh, he usually catches those,” but when he repeatedly drops catchable balls, it’s not a rare thing.
Entering Sunday, St. Brown had five dropped catches, and after a drop tonight, expect that to jump to six, the most since he had eight in 2023. It’s not like these drops are all bad throws by Jared Goff; there are a lot where it’s perfectly thrown, and St. Brown can’t come down with it. He is on pace for 11.6 drops this season, which would be three higher than his career-worst. When he catches the ball, he can still make plays, and he gets open with ease, but the number of drops is starting to become concerning.
Linebackers were all over the field
No matter if it was making a key third-down stop on the ground or a deep pass attempt knocked away, the linebackers came up huge. Alex Anzalone was in tight coverage no matter who he was matched up with. Jack Campbell made plenty of tackles, leading the team with 15. Even Trevor Nowaske shut down Barkley on a massive third-and-1 in the first half.
When a big play was needed, the linebackers were the ones who made the plays. Hurts had a few scrambles contained, thanks to Anzalone and Campbell, and third-down attempts were halted due to good coverage as well by them. The defense as a whole played well, but the linebacker unit was arguably the best on the night.
Sam LaPorta, heal up fast
When tight end Sam LaPorta was moved to IR on Saturday, my thoughts on the game instantly changed. What I thought would be a close victory for Detroit turned into a close loss. The tight end position is critical in this offense, and LaPorta is one of the top tight ends in the league. The depth behind him, though, could use an upgrade.
Backup Brock Wright is mostly a blocker, with an ability to catch a pass or two a game, but something you shouldn’t solely rely on. Third-stringer Ross Dwelley hasn’t recorded a stat this season and has only been given one target. Unfortunately, Campbell had to learn a hard lesson as Wright struggled to run routes and catch passes on Sunday night.
LaPorta can create mismatches with his athleticism, and he can quickly get open, something the team needed in short-yardage and red zone situations. The offense must adjust without LaPorta, and it starts with fewer routes for Wright and maybe giving those chances to players like Raymond or rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa.
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