Pride of Detroit
The Detroit Lions rediscovered their identity last week, taking advantage of a favorable matchup against a drifting Washington Commanders team to recalibrate before their Week 11 heavyweight showdown with the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Philadelphia came out of its Week 9 bye and suffocated the Packers offense on Monday night, and enters this matchup as one of the healthier teams in the conference. Nick Sirianni—one of 27 head coaches in NFL history to reach two Super Bowls—is 10-0 all-time against the NFC North (including playoffs) and 2-0 against Dan Campbell. His Eagles delivered the highest-deficit loss of Campbell’s tenure in Week 8 of 2021 (44–6) and then beat Detroit 38–35 in the 2022 opener.
Detroit’s offense roared back to form with Campbell taking over play-calling duties last week, but maintaining that edge in a primetime road environment will require owning the line of scrimmage and sustaining a high-efficiency passing script. On the other side, Kelvin Sheppard’s defense must deliver a far more complete performance than it has produced the last two weeks.
This preview breaks down four key statistical matchups that could define the outcome of this NFC title-contender clash.
Note: Unless otherwise indicated, all statistics are sourced from NFL Pro, TruMedia, FTN Fantasy, or Pro Football Reference and exclude garbage time.
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has a talented front, loaded with premium investments. But despite the individual talent, Philadelphia has been vulnerable on early downs rushing attacks—especially against under-center runs, where opponents have consistently generated leverage and movement up front
Eagles’ first and second-down run defense — Under center runs
The Eagles haven’t found consistent answers on early downs against the run, even with multiple first-rounders on the defensive line. They’ve held up slightly better against shotgun rushing looks, but under center has been a persistent weak spot.
Detroit’s early-down offense has been scrutinized heavily over the past month, but they finally controlled those situations against Washington. In Week 10 under center on early downs (excluding garbage time), the Lions logged 23 carries for 154 yards (6.7 per rush), a touchdown, and eight first downs—one of their most efficient outings of the season.
One concept that has specifically stressed the Eagles is outside zone. On early downs they’ve allowed:
Detroit has been more effective on early downs with gap-scheme runs between the tackles—man/duo concepts or with puller-led powers or counters —than outside zone, making this a fascinating stylistic clash. The Eagles boast one of the league’s best interior trios in Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Moro Ojomo, and that strength may be why opponents have had more...
