Pride of Detroit
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:
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...
