The Eagles beat another NFC contender and increased their chances of being the No. 1 seed in their conference in the process. The offense has struggled through a first-time playcaller, scheme issues, unhappy players, and injuries (especially on the offensive line). But the defense has had no such trouble. They have found their stride, and if they keep playing the way they have, they could go on a run that delivers back-to-back Super Bowl titles.
Defensively, this was a game where everything fell into place perfectly for Philadelphia. Jaelen Phillips secured his first sack as an Eagle and has been a dominant force by totaling 11 tackles, a sack, a fumble recovery, and 12 pressures since arriving in Philadelphia. That type of mid-season addition and firepower is unheard of.
Zack Baun paced the defense with seven tackles. He is so good and consistent that it has almost become second nature to expect it, and it often gets overlooked.
Outside corner Quinyon Mitchell put on a clinic, which is starting to become the norm. Detroit threw at him six times and came up empty six times. Zero receptions allowed, tied for the most targets without a catch in any game over the last two seasons, per Next Gen Stats. His season-long completion percentage allowed (41.9%) remains the lowest by any player with 50+ targets since 2018. That’s First-Team All-Pro numbers and consistency. A new wrinkle in the defense with Q has been that last year, he played exclusively on the right side. This year, he’s nearly 50/50. 46.7% of snaps at RCB, 52.2% at LCB. No matter where he lines up, receivers are having little to no success. (Next Gen Stats)
Adoree’ Jackson drew a tough assignment, and the heaviest workload on Amon-Ra St. Brown. He had 11 matchups and allowed just one catch for 8 yards on five targets. Meanwhile, St. Brown had zero catches when matched up with Cooper DeJean (10 snaps) and Mitchell (9 snaps). Each was targeted three times by Goff, and each held him to nothing. (Next Gen Stats)
PFF also backed up the dominance of the two 2024 draft picks. DeJean and Mitchell allowed only four receptions on 13 combined targets, forced two incompletions, picked off one pass, and surrendered a combined passer rating of 9.1.
The Eagles’ defense has only allowed nine touchdown passes all season. They are also shutting down opposing quarterbacks by allowing a league-low 56.6% pass completion. The future is bright for the Eagles' defensive backfield.
Philadelphia's defensive line also dominated. Jared Goff had an abysmal night. On throws beyond the line of scrimmage, he went 7-for-27 for 140 yards and an interception, with a 25.9% completion rate, the second-lowest in a game in the Next Gen Stats era.
Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter combined for five batted passes versus the Lions. They are using their height and length to disrupt passing lanes. Jared Goff was their latest victim.
Jalen Carter has been playing his best football of the season in the last 2 games. When he dominates the trenches, the entire defense thrives. We are witnessing a generational talent at Defensive Tackle.
According to Opta Stats, the Eagles are the first team in NFL history to face a starting quarterback who entered the game completing at least 70.0% of his passes (min. 100 attempts) and then hold him under 40.0% for the day. Goff came in scorching hot and left colder than the night air in Philly.
The Lions' offense was 0-for-5 on fourth down versus the Eagles.
Jared Goff had zero completions on 12 attempts, resulting in 2 sacks for negative 12 yards, when the Eagles pressured him on 14 drop-backs. (Stat Dan Orlovsky)
Up front, Jordan Mailata had one of his best games of the season. He didn’t allow a single pressure on 31 pass-blocking snaps, handling Aidan Hutchinson nine times and Alim McNeill six. A flawless stat sheet. (Next Gen Stats)
With the win, the Eagles sit at 8–2. Their records through 10 games since 2022 show how dominant the Eagles have been under Nick Sirianni.
If Sunday was any indication, the Eagles are starting to look like the team to beat. Yes, they have issues offensively, but they possess the talent to continue grinding and improving. They also have a defense that is buying them time to right the ship. In short, if defense wins championships, there is no team that is going to stop them on their quest for another Lombardi and, dare I say, a start to a dynasty.
As always, thank you for reading!
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