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The
Eagles
dominated
the
defensive
side of
the ball
against
an NFC
contender
for the
second
time in
six
days.
(Photo
by
Phily.com) |
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Offensive
Meltdown:
Lions'
Sputtering
Attack
Falls
Short
Against
Eagles
Dusty
Schoenherr
- Sports
Tell Us
Detroit
News
PHILADELPHIA,
PA - The
Philadelphia
Eagles
improved
to 8-2
on
Sunday
night
with a
gritty
16-9
victory
over the
visiting
Detroit
Lions in
a
defensive
showcase
at
Lincoln
Financial
Field.
The loss
drops
Detroit
to 6-4
with
their
playoff
positioning
taking a
significant
hit.
Defensive
Dominance
Defines
the
Matchup
The game
unfolded
as a
defensive
slugfest,
with
both
units
making
their
presence
felt
throughout.
The
Eagles'
defense
stymied
the
Lions
consistently,
forcing
them to
go
0-for-5
on
fourth-down
conversions—a
stark
reversal
from
Detroit's
typically
aggressive
approach
under
head
coach
Dan
Campbell.
Philadelphia's
defense
limited
Detroit
to just
nine
points
on 12
drives,
allowing
scores
on only
two
occasions.
The
Eagles
recorded
one
interception,
with
cornerback
Cooper
DeJean
picking
off a
deflection
off
defensive
tackle
Jordan
Davis
just
three
plays
into
Detroit's
first
drive to
set up
an early
Eagles
scoring
opportunity.
The
Lions'
defense
proved
equally
formidable,
particularly
in
short-yardage
situations
where
they
stymied
the
Eagles'
signature
"tush
push"
plays on
two
separate
occasions,
including
late in
the game
when
momentum
might
have
allowed
Philadelphia
to run
out the
clock.
Offensive
Struggles
Plague
Both
Teams
In a
reverse
of
typical
prime-time
spectacles,
neither
offense
produced
fireworks.
Eagles
quarterback
Jalen
Hurts
completed
just 14
of 28
passes
for 135
yards
with one
rushing
touchdown—marking
another
game
where
Philly's
passing
attack
sputtered.
The
Eagles
gained
272
total
yards
with an
anemic
3.9
yards
per
play,
though
Saquon
Barkley
rushed
for 83
yards on
26
carries.
Detroit's
struggles
were
even
more
pronounced.
Lions
quarterback
Jared
Goff
completed
just 14
of 37
passes
for a
career-low
37.8%
completion
percentage,
while
the
running
game
managed
just 74
yards.
The
Lions'
aggressive
fourth-down
strategy
backfired
repeatedly,
as they
failed
to
convert
any of
their
five
attempts.
"It's a
case
where
our
offense
didn't
show up
the way
we
needed
it to,"
one
observer
noted of
Philadelphia's
performance,
which
has
become a
recurring
theme
despite
the
team's
winning
record.
Critical
Moments
and Game
Flow
Detroit
struck
quickly
in the
second
half
with a
40-yard
touchdown
pass
from
Goff to
Jameson
Williams,
though
an
unsportsmanlike
conduct
penalty
by
Williams
and a
missed
extra
point
kept the
Lions at
6-13. A
Jake
Bates
field
goal
with two
minutes
remaining
made it
16-9,
but the
Lions
couldn't
complete
a
comeback
despite
stopping
the
Eagles
on
fourth
down
late in
the
game.
The
Eagles
secured
first-round
positioning
in the
NFC
playoff
race
with the
win,
strengthening
their
grip on
the
division.
For the
Lions,
the loss
represents
a
significant
setback
after a
44-22
demolition
of
Washington
the
previous
week and
casts
doubt on
their
hopes of
securing
the
NFC's
top seed
for a
second
consecutive
season.
Looking
Ahead
Philadelphia
will
continue
its
schedule
with a
division
matchup
against
Dallas
next
week.
Detroit
heads
home to
regroup
and
assess
what
went
wrong on
both
sides of
the
ball,
particularly
on the
offensive
end
where
execution
fell
well
short of
expectations.
The
Eagles
are now
6-0 this
season
when
Hurts
throws
for
fewer
than 200
yards,
suggesting
their
defensive-minded
approach
may be
proving
sustainable
despite
offensive
inconsistencies
that
loom as
a
potential
Achilles
heel in
a
playoff
run.
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