The Detroit Lions defense stepped up on "Sunday Night Football" to keep the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles under wraps, even with key starters like Terrion Arnold and Kerby Joseph sidelined due to injury. Unfortunately for Dan Campbell's squad, the Eagles defense also came to play, with Vic Fangio's front terrorizing Jared Goff all night in a 16-9 Philadelphia victory.
A week after the Birds survived a Monday night matchup with the Green Bay Packers thanks largely to a dominant defensive showing, Fangio's unit was even more imposing against Detroit, stuffing all five of the Lions' fourth-down attempts and forcing Goff into a world of hurt inside a collapsing pocket; the quarterback finished just 14 of 37 passing while absorbing two sacks, plenty more pressures and having a slew of throws batted down at the line of scrimmage.
Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams each had splash plays for the Lions, combining for almost 200 yards receiving, but their highlights were few and far between for a Detroit attack that also went just 3 of 13 on third downs. The Eagles offense wasn't a whole lot better, with Jalen Hurts completing only 50% of his passes while force-feeding the increasingly discontent A.J. Brown, but a trio of field goals from Jake Elliott kept the defending champs in front for the entirety of Sunday's contest.
Here are some big-picture takeaways from the Eagles' climb to 8-2 on the 2025 NFL season:
The Lions' electric playmakers may have produced the best offensive action of the mostly defensive night, but Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean was a game-wrecking force, especially on this bulldozing of David Montgomery to plow over Jared Goff for a sack:
The Eagles were fine to open the year: reasonably physical, albeit without a defining pass rush or abundance of takeaways. The last few weeks, including Sunday's shutdown of the Lions, who by the way still had Gibbs, Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, etc. on the field? This is championship-level stuff from the Birds. Jaelan Phillips has been a nasty addition off the edge since arriving via trade from the Miami Dolphins, Moro Ojomo is getting darn near as much push as Jalen Carter in critical spots, and Dean has been a cerebral homing missile since his own return from injury. Even Adoree' Jackson is now making plays on the ball on the perimeter! This unit finally seems to be fully comfortable in its operations. That's bad news for the rest of the NFL.
Look, we get it: Detroit is going to live and die by Dan Campbell's aggression. And when you're on the road in Philly against the defending champs, sure, it's probably best to keep the pedal to the metal. But there comes a time when you also have to look yourself in the mirror -- or, more so, look your opponent in the eye -- and face reality. Which, in the case of the Eagles on Sunday night, was the fact Philly's defensive front wasn't going to be conquered. Had Campbell opted to give Jake Bates at least one or two additional field goal tries and "settle" for points in a low-scoring affair rather than push the envelope with a clearly rattled quarterback, we might be talking about a different outcome altogether, given the Eagles' own struggles reaching the end zone.
The Eagles (8-2) will still face plenty of questions about their ability to maximize offensive talent, with Hurts, Barkley and Co. still struggling to break out with a clean, explosive performance. But they'll carry their playoff-ready defense to Dallas in Week 12 for a matchup with the rival Cowboys (3-5-1), who have yet to play the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night. The Lions (6-4), meanwhile, should have a nice rebound opportunity by returning home to face the New York Giants (2-9), who dropped their fifth straight game while playing the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. But they might be more concerned about their deep-playoff aspirations considering how much Goff was under pressure in this one.
Philly essentially locked up the victory thanks to this called (and extremely debatable) defensive interference on Rock Ya-Sin:
Now it's Detroit's turn: Kelvin Sheppard's defense comes up big with a couple of "Tush Push" stops deep in the Eagles' own territory. The Birds can't be a little more creative, especially with two of their top linemen in Cam Jurgens and Lane Johnson now sidelined (again) due to injury? At least the Eagles can rely on their own "D" to stand strong after the fact, holding Dan Campbell's squad to a long Jake Bates field goal.
This could be a turning point for Detroit, provided the Lions, you know, find a way to neutralize the Eagles front that's outmuscled them all night: Undrafted rookie Darius Cooper, who made the Eagles' roster as a reserve wideout, moves early during Philly's attempt to draw the Lions offsides on the "Tush Push," and the penalty prompts a punt back to Detroit with six minutes to go.
Put it this way: Vic Fangio's defensive front is truly hitting its stride, and the Lions quarterback is paying the price. Goff hasn't settled into a rhythm all night; he's just 13 of 29 deep into the fourth quarter.
Philadelphia once again milks clock -- six minutes, to be exact -- despite going just 25 yards on 11 plays. Then Jake Elliott drills his third field goal of the night, this one from 49 yards out. Jalen Hurts' scrambles helped power this drive; he's up to 32 yards and a score on the ground, at least mildly offsetting a very mercurial evening through the air.
The cycle that never ends: Dan Campbell elects to go for it again -- his fifth fourth-down try of the night -- and Jared Goff is once again unable to overcome the threat of the Eagles' front, firing an incompletion in the direction of Amon-Ra St. Brown. Not sure if Goff simply rushed the throw or wasn't on the same page as St. Brown. Either way, this is an Eagles masterclass on defense.
Jalen Hurts has been feeding -- even force-feeding -- his top (and increasingly discontent) wideout, but Brown appears to slow up on a deep shot from No. 1 on third-and-long, drawing mixed reactions from the Lincoln Financial Field crowd. Hurts is just 10 of 22 on the night through the air, but Brown has now drawn 10 targets. Jahan Dotson has actually been the club's top weapon, however, tying Brown with 43 receiving yards on just two catches.
Jared Goff is not having a fun night in the pocket. Dan Campbell dials up a fourth-and-goal attempt to try to even this thing up halfway through the third, and Jaelan Phillips and Jordan Davis promptly apply heat up front, forcing a fourth turnover on downs:
The Eagles have gotten away with some early movement on their signature sneak play, but this time, Detroit gets away with a penalty. The officials flagged Philly right guard Tyler Steen, but replays reveal that Steen's moving hand was actually tapping the hand of Lions defensive lineman Tyleik Williams, who was lined up in the neutral zone:
Dan Campbell isn't shying away from the fourth-down tries in Philly, but so far, not one has paid off. This time, Jared Goff threads one over the middle to Williams, who can't secure the ball despite green grass in front of him. That's three straight failed fourth-down attempts for Detroit, which is also 0 for 5 on third downs against the Eagles' stingy defense. That's the story so far.
It's clear the Eagles are answering Brown's calls for more involvement: The wideout is up to six catches on eight targets before halftime, hauling in a laser of a slant from Jalen Hurts to help set up the quarterback's "Tush Push" touchdown. Another X factor on the Eagles' first touchdown drive of the night: Tank Bigsby, who displayed real juice on a pair of carries in relief of Saquon Barkley.
Well, well, well, some splashiness! The Eagles may be scrappy and methodical, but the Lions can strike in a hurry: Jared Goff finally unfurls a rope to Amon-Ra St. Brown, and then Jameson Williams easily speeds past Adoree' Jackson for a 40-yard score. Unfortunately for Detroit, Williams gets a little too excited after the touchdown, sliding down the Eagles' goal post and drawing a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct, which pushes back Detroit's extra-point try and results in a Jake Bates miss on this windy night.
Not exactly a fireworks show on Sunday night, eh? Kind of a repeat of the Eagles' last prime-time showing, their 10-7 win over the Packers. Exhibit A: Philly's latest drive, which takes more than five minutes but somehow goes just 27 yards. The passing game is just not entirely in sync, as has been the case for much of the year, but it doesn't help that the offensive front isn't getting a ton of push for Saquon Barkley, either. Barkley's remained a sluggish ball carrier in this one, with 23 yards on 10 carries. Is he truly overworked from last year's 2,000-yard season? Or is he just lacking any true running room? It seems to be a bit of both. Either way, Philly owns the lead thanks to its stingy defense and a couple of Jake Elliott field goals.
Dan Campbell can't help himself, but once again the Eagles defense prevails: Detroit snaps it directly to linebacker Grant Stuard on a would-be punt from near midfield, but Moro Ojomo, Jalyx Hunt and the rest of Philly's front seven penetrates the front to blow up the fake as quickly as it materializes. It's another failed fourth-down try by the Lions. Fortunately for Campbell's squad, the Eagles' offense has yet to take advantage of the opportunities, appearing to overemphasize the passing attack.
Detroit is trying to be creative and aggressive, at one point having David Montgomery take a direct snap, perhaps also to offset the absence of top tight end Sam LaPorta. But the aggression backfires on fourth-and-1 near midfield, with the Eagles' Moro Ojomo -- a rising standout next to Jalen Carter on the interior -- bursting through the line to drill Jahmyr Gibbs. We know Gibbs can fly, but he's yet to really break out from behind the line due to the Eagles' physicality. He's only managed 8 yards on five carries.
The star right tackle also left Philly's last game, a Monday night win over the Packers, with an ankle injury, but was a full participant in practice by the end of this week. He could be seen walking very gingerly through the stadium tunnels on the broadcast.
The Lions' first-drive turnover was a direct result of up-front push, with Jordan Davis tipping the ball into his teammate's hands. But Detroit's second series shows more of the same, with Jaelan Phillips logging a sack after Jalen Carter got in Goff's face. It's clear the Lions quarterback is feeling the heat already. We know he's somewhat of a different player when he doesn't have run support, too, and Jahmyr Gibbs' first carry of the day was stuffed for -1 yard. This could be a long night for Motown's offense.
Detroit has a chance to strike first after the Eagles' opening drive stalls rather quickly, but Jordan Davis gets a hand on Jared Goff's third pass of the night, and DeJean is there to snag it for the pick, which sets up a short Jake Elliott field goal:
Kicking may not be so easy during Sunday night's matchup. NBC reports Lincoln Financial Field is currently housing 15 mile-per-hour winds, with gusts expected to hit up to 30 miles per hour. Both teams' kickers had some trouble on warm-up field goal tries.
From our SportsLine-backed preview, highlighting a Gibbs touchdown as one of the safest bets related to Eagles-Lions:
The Detroit star running back had three touchdowns against the Commanders last week in a 44-22 victory, and he has five touchdowns over his last three games. Gibbs is tied for third in the NFL with eight rushing touchdowns, and he also has two receiving scores. Gibbs is an elite playmaker and a threat to score any time he touches the ball, which was also displayed last season when he led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns and added four receiving scores. Even at -110 odds, the model sees strong value in Gibbs to score on Sunday Night Football.
From our betting preview, fueled by SportsLine simulation data:
Philly's three-game win streak has also seen the team cover in all three contests, and the Eagles have a knack for getting up for big games versus high-caliber squads. The team is 4-0 ATS in 2025 against teams that enter in with a win percentage of at least 55%, as Detroit possesses. On the field, Philadelphia has committed the fewest turnovers (four), which would give it extra possessions versus a Detroit defense which struggles on the road. The Lions give up 26.6 points on the road this season, compared to 16.8 points at Ford Field, and the Lions have failed to cover in two of three games as underdogs.
Philadelphia is quite healthy for Week 11's prime-time matchup, but the same can't be said of the Lions. The following key starters are set to miss Sunday night's action due to injury:
It's worth noting that Arnold, Reed and Joseph make up three-quarters of the Lions' starting secondary. Joseph, in particular, is Detroit's top ballhawk with eight pass breakups and one pick this year. Expect more to fall on fellow safety Brian Branch, who's also seen extensive time taking slot corner reps during his career. Another candidate for more work: former Eagles corner Avonte Maddox, who once manned the nickel spot in Philly's defense.
As The Athletic reports, the former New York Giants veteran is on track to start opposite Quinyon Mitchell in Vic Fangio's secondary after turning in a solid showing against the Green Bay Packers in the Eagles' 10-7 win in Week 10. Jackson had previously been rotated with Kelee Ringo and Jakorian Bennett at the outside cornerback spot. The Birds also recently added Jaire Alexander, who abruptly stepped away from football following the team's last game.
