Eagles-Lions preview: Five things to watch

In Week 11 of the NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles will face the Detroit Lions, an NFC Super Bowl contender they haven't played since Week 1 of the 2022 season. Here are our five things to watch.

1) The Eagles' run defense vs. the two-headed Lions rushing monster

The Lions have arguably the best running back duo in the NFL in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.

Gibbs brings the speed, and is their home run hitter:

Montgomery brings the power, and as the Inquirer's Devin Jackson shows in the video below, the Lions love getting their double-team blocks going when Montgomery is in the game:

The Lions want to be a run-heavy offense. Despite employing a quarterback in Jared Goff who rarely ever runs with the football, the Lions are top 10 in run percentage:

1. Seahawks: 52.9% run
2. Bills: 49.0%
3. Eagles 48.7%
4. Ravens: 48.2%
5. Commanders: 47.5
6. Jets: 47.4%
7. Patriots: 47.2%
8. Panthers: 47.1%
9. Lions: 46.9%
10. Packers: 46.0%

Most of those above teams have quarterbacks who can/will run with the ball. The Lions are one of the outliers. When opposing defenses have been able to slow down the Lions' rushing attack, they have had success. As you can see in the chart below, the Lions have had three games this season in which they have had under 100 rushing yards. Notice what those games all have in common.

First and foremost, the Eagles must not let the Lions' run game get going in this matchup.

It's also worth noting that Gibbs is a dangerous receiver out of the backfield. In 2024, he had 52 catches for 517 yards and 4 TDs. Here he is obliterating a Commanders linebacker on a Texas route. Trying to cover him one-on-one with a linebacker is generally a bad idea.

However, the Eagles have outstanding team speed on defense and they play a lot of zone, so I like their chances of corralling Gibbs in the passing game, much like the Packers were able to do Week 1, when he had 10 catches for just 31 yards (video via @JuMosq):

But certainly, these are the best running backs the Eagles will have faced all season.

2) The Eagles' secondary vs. the Lions' diversified receiving skill sets

The Eagles have three primary targets in their passing game — A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert. The other guys on the roster don't get many targets. The Lions have a similar setup with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and TE Sam LaPorta.

For those of you in a fantasy PPR league, you already know that St. Brown is a volume receiver. He finished second in the NFL a season ago with 115 receptions, and so far in 2025 he's fourth with 64 receptions. He was a good player immediately as a rookie, and has only gotten better:

The Lions' staff does a good job of scheming St. Brown open, and giving him opportunities to gobble up yards after the catch. You don't see a lot of this from the Eagles' offense (video via Devin Jackson):

It's a classic "good on good" matchup this week. St. Brown is probably the best slot receiver in the NFL, and Cooper DeJean is probably the best slot corner in the NFL.

Williams, meanwhile, is a speed demon, who did not run the 40 at the Combine because he tore his ACL the previous season, but who has claimed on multiple occasions that he can run a 4.1. (He can't, but he's still super fast.)

Obviously, Williams can win on deep balls down the field and he has a gaudy 17.6 yards per catch average. But he also presents opportunities for easy throws on deep comebacks because opposing DBs have to respect his ability to take the top off the defense. The Lions had a lot of success with those routes against Washington last week, as well as on crossers that allowed him to throttle up across the field and get yards after the catch. (Video via @JoshNorris):

And finally, there's LaPorta, who isn't the biggest tight end at 6'3, 245, but who is a bull in a China shop when he has the ball in his hands.

Those three guys are all on pace for over 895 receiving yards this season:

That's an awesome trio. So to recap, the Lions have the best running back duo in the NFL and dangerous receivers with diversified skill sets. How about their offensive line? Is that good, too? Normally, yes, but they're banged up, which brings us to…

3) Where might the Eagles go #Feastin™️? 🍗

The Lions' offensive line currently looks like this:

Lane Johnson has been one of the best offensive linemen in NFL history during his long, outstanding career, and perhaps the best pass protecting RT ever. He is in the process of passing the mantle of best RT in the NFL to Sewell, who isn't as good as Johnson in pass pro, but is an absolute destroyer in the run game. At the other tackle spot, Decker is a solid, 10th year pro who made the Pro Bowl in 2024.

But the interior is shaky.

• Glasgow became the center after Frank Ragnow retired this past offseason. That has been a downgrade.

• Christian Mahogany is normally the Lions' starting LG. He was placed on IR last week with a knee injury. Awosika, a former Eagles backup, started Week 10 against the Commanders.

• Ratledge is a second-round rookie.

A couple of weeks ago, Vikings DC Brian Flores decided to attack the interior of the Lions' offensive line, with a lot of success, as shown here by Shawn Syed:

There could be opportunities for Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Moro Ojomo to have an impact on the interior, and for Vic Fangio to send Nakobe Dean and Zack Baun on blitzes up the middle.

Jared Goff gets the ball out quicker than most, but at a 2.75 second average time from snap to throw, he's not in the top 10 among the NFL's quickest triggers.

#FeastinMeter™️: 6/10 turkey legs 🍗🍗🍗🍗🍗🍗

4) The Eagles' receivers vs. the Lions' banged-up secondary

The Lions could be missing three starters in their secondary on Sunday night — CB D.J. Reed, CB Terrion Arnold, and S Kerby Joseph.

• Reed signed a three-year deal worth $48 million this offseason as a free agent. He suffered a hamstring injury against the Browns Week 4, and was placed on IR. He has 16 tackles, 1 INT, and 4 PBUs in 4 games this season. The Lions opened up Reed's 21-day practice window this week, but he feels unlikely to play. We'll see.

• Arnold has a concussion and didn't practice on Wednesday. When healthy, Arnold is one of the grabbiest corners in the NFL. He had 10 penalties last season, and he has 6 already in 2025.

• And finally, Joseph last played in a game Week 6 against the Chiefs, when he injured his knee. The Lions didn't put him on IR, so they thought he could be back within four games, but he did not practice on Wednesday. His knee could be healing a little more slowly than expected. Joseph was a ball hawk last year, as he led the NFL with 9 INTs.

The first guy up on the outside would be Amik Robertson, and then Rock Ya-Sin. Arthur Maulet would likely start in the slot. Robertson is 5'8, 183, and Maulet is 5'10, 190. The Eagles could have some contested catch advantages over those guys if they have to play a lot of snaps.

The Eagles had their passing game going against the Vikings and Giants before the bye, but they sputtered in Green Bay on Monday night.

The Lions are allowing just 94.3 rushing yards per game, so the Eagles may have to throw it to win. That's where they'll have their matchup advantages, you know, if they can all get along and the Eagles' staff can call a game that makes sense.

5) Aidan Hutchinson is a premier pass rusher

Hutchinson's 2024 season got out to a great start, when he had 7.5 sacks in the Lions' first five games, before suffering a fractured tibia and fibula. So far in 2025, he has 7 sacks in 9 games, and a league-leading 4 forced fumbles. He does a great job of tackling the football, not just the quarterback.

Jalen Hurts must be careful holding onto the ball in the pocket, something that used to be a problem that he has since fixed.

Normally, the Eagles don't have to be overly concerned with the opposing team's elite pass rushers, because Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata wipe them out, but it's just worth noting that four of the Eagles' starting five were limited participants in practice on Wednesday, so it's a banged-up unit.

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