Eagles-Lions memories: A.J. Brown’s debut, the Snow Bowl, and the 56-point throwbacks

When the Eagles and Lions face off Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field, it will be with both teams as clear Super Bowl contenders, with each looking to make a statement.

And that'll be a first in the history of the matchup.

The Eagles and Lions have had their ups and downs through the years – a lot more downs for the Lions – and some fond memories and moments for Eagles fans to look back on.

Sunday night, though, will be something totally new, and potentially defining in the true trajectory of the Eagles for this season.

But before then, a look back…

New beginnings

2022 Week 1

Ford Field erupted before the kickoff that day, as Detroit finally had hope that the Lions were about to turn a corner under Dan Campbell.

The Eagles, under Nick Sirianni in Year 2, got A.J. Brown in the offseason and had a lot of optimism that they were about to take a serious step forward after making a surprise rally into the playoffs the year before.

The Jalen Hurts-A.J. Brown connection was an instant hit. The QB found his new top receiver 10 times for 155 yards, including a big 54-yard catch over the shoulder, and the Eagles posted 38 points via four rushing touchdowns and a pick-six from new corner James Bradberry.

Detroit made a fourth-quarter surge to pull within a field goal, showing that they weren't about to be the league's pushover anymore, but the Eagles withstood in a 38-35 final and began a year that was about to take off into something special 1-0.

Well, he faked someone…

2021 Week 8

The Lions were still bad, and the Eagles were in a hole to begin the first season with Jalen Hurts as their full-time starting QB and Nick Sirianni as their rookie head coach.

Even so, the Eagles were a much better team.

They pummeled Detroit, 44-6, in a Halloween visit to Ford Field that bumped the Birds to 3-5 and dominoed into a second-half push that saw what was initially thought to be a rebuilding team sneak into the playoffs instead.

Jalen Hurts also took off on a scramble after the goal line that game. Already past the line of scrimmage and with no one for yards in front of him, he threw a jumping pump fake, then landed and kept on running before he was brought down within Detroit's 5-yard line.

Remember, Hurts was still pretty new to the job at the time. Maybe it at least fooled someone in the stadium.

10-31-2021- After Nick Sirianni gives a passionate speech about roots growing, the Sirianni era begins to blossom as the Eagles rout the lions on Halloween in Detroit with a dominant rushing attack pic.twitter.com/FuauU3YfXR

— Phillies and Eagles throwbacks (@Philsbirdsthrow) October 31, 2025

The Snow Bowl

2013 Week 14

A December blizzard enveloped Philadelphia, which made for a magical scene at Lincoln Financial Field.

The gridiron was covered, snow flew up off the ground with every step, and the FOX broadcast cameras could barely see through the snowfall, much less the white uniforms of the Detroit Lions.

The Eagles, who had caught the NFL by storm with Chip Kelly's lightning-fast offense and a quarterback who thrived within it in Nick Foles, needed almost three full quarters and no shot at kicking a field goal or an extra point before they figured out the heavy snow and the Matthew Stafford-Calvin Johnson era Lions.

They rode on the back of LeSean McCoy, who cut and powered through all of it for 217 yards and two big touchdowns, then took the dagger on a 38-yard scoring run up the gut from Chris Polk (isn't that a name for the memory banks?)

The Eagles went off for 28 fourth-quarter points and won 34-20 to continue their rally into the playoffs, and needing that last first down within the two-minute warning to kneel out the clock, Foles lobbed a pass over to Brent Celek, who took off past the marker then slid into the snow to make for one of that game's lasting images – well, that and Calvin Johnson getting up with a facemask full of snow after a tackle earlier in the game.

Football. Weather. Rules. ❄️
10 years ago, the @Eagles and @Lions played in one of the most epic snow storms you'll see on the field. pic.twitter.com/Mckk0cklvt

— NFL (@NFL) December 8, 2023

Wear them forever

2007 Week 3

The Eagles, in their 75th anniversary season, wore yellow and powder blue throwbacks at the Linc, then proceeded to crush the Lions for 42 first-half points and a way-lopsided 56-21 win by the end of it.

It felt like no one on Detroit could tackle Brian Westbrook, who went off for two rushing touchdowns, a receiving touchdown, and 221 all-purpose yards, and that no one could cover Kevin Curtis, who caught 11 passes with three of them for touchdowns and 221 receiving yards himself – plus the honor of seemingly having every yellow and blue jersey for kids across the Delaware Valley be in his No. 80 in the weeks that followed.

Those jerseys, by the way, were only a special event one-off, but in the moment, one middle schooler wanted the Eagles to wear them forever if it meant always putting up the most points he had ever seen.

.@36westbrook racked up 221 all-purpose yards and 3 touchdowns against the Lions in 2007.#TBT | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/3yku86tZf8

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 19, 2019

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