The Detroit Lions finally got their matchup against the Eagles, looking to make a statement as the NFC's true elite.
Jaelan Phillips and a Philly defense that may just be hitting their stride shut them down instead.
Phillips made his first sack in front of the Lincoln Financial Field crowd, and had Jared Goff on the run for what felt like all night, as Vic Fangio's group on the whole held a high-flying and high-risk-taking Detroit offense to just a touchdown (with a missed extra point) through three quarters.
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles' offense still have their issues in moving the ball, but a touchdown and three Jake Elliott field goals proved more than enough Sunday night when the Lions weren't allowed anywhere on the other side.
The Eagles won, 16-9, in another marquee primetime matchup. They're 8-2 to stay atop the conference, and pushing late into the season, when toughness and defense count for everything, Philly's might just be the meanest in the NFL top to bottom.
A rundown of how the Eagles got it done Sunday night in South Philly…
Tip-off
The Eagles have long put a heavy emphasis on the turnover battle as their path to victory, and Jordan Davis put an immediate dent in it that Sunday night.
On a fresh Detroit first down from the Lions' own 26, the big defensive tackle got his hands up and in the way of a low liner of a Jared Goff pass, which deflected up and into the grasp of Cooper DeJean for the interception.
WE'LL TAKE THAT ‼️ pic.twitter.com/mxYdh5xT8g
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 17, 2025
DeJean, with his first career regular-season pick, took the ball back to the Detroit 14 to set the Eagles' offense up inside the red zone.
They went three-and-out, and only moved two yards, which wasn't a promising showing from a concerning group early, but the Eagles at least took the first lead on a 27-yard chip shot from Jake Elliott, 3-0.
Vic Fangio's defense, meanwhile, picked right up from where they left off in Green Bay last week and showed they were ready to hold strong and give the offense every last chance to make something happen.
Jalen Hurts and co. just had to return the favor.
IOU
Jalen Hurts and co. did not return the favor – not for a while, that is.
Davis and DeJean created the pick, Phillips made his first sack in front of the home Philly crowd to force a punt, Moro Ojomo put a wall for a 4th and 1 stop on Jahmyr Gibbs, and then the Eagles' special teams didn't bite on a fake punt to make for another Detroit turnover on downs.
The DeJean interception and the Ojomo and fake punt stops each put the Eagles' offense in Detroit territory.
Eagles stuff the Lions on 4th & 1
DETvsPHI on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/NwoL0oQY2N— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2025
The Eagles' offense produced just 29 yards and six points from two field goals out of those opportunities – oh, and they lost Lane Johnson to a foot injury for the night along the way.
The first two were three-and-outs, with the latter leading the Eagles to punt from the Detroit 48.
The third looked like it was about to be a dead end, too, until Hurts kept the ball himself and ran to salvage a 12-yard gain and a fresh set of downs out of a 3rd and 11. That play, however, only went on to secure another chip-shot kick from Jake Elliott for a 6-0 lead pushing late into the second quarter.
The Eagles were staying ahead, but the responsibility to keep it that way kept falling to the defense and only got heavier the more times Detroit got to hold the ball.
By the Lions' sixth possession, the Eagles finally got burned.
Goff completed two big passes back-to-back to his star receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, with the latter sending Williams cutting through the Eagles' defense for 40 yards and a touchdown.
Jameson Williams 40-yard TD!!!
DETvsPHI on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/IhhOHzlbjv— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2025
Just from watching, you were waiting for that to happen.
It was a wakeup call for the Eagles, and a momentum swing for the Lions, or at least it should've been until Williams jumped and hung on to the goal post padding to get tagged with an unsportsmanlike conduct flag.
That mistake moved the Lions' point-after attempt 15 yards back, and because of the heavy wind, it was enough to cause Detroit kicker Jack Fox to miss wide.
The Eagles got a gift of a 6-6 tie…
Now they're in business
Then the Eagles' offense finally got moving – on a nine-yard completion to A.J.Brown through contact, a big 17-yard run from Tank Bigsby after a botched snap and a recovered fumble knocked them back to a 2nd and 13, another clutch completion to Brown for 11 yards, and then a big second-effort run by Saquon Barkley to spot the ball at the 1.
For the touchdown, and a 13-6 lead, everyone in the stadium knew it was "Tush Push" time, and as usual, there was little the opposing defense could do as Hurts barreled across the goal line.
TP TD pic.twitter.com/dfxXat7mMO
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 17, 2025
The offense had some sort of rhythm going, and took just shy of five minutes off the clock while they were at it to leave only seconds remaining in the half.
The Lions chose to kneel it out to go into the break, with the ball coming back to them for the second half.
Rolling snake eyes
Detroit head coach Dan Campbell chose to keep rolling the dice on the Eagles in fourth-down situations, and through three quarters, the Eagles' defense kept leaving him coming up empty.
Coming back from the half, Detroit went for it on a 4th and 5 from the Philadelphia 32, and Goff, under pressure, couldn't get a pass to Williams.
On a 4th and goal, after Detroit made a 69-yard march, Phillips burst off the edge to put Goff in a rush again, and the quarterback put a pass way ahead of St. Brown streaking across the back of the end zone, who was blanketed by Adoree'Jackson anyway in maybe the veteran cornerback's best showing as an Eagle.
The Eagles turnover the Lions on downs for the FOURTH time tonight
DETvsPHI on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/UJ5ZQwCjXJ— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2025
Then on Lion's very next possession, they were brought to 4th and 3 at the Eagles' 45. Campbell kept the offense out there. Goff dropped back to pass, was immediately under siege from the Philadelphia pass rush again, and forced a bad ball in St. Brown's direction in a panic.
Quinyon Mitchell had the receiver wrapped up this time, though, and Goff's attempted pass bounced off the grass way short.
By that point, heading toward the fourth quarter, the Lions were 2-for-9 on third downs and a devastating 0-for-5 on fourth down tries, and perhaps unnecessarily so.
The Eagles' defense, in the second half especially, dominated and threw Goff completely out of sync. But just as much, and accounting for the wind, Campbell took fourth-down gambles with his offense when he either had the field goal right there to chip away at the deficit, or had plenty of time to still afford a punt and bank for better field position.
And he rolled snake eyes on every one of those risks Sunday night, which helped to bury his team.
The Eagles only tacked on one more field goal in the fourth quarter to take a 10-point lead, but by then, it seemed like it might as well have been 30 for Detroit.
The Eagles' defense had successfully cracked the Lions' gameplan, and had Goff under so much pressure that he was struggling to even get screen passes out of his hand.
A late field goal when Detroit had no other options wouldn't make a difference.
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