6 Matchups The Eagles Need To Win Vs The Lions

The Eagles won a key matchup vs the Packers on Monday Night. It gets no easier the following week. The Lions are arguably the biggest threat to the Eagles when it comes to getting back to the Super Bowl. The two teams felt like a lock to meet up in the playoffs last season, before injuries derailed the Lions' season.

But a matchup in the playoffs this season is very much in the cards. Where they play that game might be decided by this game.

The Lions are great, but not unbeatable. The Vikings managed to do it just two weeks ago. They are 6-3 on the season. How can the Eagles make it 6-4? To do so, they need to win these matchups.

The Lions' offense is prolific. They are going to score points. And while Vic Fangio has his work cut out for him, more importantly, there is an onus on Kevin Patullo and Nick Sirianni to step up as well.

The Eagles' offense has not lived up to expectations. A lot of that is how conservative they are. Their number 1 goal seems to be avoiding turnovers. It has worked, hence the 7-2 record. But there are times when you need to take risks. This week, vs the Lions, is one of those cases.

They cannot approach the game the way they did vs the Packers, where they are ultra conservative and rely solely on the defense. We have seen them be aggressive in cases. In the second half vs the Rams and vs the Vikings, they unleashed the offense, and we saw big results. They need to do that vs the Lions too. This is not a game to play it safe. It is a game where they need to take some chances and try to score some points.

The defense played well vs the Giants and looked great vs the Packers. Some of the success vs the Packers was the improved front 7, with Jaelan Phillips making a huge impact. But you also cannot ignore the reality that both the Giants and Packers were limited by the weapons they had, with injuries ravaging both teams.

The Lions have their full complement of weapons. Amon-ra St brown, Sam LaPorta, and Jameson Williams all need to be covered. That is before we even mention their great duo at RB.

The Eagles won't be able to hide the CB2 issue this week. Adoree Jackson, or Kelee Ringo, will get tested on some plays vs an elite WR. They activated Jakorian Bennett, so you can mix him in as well, but whoever fills that role is going to have a tough task at times. We have seen that be an issue throughout the season, and if the defense is going to have a good day, the CB2 has to at least be passable.

What is the best way to stop a tough offense? Keep them off the field. We saw the Eagles do it all last year. They could control the clock with the run game and limit the chances good offenses had to touch the ball. It has been the opposite this year.

The Eagles have the 2nd most 3 and outs in the league, in large part because their run plays go nowhere. 1st and 10 turns into 2nd and 9, which turns into a 3rd and long, which turns into a punt. So much has been said about Kevin Patullo's scheme. as mentioned, the scheme is an issue, and Nick Sirianni is responsible for that too. But if the O-Line played like they did last year, it would not be as big an issue as it has been.

They need to get the run game going. You do that, there are fewer 3 and outs, they hold the ball longer, the defense stays fresher, and many of the issues we have with the Eagles offense vanish.

The Lions' run D is solid. But with Saquon Barkley and with this O-Line, they should be able to run on anyone.

The Eagles are at a bit of a boiling point. AJ Brown has gone from cryptic posts to direct comments about how upset he is with the Eagles' offense. And even if you disagree with how he voiced his complaints, the complaints themselves are very valid.

They simply need to get AJ Brown more involved. Not just to keep him happy, but because obvioulsy getting him the ball would be good for the offense.

Brown is one of the most talented WRs in the league. The guy is almost a lock to make a contested catch. He is wildly under-utilized, even compared to last year where they did not throw the ball much. Call plays to get him the ball. Run a slant play. Get Brown the ball early and often, and good things will happen. It might even open things up for the run game.

The Lions have a true 2-headed monster at RB. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combine for over 1,100 yards and 13 TDs. Slowing that duo down is key to keeping the Lions out of the end zone.

The Eagles' run D looked great last week, after being uneven for most of the season. A lot was said about how Jaelan Phillips would help the Eagles' pass rush, but his impact vs the run may have gone overlooked. Nakobe Dean being back on the field and the return of Nolan Smith also make a big difference.

They will be tested this week. Slowing down Josh Jacobs was impressive, but he has not had the best of seasons to begin with. If they can slow down the Lions' run game, we can start talking about them being an elite run D. If the Lions backs can run on Sunday night, the Eagles may need to wait another week for their 8th win.

The Lions' Offensive Tackle Duo is among the best in the league. Penei Sewell has a case to be called the best tackle in the league, and Taylor Decker is solid. The Edge Rush might not be as effective on Sunday as they were vs the Packers. But where the Eagles can disrupt the Lions is inside.

The Lions' interior O-Line, like the Eagles, has struggled with injuries and new faces. They replaced Frank Ragnow with Graham Glasgow, and it has not gone great for them. They just placed LG Christian Mahogany on the IR. And they have a 2nd rookie at RG. The Vikings were able to wreak havoc inside in their win 2 weeks ago, and that is the Eagles' ticket to winning on defense as well.

And more than usual, getting pressure on Jared Goff is key this week. The splits when pressured vs not pressured are insane for him this season.

If you get any pressure on him, Goff goes from being elite to being dreadful. And you might be thinking this is standard: every QB looks worse when under pressure. But the dropoff is not usually that steep. Jalen Hurts goes from a QB Rating of 120.1 to 90.9.

Getting pressure, and specifically interior pressure, will be integral to winning on Sunday Night. Goff is a different player when you pressure him. The best way for them to generate that pressure is via Moro Ojomo and Jalen Carter inside.