6 Eagles Who Deserve Major Credit For The Win Over The Lions

There was a lot of trepidation heading into the Lions game. Many people said that if they played the Lions the way they played the Packers, they would lose. Well, the game played out in a very similar fashion. The Eagles' offense struggled to put up points all game long. And yet, they won.

They held the Lions to just 9 points. Jared Goff had one of the worst games of his career, certainly his worst in a Lions jersey. He completed just 14 passes on 37 attempts. Jahmyr Gibbs, who averages over 5 yards per carry, was held to 39 rushing yards on 12 attempts (though he did surpass 100 yards through the air).

The Eagles won their 8th game and beat perhaps their biggest competition for the NFC 1 Seed. And they did so thanks mostly to a defense that held the Lions under 10 points for the first time in 40 games.

But which players stood out the most? Let's look at 6 players who had particularly great games. I will note that just because I do not shout someone out here, it does not mean I do not think they played well. I could pretty much put the whole defense on the list. But these 6 players are the ones I noticed the most on Sunday night.

I am going to start with someone we rarely have the chance to praise. Adoree Jackson has been incosistent in that CB2 spot. Even in this game, he was responsible for the Lions lone TD in the game. But what he did the rest of the game makes up for it.

Jackson spent most of his time lined up against Amon-ra St brown. A matchup that if I told you the Lions got before the game, you would assume went poorly. But they got that matchup 11 times, and the Lions got just 8 yards from it.

Was Jackson helped by the pass rush making Jared Goff jittery? Of course. But you still have to give the guy credit. And he even came away with a very impressive pass breakup on a key 3rd down play in the 4th quarter.

From a cornerback we never praise, to one we have nothing but praise for. At this point, no one is surprised when Q has a great game. But what he did vs the Lions was a masterclass.

Mitchell didn't allow a single catch. They targeted him 6 times, and every time the fall landed on the ground. He did that vs one of the best passing offenses in the league, while covering players like Amon-ra St brown and Jameson Williams.

This season, QBs have a completion rate of just 41.9% when targeting Q. If that stands, it would be the lowest by a CB in any season since 2018.

Phillips had a near-perfect debut a week ago, racking up 8 pressures vs the Packers, along with several run stops. How did he follow that up? With 4 more pressures, his first Sack as an Eagle, and he was a menace against the run. Phillips now has 12 pressures in 2 games with the Eagles. He got more pressures in 2 games than all but 5 Eagles players got in the 8 before he joined the team.

It can not be overstated how much of a difference Phillips has made for the Eagles. It is not just production, but how he opens things up for other players. Now everyone is winning their matchup. The Eagles Edge Rushers struggled for 8 weeks. That put more pressure on the DTs, and let defenses pay more attention to them. Now they win across the board. 2 straight weeks where the D-Line dominated a game.

Oh, and he got those 4 pressures while being blocked by one of the best Tackles in the league, Penei Sewell. Here he is beating Sewell to put pressure on Goff, and force an errant throw.

Not 1, not 2, but 3 swats. Jordan Davis looked like Dikembe Motumbo vs the Lions, reaching up to deflect 3 passes at the line. It was enough to earn him the SNF Player of the Game ball, the one ball he did not swat down Sunday night. Davis is now tied for the league lead in batted balls.

Davis's impact rarely shows up in the stat sheet. But it can not be understated how important he is to the Eagles defense. He may not rack up many tackles or run stops, but it is his presence inside that helps his teammates make those plays. And while he is still not the greatest pass rusher, we have seen him make big strides, and make an impact vs the pass in other waya, i.e. batting down passes.

Jalen Carter had 2 batted balls of his own. That duo was a massive reason why Goff struggled so much. Not just them collapsing the pocket and stopping the run, but Goff had to think twice before he threw the ball in their general direction. Oh and while we are on the topic of DTs, it was another great game by Moro Ojomo too.

There is not much to praise the offense for, but there is 1 man I want to give a shoutout to. Jordan Davis was perfect as a pass blocker. He did not allow a single pressure on 31 pass block snaps, despite lining up against the likes of Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeil.

He lined up against Hutchinson 9 times on pass block snaps. Coming into the game, Hutchinson led the NFL with 57 QB pressures, and was 8th with 8 sacks. And yet, we hardly heard his name.

The offense had its issues. But Hurts for the most part had a clean pocket. The run blockng is a different issue, but as a pass blocker, Mailata had by far his best game of the season. A good sign for a player who has struggled coming off the long grueling Super Bowl season.

When the Eagles drafted Jihaad Campbell, it felt like the writing was on the wall for Dean. Between his injury, the long-term deal they gave Zack Baun, and the emergence of Campbell, it didn't seem like there was a place for him. There still might not be one long term. But man is he showing up in whatever time he has left here.

Dean had 3 tackles, a sack, and 1 tackle for a loss vs the Lions. He was also near perfect in coverage. He gave up 0 catches in 3 targets vs Jahmyr Gibbs, and 1 catch for 27 yards in 3 targets vs Jameson Williams. More than the stats though, it is just clear he brings a much needed energy to the defense. Dean is all over the field, and involved in what feels like every play.

In the last 3 games he now hads 15 tackles, 6 pressures, and 2 sacks. The fact the Eagles now have a LB duo of Baun, Dean, with the promising rookie Jihaad Campbell on top of that, is crazy, given where this team was with LBs just 2 years ago.