Lions-Eagles preview: A battle for NFC supremacy

As the highest two playoff seeds within the convention in 2024, the Eagles and Lions appeared to be on a collision course to face off within the NFC Championship sport.

However accidents caught as much as Detroit, slicing its playoff run brief and robbing NFL followers of one of many season's most highly-anticipated matchups.

The circumstances are just a little totally different this time round however the Eagles and Lions will lastly sq. off on Sunday night time (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC) in South Philly.

It is a tight race for NFC supremacy proper now. The Eagles (7-2) are at present ranked atop the convention however have plenty of groups on their heels, together with the 6-3 Lions.

Philadelphia is at present the favourite to make the convention championship (40.7%) per ESPN's Soccer Energy Index. Detroit (23.9% convention), nonetheless, is true behind the Eagles and will achieve the higher hand within the race with a win.

Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson sees Sunday's sport in Philadelphia as a “should win” for Detroit.

The Eagles are the one NFC group that the Lions have not defeated beneath head coach Dan Campbell since 2021, and he is warned the group about what to anticipate from the Eagles followers on the highway, which is anticipated to be a rowdy setting.

“We have had this one our calendar. We have been this one on our calendar for a very long time, so, coaches are gonna have us prepared,” Hutchinson mentioned after Wednesday's observe. “We're gonna be prepared for this sport and we actually see this as a should win.”

Philadelphia defeated Detroit 38-35 in Week 1 of the 2022 season and 44-6 in Week 8 of the 2021 season of their final two matchups. The Lions want to change that.

“Finally, the place we see ourselves as a group, yearly the usual is to battle for that No. 1 seed they usually're a type of groups that we're gonna battle with,” Hutchinson mentioned. “That is why it is a should win in my eyes and it is gonna set us up actually good for this final stretch of the season.”

In different phrases, it is a fairly large sport.

ESPN's Lions reporter Eric Woodyard and Eagles reporter Tim McManus break it down:

Signature win

Lions: Week 3 on the Baltimore Ravens. The Lions placed on a present on Monday Night time Soccer, securing their first-ever victory at Baltimore. Working backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, and wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown all reached the top zone within the 38-30 win whereas the protection sacked Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson a career-high seven occasions.

Eagles: They've crushed plenty of high quality groups already, together with the Chiefs, Bucs, and Packers on Monday night time. Their 33-26 win over the Rams Week 3 stands out, although. They blocked a pair of area aim makes an attempt, together with one by defensive sort out Jordan Davis that he returned for a landing on the buzzer, that confirmed their win-by-any-means mentality.

QB check-in

Lions: In his 10^th season, veteran QB Jared Goff continues to shine with 20 passing touchdowns by 9 video games. He has thrown a landing in 15 straight video games and has 44 profession video games of 300+ passing yards, which ties Dan Marino and Drew Brees for the third-most by any NFL quarterback who's performed 10 or extra seasons. Goff helped the Lions put up a season-high 546 whole yards in Sunday's 44-22 win at Washington. Head coach Dan Campbell mentioned afterward he feels Goff is taking part in his greatest soccer for the time being: “I feel he is settled into his personal the place he simply continues to take it one other notch and continues to get higher.”

Eagles: Quarterback Jalen Hurts has been extremely environment friendly in some key areas. With 16 passing touchdowns to simply 1 interception, he has the No. 1 TD/INT price within the league (16) and is on monitor for one of the best completion price of his profession (68.9%). He has developed into a wonderful deep-ball passer, with six touchdowns and nil interceptions on throws of 20-plus yards for a ranking of 131.8. Unfavorable performs (his 25 sacks are sixth-most within the NFL) is one space to scrub up. Hurts is not operating as a lot this yr; he's on tempo for the fewest speeding makes an attempt and speeding yards of his profession since taking on as starter in 2021.

Largest power

Lions: Floor assault. Gibbs continues to shine and is coming off a three-touchdown efficiency with 15 rushes for 142 yards along with three receptions for 30 receiving yards. The 23-year-old Gibbs now has 41 profession touchdowns, which is the fifth-most touchdowns by any participant earlier than his twenty fourth birthday in NFL historical past trailing Corridor of Famers in Barry Sanders (47), Randy Moss (44), Emmitt Smith (43), and Jim Brown (42).

Eagles: Their red-zone operation. They're No. 1 in red-zone offense with a landing price of 81% and rank fourth defensively with a 48.2% conversion price in opposition to. With these margins, it is no shock the Eagles are a league-best 6-1 in one-score video games. The recipe has been to restrict turnovers (their 4 giveaways are the fewest within the league) and maximize their reps contained in the 20. Up to now, it is labored properly.

Largest weak spot

Lions: Restrict opponents' red-zone effectivity. Defensively, Detroit has allowed an opponent red-zone effectivity of 66.7%, which is tied for 25^th within the league. First-year defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard has leaned closely on his teaching workers to make corrections in these conditions coming into the again half of the season.

Eagles: Third-down offense. They rank 27^th with a conversion price of 42.4% and have gone three-and-out on 41% of their drives, which ranks 28^th. That is confounding given all of the playmakers they've on that facet of the ball, together with operating again Saquon Barkley, and wideouts DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown. Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has usually leaned conservative on third-and-long. That is helped restrict the danger however has additionally capped their skill to increase drives.

Pattern to observe

Lions: Lions head coach Dan Campbell has taken over offensive play-calling for the foreseeable future after the offense was struggling to search out an identification outdoors of the homerun performs beneath first-year offensive coordinator John Morton by the primary eight video games. Beneath Campbell's course, Detroit used a play-action on a season-high 51% of its performs throughout Sunday's victory in Washington, and used movement on the snap a season-high 58% of the time, per ESPN Analysis.

Eagles: The defensive entrance turned a nook in opposition to the Packers. They generated 21 pressures on QB Jordan Love, who absorbed three sacks and eight hits and appeared uncomfortable all night time. The addition of edge rusher Jaelan Phillips (seven pressures, two QB hits, fumble restoration) on the commerce deadline paid speedy dividends. Add in defensive finish Nolan Smith's return from a triceps harm and the manufacturing they're already getting inside from gamers like Moro Ojomo (team-high 4 sacks), Jalen Carter and Davis, and you've got the makings of a line that may wreck video games.