The Philadelphia Eagles traveled to the Motor City to take on the Detroit Lions, and it’s safe to say that this game did not go well for Detroit. They were annihilated 44-6, and, honestly, there were few positive takeaways from this game.
Here are five numbers that best describe a tough loss to the Eagles.
235
Under Nick Sirriani, the Eagles have been a pass-heavy team, and their run game has struggled. Due to the recent improvement of Detroit’s pass defense, many, including me, thought the outlook was positive. However, the Eagles did the unexpected: They ran the ball down Detroit’s throat.
The Eagles rushed for four touchdowns. Boston Scott and Jordan Howard had two each.
Philly didn’t even have a 100-yard rusher in the game. Jalen Hurts had 71 rushing yards on only seven carries, Scott had 60 yards, and Howard had 57. The run game was incredibly balanced. But the Lions didn’t have an answer no matter who was carrying the ball.
3
You can’t expect to win a game when you can’t hold on to the ball. D’Andre Swift, Jared Goff, and David Blough all fumbled. Although only one of these resulted in a turnover, losing the football this many times is unacceptable. Bad teams have bad ball security, and unfortunately, Detroit has shown they belong in that category so far.
88
Let’s focus on one positive: T.J. Hockenson is a great tight end. He seemed to be one of the only bright spots on the offense, posting 10 receptions for 89 yards. So far on the season, Hockenson has 48 receptions for 448 yards and two touchdowns. With this year’s expanded regular season and the recent emphasis on tight ends in the modern NFL, Hockenson could go for over 1,000 yards in 2021. Hockenson continues to be a beacon of hope in a winless season.
0
The Eagles allowed zero total points and had one turnover, six sacks, and 11 quarterback hits when they played their starting defense. I sure wish I started the Eagles’ defense in fantasy this week.
The Eagles’ defense suffocated Goff, making him fall to 0-15 without Sean McVay.
244
The Lions have the worst defense in the only statistic that truly matters: They’ve given up the most points allowed.
Detroit has allowed 244 points this year, putting them dead last. You can’t have this type of defensive performance every week and expect to win football games. Something needs to be changed for the Lions to secure their first win.
I had hope for this game, given how the Lions had played some teams. I thought they would come in and get their first win of the season. However, Detroit may as well have not played in this game. It seemed like almost no one was mentally ready, and it felt like the players and Dan Campbell were all on a different page.
