Detroit (6-3) at Philadelphia (7-2)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EST, NBC
BetMGM NFL Odds: Eagles by 2 1/2 points
Against the Spread: Lions 6-3; Eagles 6-3
Series record: Eagles lead 18-16-2
Last meeting: Eagles defeated
the Lions 38-35 on Sept. 11, 2022, in Detroit
Lions offense: overall (6), rush (6), pass (10), scoring (2).
Lions defense: overall (7), rush (8), pass (12), scoring (13).
Eagles offense: overall (23), rush (21), pass (25), scoring (12).
Eagles defense: overall (18), rush (19), pass (14), scoring (10).
Turnover differential: Lions plus-6; Eagles plus-5.
Jahmyr Gibbs. The NFC Offensive Player of the Week had 172 yards from scrimmage and three TDs last week. In Detroit’s wins, the dual-threat RB has accounted for at least 87 yards. In three losses, Gibbs has been held to an average of 48 yards from scrimmage.
A.J. Brown. The three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver was targeted just three times in Monday night’s 10-7 win at Green Bay, bringing his season totals to a pedestrian 31 catches for 408 yards after 1,079 receiving yards last season. Brown voiced his displeasure on social media following the game and defended his comments to media in the Philadelphia locker room on Wednesday, saying he wants to be more involved in the offense.
Lions’ high-powered offense vs. Eagles’ solid defense. Detroit puts up 31.4 points per contest and ranks high in several other offensive categories, helped by amassing a season-high 546 yards in Sunday’s 44-22 win at Washington. QB Jared Goff is first in the league in completion percentage (74.0 percent) and ranks second in passing touchdowns (20) and quarterback rating (117.7). The Eagles, under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, have held opponents to 21.3 points.
Lions: Oft-injured CB Terrion Arnold is in concussion protocol. ... All-Pro S Kerby Joseph has been out for a month with a knee injury. ... TEs Sam LaPorta (back) and Brock Wright (ankle) did not practice Wednesday. ... CB D.J. Reed (hamstring) was limited in practice Wednesday, moving closer to playing for the first time since late September.
Eagles: C Cam Jurgens (knee) missed the last two games but would have been a limited participant in practice on Wednesday if the Eagles did not hold a walkthrough. RT Lane Johnson (ankle) also would have been a limited participant. Johnson limped off the field and was carted to the locker room after getting injured late in the first half against the Packers but returned in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles have averaged 41 points in their last two games on the road against the Lions, winning 38-35 in 2022 and 44-6 in 2021.
The Eagles and Lions are the two teams in the NFC with 40-plus regular-season wins over the last four years. ... Detroit is tied with Chicago atop the NFC North and owns the tiebreaker with a win over the Bears in their first matchup. ... Lions coach Dan Campbell began calling plays last week, taking the role away from offensive coordinator John Morton. ... Detroit had a season-high 546 yards, averaging 8.0 per play, at Washington . ... Goff, who threw for 320 yards and three TDs last week, has had 44 games with 300-plus yards passing and just two players (Patrick Mahomes, who has done it 49 times in his nine seasons) and Matt Ryan (45) have hit the mark more often in their first 10 seasons. ... Gibbs, who turns 24 in March, has 40 TDs from scrimmage and just four other players — Hall of Famers Barry Sanders (47), Randy Moss (43), Emmitt Smith (43) and Jim Brown (42) — have reached that total before their 24th birthday. ... WR Amon-Ra St. Brown has five or more catches in eight straight games and is another five-catch game away from matching Jarvis Landry (58) for the most in the first five years of an NFL career. ... Philadelphia has won 13 of its last 14 games at home and is 10-0 versus the NFC North, including playoff games, under head coach Nick Sirianni. … Jalen Hurts leads the league with a 16:1 touchdown to interception ratio. … Moro Ojomo tops the club with 4.0 sacks. … Edge Jaelan Phillips made six tackles, recovered a fumble and helped stop a crucial fourth-and-1 late in the fourth quarter in his debut for the Eagles in Monday’s win over Green Bay. … RB Saquon Barkley is well off his pace of 2,005 rushing yards last season, as he has gained just 579 yards on the ground through nine games.
Philadelphia TE Dallas Goedert has been one reason why the Eagles are ranked first in the NFL in percentage of touchdowns after entering the red zone, at 81.0%. More than 20% of Goedert’s receptions, seven of 34, have gone for touchdowns.
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