Adrian Fedkiw
At least the Philadelphia Eagles don’t have to worry about Calvin Johnson this time around.
The future Hall-of-Famer had eight receptions for 93 yards and three touchdowns as the Detroit Lions hammered the Eagles 45-14 on Thanksgiving Day last year.
Johnson, of course, retired during the offseason.
The Eagles are playing a lot better now than they were then under the guidance of Chip Kelly. Philadelphia is coming off its early Week 4 bye week, but despite not playing, the Eagles still lead the NFL in point differential at plus-65.
It’s been an amazing 3-0 start so far, can the Eagles keep it going in the Motor City this Sunday?
EAGLES PASSING GAME VS. LIONS PASS DEFENSE
PHI- 103.8 Passer Rating (4/32), 250 YPG (18/32)
DET- 120.2 Passer Rating allowed (32/32), 272 YPG allowed (21/32)
You’d think Carson Wentz should have his way against a free-falling Lions defense.
Not only is Detroit last in passer rating allowed (120.2), its passer rating on third down yielded (139.2) is also in the basement of the NFL. Opponents are converting 47.06 percent of their third downs against the Lions, which is the second worst mark in the league. It’s a perfect opponent to cure the Eagles’ third-down woes. Philadelphia has moved the chains on just 30 percent of its third-down plays, which is 29th.
Zach Ertz will return Sunday after suffering a rib displacement near his left shoulder during the Eagles’ opening-week win over the Cleveland Browns. This means for the first time this season, Philadelphia will have all three of its tight ends healthy and Pederson is ready to unleash the 13 personnel packages. He had been using offensive linemen Matt Tobin as a de facto blocking tight end in those 13 personnel situations.
As for Wentz, it’s been a breeze so far. How will he fare when trailing in the second half, something the Eagles haven’t had to worry about so far this season? As promising and encouraging as his first three games have been, there’s still a lot to learn. Only 13 of Wentz’s 106 pass plays have come with the Eagles down on the scoreboard. He’s had 73 while leading and 20 while tied.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XJMkCo8MjY
Philadelphia may not find out how Wentz handles himself facing adversity Sunday, but that time will come and I can’t wait to see how the rookie responds.
He’s been unflappable so far.
Wentz will also have his right tackle Lane Johnson for at least one more game until he potentially departs for his 10-game suspension. He had his suspension hearing Tuesday.
EAGLES RUNNING GAME VS. LIONS RUN DEFENSE
PHI- 3.7 YPC (21/32), 119.3 YPG (9/32)
DET- 4.8 YPC allowed (30/32), 114.5 YPG (23/32)
Ryan Mathews is expected to have his starting role handed back to him after having his carries limited the last two weeks due to an ankle injury.
Mathews’ absence, however, opened up the way for others to make their presence felt.
Wendell Smallwood is a one-cut, downhill runner, Kenjon Barner likes to run outside of the tackles and obviously, Darren Sproles is almost like another wide receiver.
Mathews might be the most talented back the Eagles have, but the Steelers game proved that this trio can help the Eagles win games because they each bring something different to the table. Smallwood benefitted the most during that blowout win, carrying the ball 17 times for 79 yards and a touchdown. Barner added eight totes for 42 yards, while Sproles caught a 73-yard touchdown pass and a 40-yarder en route to 128 yards receiving on six grabs.
LIONS PASSING GAME VS EAGLES PASS DEFENSE
PHI- 66.1 passer rating allowed (3/32), 203 YPG (6/32)
DET- 93.9 passer rating (12/32), 247 YPG (21/32)
Mattew Stafford excelled with Jim Bob Cooter as the offensive coordinator after taking over for Joe Lombardi during the middle of last season, throwing 19 touchdowns and two interceptions during the final eight games. He showed a lot more consistency in Bob Cooter’s simplistic offense. Stafford’s decision making improved drastically, was tough in the pocket and was able to show off his rocket of an arm.
Stafford hasn’t sustained that level of success so far, tossing seven touchdowns and four interceptions, but did lead the Lions on a game-winning drive against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Tlxk20-V18
Marvin Jones got $30 million guaranteed to help make up for Calvin Johnson’s production following his retirement. Jones has done that through four games, he’s currently second in the NFL in receiving yards. He has size, can high point the ball and makes a lot of contested catches.
Golden Tate saw his production drop by more than 500 yards despite catching just nine less passes in 2015. Tate is strong and has solid ball skills. He’s elusive after the catch, but didn’t showcase the deep ball ability like 2014. The Eagles secondary tends to struggle against quickness, we’ll see how they handle Tate, who currently has just 14 catches for 95 yards.
The 36-year-old Anquan Boldin has hauled in 17 receptions for 136 yards and a pair of scores.
The Eagles are ninth in the NFL in sacks with 10 and the Lions are 10th in sacks allowed, also with 10. Fletcher Cox and Bennie Logan should dominate the interior of the Detroit offensive line, comprised of guards Laken Tomlinson and Larry Warford and center Travis Swanson. Warford has regressed since a promising start to his career. Philadelphia’s ability to generate pressure with its front four has really helped it take some stress off of the secondary.
LIONS RUNNING GAME VS EAGLES RUN DEFENSE
PHI- 4.3 YPC allowed (23/32), 71.0 YPG (3/32)
DET- 4.2 YPC (13/32), 92.3 YPG (22/32)
The Lions have struggled running the football since second-year running back Ameer Abdullah suffered a foot injury, likely ending his season. Detroit has scraped out just 106 yards on 41 carries during that time, with 28 of those yards being responsible by four scrambles by Stafford.
Detroit might have to rely on Zach Zenner a lot with rookie Dwayne Washington injuring his ankle Sunday against the Chicago Bears. Theo Riddick is the most talented player at the running back spot, but is more of a pass catching threat than a runner. Think of Sproles with Riddick, he’s quick and shifty after the catch and can line up as a wide receiver. He racked up five catches for 62 yards and a touchdown against the Eagles last year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOaUFTu4d5E
If there is one thing to nitpick about the Eagles’ defense, it is stopping the run. Although the yards per game total looks outstanding, the yards per carry does not. Teams have stopped running on the Eagles because they’ve been playing from behind in the second half.
PREDICTION– Eagles 24-17