With the lights shining bright on a national performance, the Philadelphia Eagles showcased one of the best defensive performances ever, defeating the Detroit Lions 16-9 in Lincoln Financial Field. Though it was a great win for the Eagles, this particular victory represented a landmark achievement. It tilted the balance of power in their favor in the ultra-competitive NFC conference. In the last two weeks, the Eagles’ defense has crushed their opposition. They whipped the Green Bay Packers and then shutout the Detroit Lions, allowing just 16 points total.
From the first play, the Eagles took control of Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Facing constant pressure from a fierce defensive line, Goff was lost at sea, finishing with a paltry 38% completion percentage—the worst in QB play this season. This should scare Detroit fans. Goff had an abysmal performance, completing 0 of 12 attempts when pressured, contributing to one of the worst games of his career. The Eagles’ defense pressured him on 20 occasions and hit him seven times, putting a damper on his ability to move the offense.
Jordan Davis, perhaps the most important piece to the Eagles’ new defensive front trio, played well in the third quarter. He logged three batted passes, including one that led to a game-changing pick by Cooper DeJean. Jalen Carter stepped up with two batted passes, reflecting the Eagles’ dedication to disrupting Goff’s rhythm throughout the contest.
“Just little stuff like [batted passes] messes with a QB’s mind, messes with his mindset, how he passes the ball, and it showed in the game,” – Jordan Davis
The Eagles had done their homework in the days before this showdown. They even held a specific drill to simulate batted passes to make sure defenders were ready to pounce on any misthrows from Goff. These deep preparations bore golden fruit as the Bison defense answered every challenge from the offensive game plan with laser focus and unbridled physicality.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was effusive in his praise of the defensive effort after the game.
“The defense was playing lights-out; it was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen,” – Jalen Hurts
He acknowledged the significance of their performance against a capable Lions offense, saying:
“So a really, really big-time game on that side of the ball. To be able to do what they did on fourth down against a really good offense … a potent offense that’s capable of doing really special things … I have a lot of respect for that.” – Jalen Hurts
With less than 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the game went on to take a sharp turn. A very controversial pass-interference call against Rock Ya-Sin gave the Eagles a key first down. This critical decision meant Philadelphia could run the clock down to seal their victory.
That win not only staved off despair for the Eagles’ fanbase, it severely strengthened their NFC playoff race capital. Had they lost, their odds of making the postseason would have dropped to 17%. Instead, they now find themselves riding high on new-found confidence after consecutive dominating defensive performances against two teams expected to contend for the NFC title.
After the Eagles acquired and signed Davis, he reiterated the team’s intentions to continue playing their unique brand of physical football.
“We talked about it all week, going out there, being physical, playing our style of game. They’ve got to come through us. They’ve got to come through Philly if they want to advance,” – Jordan Davis
It’s something head coach Nick Sirianni clearly has been preaching as well, noting that it’s about winning, period.
“I think we take a lot of pride in just winning, period,” – Nick Sirianni
Leave a Reply