Eagles Rush to Big Lead in Detroit

Nick Sirianni didn’t take the cheese.

The Eagles head coach could have easily lined up and thrown the ball against a Detroit Lions defense down to deep reserves at cornerback.

Instead, Sirianni ran right at the Lions in the first half. They ran for 126 yards and two touchdowns, one each from Boston Scott and Jordan Howard, to capture a 17-0 lead at halftime.

In taking a 10-0 lead with 12:50 to play in the second quarter, the coach dialed up 13 rushing plays to just six pass attempts.

Scott led the way, with seven carries in that opening stretch for 35 yards, including a 1-yard TD run to open the scoring with 3:11 to play in the first quarter.

The Eagles razzle-dazzled the Lions on their first TD, using Jalen Reagor on a jet sweep then a double-reverse. Reagor also had a touchdown overturned by replay from two yards out on a quick flip inside pass attempt from Jalen Hurts when it was ruled his knee touched before crossing the goal line.

Reagor suffered a left ankle injury and was questionable to return.

On third-and-goal after the overturn, Scott went in standing up from the 1 for a 7-0 lead with 3:11 to play in the first quarter.

Reagor had two carries for 21 yards, both runs netting first downs on the drive, which began at the Eagles’ 37 when Detroit’s Austin Seibert missed a 47-yard field goal wide left.

Reagor’s injury wasn’t the only the Eagles endured in the opening quarter. The team also had Jack Driscoll suffer a hand injury. He was replaced at right guard by Nate Herbig.

It marked the eighth time in eight games the Eagles have scored points in the first quarter, which is the first time in team history that has happened.

MORE: Lane Johnson Opens Up on Anxiety and Depression Issues in FOX Interview

After a field goal from 43 yards by Jake Elliott made it 10-0with 12:50 to play in the second quarter, Jordan Howard scored from four yards away to make it 17-0 with 2:51 to play in the half.

Scott finished the first quarter with 55 yards on nine carries. His career-high for yards rushing in a game is 70, which came against the Dallas Cowboys last November.

Howard had four carries for 21 yards.

Jalen Hurts, who threw just eight times, added 26 yards on four carries.

Reagor had two runs for 21 yards and Kenny Gainwell even pitched in a rush for three yards.

Tight end Dallas Goedert had three catches for 35 yards.

Defensively, the Eagles sacked QB Jared Goff four times.

Josh Sweat did the honors twice, both times in the first quarter, making him the first Eagle to record two sacks in the first quarter of a game since Connor Barwin did it on Dec. 16, 2015 vs. New England.

Derek Barnett notched his first sack of the season, this one on third down with Detroit near midfield.

Rookie Milton Williams notched the first of his career, this one a fourth down that saw the Lions forgo a field goal try late in the half.

It wasn’t all good for the defense, though. Once again, a quarterback completed passes at will. The Eagles had already allowed four quarterbacks to complete 80 percent of their passes against them and it is trending that way again.

Goff completed 14 of 17 throws for 104 yards.

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.

Add us as a preferred source on Google