Five Storylines With Final Score Prediction For Eagles-Lions In Primetime

PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles don’t have as much familiarity with the Lions as previous teams outside the NFC East on this year’s schedule, teams such as the Rams, the Bucs, and the Packers. The Eagles beat them all. In fact, they are 5-1 against teams that made the playoffs last year.

The Lions are in that playoff group, though they failed to live up to their status as the No. 1 seed last year and exited stage right to a Commanders team the Eagles throttled a week later in the conference championship, 55-23.

So, now comes the game these two were supposed to play in that conference title game. The Eagles, though, are a vastly different team, except for the winning part. They are still doing that better than most and are 7-2. Detroit is on the Eagles' heels and 6-3.

“We've been looking at this one on our calendar for a long time,” Lions pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson said this week. “Coaches are going to have us ready, we're going to be ready for this game, and we really see this as a must-win.”

That kind of funny because Eagles linebacker Zack Baun said he had no idea the Eagles were playing the Lions until the plane ride home from Green Bay with a 10-7 win over the Packers in their pockets.

Five Storylines And Final Score Prediction

Fighting Dysfunction: A.J. Brown’s frustration levels are near a boiling point. Will it be a distraction that derails this team not only on Sunday bit over the final eight games? Or will the Eagles feed their receiver the ball and keep feeding him?

Run Defense: Both will need to be on their toes with Saquon Barkley having the capability to break loose at any time. He had 101 total yards in last week’s win but has had only one 100-plus yard ground game this season.

The Lions have a pair of stud backs in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, but the Eagles have been better against the run since getting linebacker Nakobe Dean back in the lineup after missing the first seven games. The Eagles were giving up an average of 4.66 yards per game on the ground. Since Dean's return, it's dropped to 3.68.

Buddy System: Dallas Goedert and Avonte Maddox arrived in Philly together as part of the Eagles’ vaunted 2018 draft class, became quick friends, then roommates. Maddox has been used mostly on special teams, but the defensive back’s snap count was a season-high 22 on defense last week, a number that could rise with injuries in Detroit’s secondary. That means he and Goedert could see plenty of each other on the field. Goedert leads the Eagles in touchdowns with seven.

Offense: Ten points like the Eagles scored in a win over the Packers won’t cut it this game against a Lions team that is second in the league in points at 31 per game. Kevin Patullo and the offensive staff had one less day to figure it out after playing on Monday night.

Inside The Line: Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, and Moro Ojomo should give the Eagles an edge on the interior against a Lions interior that is using a backup at guard, Kayode Awosika, who was once an undrafted free agent signing of the Eagles, so he’s been schooled at Stoutland University, and rookie Tate Ratledge at the other guard spot, with Graham Glasgow at center.

Glasgow is an 11-year veteran, but he’s not Frank Ragnow, who retired after four Pro Bowl seasons. Ratledge is a former teammate at Georgia of Carter and Davis. Will that give hom an advantage or Carter and Davis?

Prediction: The Lions have plenty of injuries - just like they did last year - and I think the Eagles’ offense breaks out and hits 30, and that should be enough to win a hard-fought victory.

Eagles 31, Lions 29

Season record: 5-4.

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