Lifeless Lions Offense Flounders in 16-9 Loss to Eagles

Lions fall to 6-4 after road loss to Eagles.

Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch (32) tackles Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) during the first half | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

It was a cold and blistery evening at Lincoln Financial Field, when the the Detroit Lions arrived to face a Philadelphia Eagles squad that had won seven of their first nine games of the season.

Dan Campbell is quite familiar with the hostile environment, as he spent several seasons playing for the New York Giants.

"To go back to all this, in my own history I was in the NFC East for seven years. Philly, I know it well and it's a special place to play," Campbell said in an interview with FOX-2. "It is hostile, it's gonna be as hostile as a place we've ever been to. It is an electric atmosphere, man. Our guys are going to love this. We get a champion, get to play a champ, it's gonna be a heavyweight fight. We've got to be on cue, and it's just the type of game that we love, so this is perfect."

Both teams understood the significant ramifications of the NFC heavyweight showdown.

After 60 mins of action, the Lions' offense was not able to overcome Vic Fangio's stingy Eagles defense.

Next up is a home contest against the New York Giants at Ford Field.

Here are several takeaways from the Lions' 16-9 loss to the Eagles.

Eagles defense forces early turnover

After Detroit won the opening coin toss, the defense was able to force a stop on the Eagles opening offensive drive.

Campbell decided to start the game on their first possession passing the football, finding Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs for early completions.

Unfortunately, the Eagles defensive line made a play early in the Week 11 contest. Jordan Davis was able to tip a Jared Goff pass that was intended for tight end Brock Wright, resulting in Cooper DeJean interception that was returned to the Lions 11-yard line.

After a sudden change of possession, Detroit's defense held, as the Eagles were forced to settle for a Jake Elliott 27-yard field goal.

Lions offense struggles to establish rhythm in first half

It was tough sledding for Detroit's offense throughout their first four offensive possessions.

Last week, Detroit was able to move the football quite easily. In the rougher weather conditions, the ability to extend drives early in the game proved to be quite difficult.

Unfortunately, rookie right guard Tate Ratledge left the game during the team's third offensive possession. He was replaced by Trystan Colon for a brief period of time before returning to action.

Eagles linebacker Jaelan Phillips made his presence felt by sacking Goff in the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Campbell made the decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 near midfield. The Eagles defensive line, which stuffed Jahmyr Gibbs the play prior, was able to again stuff Detroit's rushing attack, forcing a turnover on downs.

Jameson Williams helps team, also hurts team

The Eagles capitalized on sniffingn out Detroit's attempt at a fake punt in the second quarter.

After taking a 6-0 lead, the Lions found their top two offensive weapons on their sixth offensive drive of the first half.

Amon-Ra St. Brown was on the receiving end of a 34-yard reception. The very next play, Goff found Jameson Williams, who was then able to easily scamper for a 40-yard touchdown.

After jumping into the uprights, the speedy wideout incurred an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, forcing kicker Jake Bates to try a 48-yard extra-point. Williams celebration ended up costing his team.

In tougher conditions, Bates sent the extra point wide right, keeping the game tied at 6-6.

Lions do not execute at championship level on fourth down

Last week, Gibbs recorded three touchdowns against Washington, becoming the sixth player in NFL history to score 40 prior to his 24th birthday.

On Detroit's first drive of the second half, the team was not able to execute on fourth down, as a Goff pass was low and unable to be caught by Williams.

Following a defensive stop, Gibbs sparked the offense, assisting the team move down the field and into the red zone. He took a screen pass for a big gain, bursting 42 yards to the Philadelphia 24-yard line.

However, after Gibbs took three more runs inside the Eagles' 10, the drive stalled out. On fourth down, the Eagles defensive line pressured Goff, forcing the incompletion on a toss to St. Brown.

Eagles defensive line exposes Lions offensive line

The Eagles feature one of the top defensive line units in the league. As the game went on, and noticeably in the third quarter, the offensive line struggled to protect Goff enough to allow him enough time to make throws.

It was pointed out on the television broadcast just how much difficulty Detroit's offensive line had with Phillips and Jordan Davis.

As a result, Goff was regularly pressured, hurried and struggled to consistently find his receivers in stride or in position to allow for yards after the catch. He had multiple passes batted at the line of scrimmage and was forced off platform routinely.