The Good, Bad, and Ugly From Lions' Loss to Eagles

Recapping the highs and lows of Detroit's loss to Philadelphia.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell and Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni meet after the game | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions were not able to overcome the elements and the relentless pressure from the Philadelphia Eagles defensive line.

In a game billed as a potential NFC Championship game preview, the Lions fells quite short, as the offense was only able to score a total of nine points.

The story of the game may be that Dan Campbell's squad may need to lean more into the idea that the real strength of the team is the defense.

“Man, our defense I thought played their tails off, 16 points allowed man. You only allow 16 points, your odds of winning go way up. Four-of-five on third down, four stops on the quarterback sneak. Man, that was big time. (DJ) Reader, and freaking (Roy) Lopez, and (Alim McNeill) Mac, and then (Trevor) Nowaske off the edge," said Campbell. "Those guys, in its totality, I just thought they did a hell of a job, man. They were ready for it, and it was critical. They were crucial. They gave us a chance there. One-of-three in the red zone, 28 attempts. Pass game, 4.3 average which was outstanding. Only gave up five explosives. They were five-of-six sudden change. Getting stops, that was big time.

"So yeah, they ran it 40 times but 3.7 average, so we hung in there and did what we needed to do. Minimal MAs. And really the only thing, just got no takeaways. We’re looking for those takeaways, really needed one in a critical moment. And then just trying to get off the field one more time there at the very end, but those guys played lights out."

Detroit struggled again on third- and fourth-down, going 0-5 when Campbell made the decision to go for it on fourth-down.

Detroit did not run the football all that effectively and the offensive line again was unable to limit Goff from being moved off his spot and being pressured relentlessly.

"Offensively, really starts with the run game, 3.5 average, it’s not enough for us. And that’s everybody, that’s all inclusive. Takes the whole unit. And then obviously third and fourth down, we weren’t good enough. It was 3-of-13, 0-5 on fourth down," said Campbell. "And really it was a combination of missed throws, we had some pressures, tipped balls, had a couple of drops. And then there were a couple bad calls by me. There are some calls I want back, bad. So, I had a hand in that."

One of the most glaring issues was the inconsistent play of wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown. The normally sure-handed wideout was unable to haul in a few receptions on passes he normally would easily catch.

Wideout Jameson Williams took an unnecessary 15-yard penalty for running into the uprights after scoring a touchdown, a clear violation of NFL rules.

"When we’re explosive, we’re explosive. We basically scored in two plays on drive four or five. We were able to hit in over the middle, and (Amon-Ra St. Brown) Saint gets a big one, that was a heck of a throw. Really good protection. And then right after that, (Jameson Williams) Jamo over the middle takes it to the house, good protection again, and a great throw in stride," said Campbell. "So, we’re freaking close. And then special teams, coverage units, loved it. Our return game wasn’t good enough. We’ve got to deliver the blow on some of those and give our guys a chance as returners.”

The latest 'Lone Wolves' podcast recaps the Lions fourth loss of the season, why the offense struggled so much and are the team's playoff hopes now in jeopardy?

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