Eagles-Lions matchups to watch in Week 11
Eagles-Lions matchups to watch in Week 11 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles (7-2) are coming off a close win over the Packers and are hosting the Detroit Lions (6-3) on Sunday Night Football.
Here are some matchups to watch:
Jalen Hurts vs. Lions man coverage
The Eagles' offense really sputtered in Week 10 aside from two big play back-to-back to Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith. It seems very unlikely that 10 points will be good enough against the Lions on Sunday night. A big key in this game could be how Jalen Hurts fares against a defense that majors in man coverage.
The Lions this season have used man coverage on a league-high 43.9% of dropbacks this season, according to NFL NextGen Stats. And they've obviously been good when using it, giving up just 4.9 yards per play (10th fewest in league) and a success rate of 36.7% (4th lowest in league).
On the flip side of that, the Eagles have excelled against man. They have averaged 9.1 yards per attempt against man (2nd most in league). Hurts has completed 63.4% of his passes against man coverage with 13 touchdowns and just 1 interceptions. A lot of that success has come against the blitz; the Lions blitz rate of 29.6% has them ranked 11th in the NFL.
There's also a chance the Lions will be without starting cornerback Terrion Arnold, who is in the NFL's concussion protocol. Could we see a big A.J. Brown game after he voiced his frustration during the week?
Saquon Barkley vs. Lions run defense
Through nine games this season, Barkley has gone over 100 yards just once. Against a Packers team that was gashed by the Panthers' run game in Week 9, Barkley ended up with just 60 yards on 22 carries but he still made one of the plays of the game with a 41-yard catch and run with a beautiful spin move on the way. It's very obvious the Eagles would love to establish the run but it has been very difficult for them in 2025.
The Lions statistically have the NFL's No. 8-ranked run defense, giving up just 94.3 yards per game. They have also stacked the box on 34.6% of their snaps, which is the sixth highest percentage in the NFL. What makes the Lions so good against the run is that they don't miss tackles and rarely give up any yards after contact. They are giving up just 2.37 yards after contact per attempt, which ranks first in the league.
Eagles OTs vs. Aidan Hutchinson
For the second straight week, the Eagles will face a talented pair of edge rushers. The star of the Lions' defensive line is former first-round pick Aidan Hutchinson, who has 7 sacks through 9 games and is tied for second in the NFL in pressures with 48. Micah Parsons also has 48 and Nik Bonitto leads the league with 51. Hutchinson plays on both sides of the line, along with Al-Quadin Muhammad. While Muhammad hasn't started a game this season, he is second on the team in sacks with 6, QB hits with 12 and pressures with 33.
Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson missed a lot of Monday night's game with an ankle injury but was able to tough it out and return for the final drive of the win. But his health and effectiveness will be something to monitor going into this game.
Eagles red zone offense vs. Lions red zone defense
Entering Week 10, the Eagles should have had a huge advantage in the red zone against a poor red zone defense but they ended up going 0-for-1 in that category. Their only official trip into the red zone in Green Bay came early in the third quarter when Jalen Hurts scrambled for 6 yards to get the ball to the 17. On the very next play Tank Bigsby lost 3 yards and then the Eagles got called for a delay of game before eventually hitting a 39-yard field goal. (Their only other trip into the red zone came on the first drive when Jalen Hurts fumbled after a successful QB run; that doesn't count toward this total because they never had a snap inside the 20.)
Getting into the red zone has been an issue for the Eagles, who lead the NFL in 3-and-outs. They have gotten into the red zone just 21 times in 9 games, which is tied with the Jets for the second-fewest trips inside the 20 in the NFL. The Titans have the fewest trips to the red zone with just 16.
So the Eagles first have to get into the red zone on Sunday night. But the Eagles still lead the NFL in red zone scoring percentage: 17 of 21 (81%). And if they get there on Sunday, the Eagles will face the NFL's No. 25 red zone defense. The Lions have given up touchdowns on 20 of 30 (66.7%) of their opponents trips inside their 20.
Run defense vs. Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery
The Lions have the No. 6 rushing offense in the NFL this season with 1,227 yards and 13 touchdowns. It's a two-headed attack with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, who are very complementary pieces. Gibbs is eighth in the NFL in rushing and Montgomery is 23rd.
Here are their numbers this season:
Gibbs: 128 attempts, 693 yards (5.4), 8 touchdowns
Montgomery: 104 attempts, 466 yards (4.5), 5 touchdowns
The Eagles had some leaky moments against the run earlier this season but have really shored up that part of their defense in recent weeks. In the first six games of the season, the Eagles were giving up 134.3 yards per game but in the last three they have given up an average of 87.0. It seems like putting Nakobe Dean back into the middle of the defense has really helped.
Cooper DeJean vs. Amon-Ra St. Brown
The Lions have plenty of weapons in their passing game but their most productive player is clearly Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has 64 catches on 82 targets for 693 yards and 8 touchdowns. St. Brown is on pace to eclipse 1,000 yards for the fourth straight season. While St. Brown actually gets slightly more snaps outside than in the slot, he has still played 213 of 500 snaps inside this season, which sets up a really fun matchup against Cooper DeJean. The Eagles' second-year nickel didn't have his best game in Green Bay, giving up 5 catches for 41 yards, while also being flagged a couple times. But DeJean is still widely considered to be one of the best nickel corners in the NFL.
The Lions speed threat is Jameson Williams, who has 27 catches for 474 yards (17.6) and 4 touchdowns this season. Jameson's yards-per-catch average is third in the NFL among players with 20+ catches.
Jaelan Phillips vs. Penei Sewell
The Eagles' big trade deadline acquisition had a tremendous debut against the Packers. He played 53 snaps and had a team-high 7 pressures in the win. Phillips (6-5, 263) appears to be the perfect addition for this Eagles defense and he fit into Vic Fangio's defense immediately. It's worth noting that Phillips played almost exclusively on the left side this season with the Dolphins and that continued in his first game with the Eagles. All but one of his snaps came on the left side against the Packers.
That means a really tough matchup in this game against All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell, who has been a three-time Pro Bowler in his first four seasons. Through 10 weeks, Sewell is ProFootballFocus's top ranked offensive tackle in the NFL. Sewell has been great in the run game and has given up just 9 pressures and 0 sacks all season.
Eagles LBs vs. Sam LaPorta
The Eagles missed out on facing Tucker Kraft in Green Bay but they'll see a really good tight end on Sunday. Sam LaPorta this season has 40 catches for 489 yards and 3 touchdowns. LaPorta is fifth among tight ends this season in receiving and is 34th among all players.
The Eagles have exceptionally linebackers and have unsurprisingly been great defending opposing tight ends. They have given up just 35 passes, 284 yards and 1 touchdown to tight ends this season. Just two teams (Falcons and Bills) have given up fewer receiving yards to tight ends this season.