{"id":385258,"date":"2025-11-17T13:18:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T13:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/385258\/"},"modified":"2025-11-17T13:18:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T13:18:11","slug":"eagles-lions-takeaways-philly-defense-harasses-jared-goff-ruins-fourth-down-gambles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/385258\/","title":{"rendered":"Eagles-Lions takeaways: Philly defense harasses Jared Goff, ruins fourth-down gambles"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Zach Berman, Brooks Kubena, Colton Pouncy, Alex Valdes<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Philadelphia Eagles\u2019 defense harassed quarterback Jared Goff all game and stopped the Detroit Lions five times on fourth down to win 16-9<\/a>\u00a0on Sunday night.<\/p>\n

The Eagles\u2019 offense wasn\u2019t a whole lot better, but they rushed for 148 yards and quarterback Jalen Hurts scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter to give Philly a lead they never lost.<\/p>\n

The Philadelphia defense held Goff to 14-for-37 passing and put constant pressure on him, sacking him twice. Lions coach Dan Campbell also tried for first downs on five fourth downs, but the Eagles defense stopped all of them.<\/p>\n

Relentless pass rush<\/p>\n

The Eagles again won by strong-arming their opponent on defense. The Lions entered the weekend with the NFL\u2019s second-ranked scoring offense (31.4 points per game), and the Eagles held them to a season-low nine. Philadelphia\u2019s front was relentless. Jaelan Phillips has been dominant in his first two games since being acquired at the trade deadline and recorded his first sack. Nakobe Dean had the other. Jordan Davis had three batted passes. Jalen Carter had two.<\/p>\n

Adoree\u2019 Jackson\u2019s best game<\/p>\n

The Lions were 0-for-5 on fourth-down attempts and 3-for-12 on third-down attempts. Adoree\u2019 Jackson quietly had perhaps his best game of the season. The CB2 spot has been precarious all season. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has been reluctant to move Cooper DeJean outside, and Jackson\u2019s play was one of the few things keeping Fangio\u2019s finger off the button. Fangio called Jackson a \u201csurvivor\u201d earlier this week.<\/p>\n

Jameson Williams beat Jackson on a 40-yard touchdown, but Jackson held his own against Amon-Ra St. Brown in a goal-line stop and had a crucial third-down pass deflection in the fourth quarter. They say defenses win championships. With the way the Eagles are playing offensively, they\u2019ll need that to be true. \u2014 Brooks Kubena, Eagles beat writer<\/p>\n

Huge game for No. 1 seed hopes<\/p>\n

This victory was critical for the Eagles\u2019 hopes of the No. 1 seed, and they now have a 50 percent chance at getting it. Had the Eagles lost, their chances would have been 16 percent. It doesn\u2019t look the way it\u2019s designed, but the Eagles are a clear Super Bowl contender \u2014 especially with their defense.<\/p>\n

They now have wins over the Lions, Packers, Rams, Chiefs and Bucs. That doesn\u2019t happen by accident. The Packers\/Lions stretch following the bye seemed daunting entering the season, but they escaped both with wins. They have only three games remaining against opponents with winning records (the Bears, the Chargers, the Bills).<\/p>\n

You can say they must play better, but the way they\u2019re playing is working. And if they can clinch the No. 1 seed, good luck to opponents coming into Philadelphia in January. The Eagles have won seven of their last eight home postseason games. \u2014 Zach Berman, Eagles beat writer<\/p>\n

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Head Coach Nick Sirianni and Eagles players speak with the media. #FlyEaglesFly<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/6OVWwsj1JH<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 17, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Offense just good enough<\/p>\n

The Eagles\u2019 offense scored only one touchdown for the second consecutive week \u2014 the first time that\u2019s happened since the end of the 2022 season, when Hurts was injured. This game won\u2019t leave fans enthused about the offense. They went 4-for-15 on third down and had five possessions without a first down. They\u2019re still not the dynamic attack you\u2019d expect with these weapons. But they didn\u2019t turn the ball over, they made a few opportunistic plays, and they won. That was enough \u2026 again. \u2014 Berman<\/p>\n

Brown targeted a lot<\/p>\n

It was clear that A.J. Brown was a focal part of the Eagles\u2019 game plan \u2014 he was targeted a season-high 11 times. He finished with seven catches for 49 yards \u2014 modest production, but given the volume surrounding his frustration with his \u201csituation,\u201d the usage cannot be ignored. He also drew a pass interference on the final drive in the fourth quarter. \u2014 Berman<\/p>\n

Major fail by Campbell and Goff<\/p>\n

This was an ugly performance for Campbell, Goff and the Lions. The coaching tonight was head scratching, with several decisions Campbell will likely regret come Monday. The Lions went 0-for-5 on fourth downs. Goff was inaccurate and rattled, completing just 14 of his 37 attempts, including 2 of 12 when targeting St. Brown. Losing Sam LaPorta to injured reserve didn\u2019t help, but Goff was out of sync and struggled throwing beyond the sticks for much of this game. Detroit couldn\u2019t run the ball with much success, either. Just a stagnant offensive outing in a game the Lions needed to keep pace atop the NFC North. \u2014 Colton Pouncy, Lions beat writer<\/p>\n

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Coach Campbell on tonight’s loss pic.twitter.com\/EPGX2BEWCg<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 17, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Likely goodbye to a bye<\/p>\n

The Lions are 6-4, third in the NFC North and on the outside looking in for the playoff race. This is not where they were expected to be after 11 weeks. They just lost a measuring-stick game against a contender in their conference, and any lingering hope of securing a first-round bye is just about lost after this outing.<\/p>\n

The Lions will get the Giants and Packers the next two weeks, and have plenty of time to make up ground in the division, but this was undoubtedly a step back. You never quite know what to expect from this group on a week-to-week basis \u2014 something you haven\u2019t been able to say about them since they turned the corner in 2023. \u2014 Pouncy<\/p>\n