And, just like that, the Philadelphia Eagles win again. They’re 8-2 on this young season. That puts more distance between them, the New York Giants, and the Washington Commanders. Both of the latter two lost their games on Sunday in Week 11.
Nick Sirianni’s squad wins again. Say what you will about the head coach. His teams fight hard and are always ready to play. They win more than they lose, and they notched an impressive win over the best teams in the National Football Conference.
Some believe the Birds and Lions could realistically meet in an NFC Championship Game. Still, thanks to Philadelphia’s 16-9 win on Sunday Night Football, there’s a chance that, if their paths do cross again, there’s a good chance that the game could be played in the City of Brotherly Love at Lincoln Financial Field.
The good we saw from the Eagles vs. the Lions on Sunday Night Football
Dan Campbell, ever the gambler, attempted to convert fourth-down attempts into first downs that moved the chains. He tried this five times, and he was turned away by the Eagles’ steadily improving defense.
Jalen Hurts continued his reign over NFC North competition. He’s now a combined 11-0 versus the Lions, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, and Green Bay Packers.
Vic Fangio’s defense was again excellent. There are honestly too many great moments to mention, but how about the efforts from the likes of Jaelan Phillips, Jalyx Hunt, Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, and Quinyon Mitchell?
A.J. Brown was featured more often in the offense. Come on. Who didn’t see that coming? There’s an old saying, though. The same things that make you laugh can often be the same things that make you shed tears, and though seeing Brown get some opportunities made us all smile. One play made us want to rip our insides out.
The Bad
Okay, we can’t hold Philadelphia’s feet to the fire without criticizing Brown when he doesn’t do his part. Are we going to act as though we didn’t see A.J. Brown stop running on the deep miss thrown by Jalen Hurts in Number 11’s direction?
Sure, we can argue that Brown didn’t think the ball would come his way, but that’s no excuse. If you call for the ball, those types of mental breakdowns can’t happen. Not once… Not ever…
Lane Johnson and Cam Jurgens both left the game early. That’s never good. The heartbeat of this offense has long been the offensive line, and though the offense has struggled, nerves will calm if the best five players are lining up along the offensive front. They’re the glue that holds everything together.
The Ugly
There were again too many three-and-outs. That remains an inexcusable problem. This offense has too many stars to be as inept as it is at times.
Jalen Hurts has been excellent in spots this season, but when he and the offense are bad, they’re terrible. Did you see some of these throws? Many of the misses didn’t give the receivers any chance to catch the football.
Now, there were issues with the weather, but let’s say that was the issue. Let’s say the wind forced the ball in some weird directions. Why not try some quicker-developing plays to help settle Hurts down and get him into a rhythm?
This is the second time in seven days that we have seen the Eagles attempt a late fourth down to put the game away. This is the second time in seven days that we saw that attempt fail, putting Vic Fangio’s defense in a bad position.
On Monday Night Football, Fangio’s unit held serve. This time, the failed attempt immediately placed the Lions in scoring position. Detroit scored four plays later to bring the game within a single score.
These gambles haven’t cost Philadelphia yet, and Nick Sirianni is right. Everyone loves them when they work, but when the opposing team has no momentum, it seems counterproductive to give them some.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: The good, bad, and ugly from the Eagles’ 16-9 win over the Lions
