Eagles vs. Lions recap: Philadelphia suffers its first loss of season

The Eagles lost a game.

First half review

Defense:

Not a great defensive series from the Eagles to start the game. Matthew Stafford effortlessly drove the Lions 75 yards downfield and found Theo Riddick in the end zone for an easy touchdown. Eagles feeling the side effects of their early bye week?

Offense:

Eagles look rusty offensively as well. For the first time this season, the Eagles were unable to score on their opening drive.

Defense:

Marcus Smith sighting! Smith blew up a running play in the backfield and stopped the Lions runner for a loss. Good to see Smith finally beginning to contribute more.
Stafford finds Riddick for another score. Eagles defense has been susceptible to screen plays all day and it came back to bite them once again on this play. Very bad start against a solid Lions offense.

Offense:

Nice play by Wentz on a 2nd and 6. Wentz senses pressure on his blind side and steps up into the pocket to avoid the hit. Wentz then rolls out to his right and finds Ryan Mathews open in the flats, taking the ball downfield for an 18-yard gain. It’s not a flashy play, but it shows the maturity of Wentz as a decision maker.
Wentz finds Zach Ertz on back-to-back plays, Ertz’s first receptions since suffering a displaced rib in Week 1. Wentz and Ertz had tremendous chemistry against the Browns.
Carson Vick! Eagles coaches mentioned that there may be more orchestrated run plays for Wentz against the Lions and they did just that on this drive.
Touchdown! Wentz fakes a run on the goal line to Trey Burton, who was lined up as a fullback, and finds Ryan Mathews in the end zone for six. Eagles trail 14-7.

Defense:

Eagles force the Lions to go for it on fourth down (after a very questionable spot from the refs). Lions convert and keep the drive alive.
Lions continue to find success on the screen play. Stafford finds Zach Zenner for a big gain. Eagles have no answer.
Lions score. Stafford finds Marvin Jones in the back of the end zone for a one-yard touchdown. Lions ahead 21-7.

Offense:

Darren Sproles‘ cutback is insane. That is all.
Nelson Agholor makes a deceptively difficult catch with a defender bearing down on him for a nine-yard gain. Good to see him rebounding from a horrible rookie campaign.
What a mess of a final drive. There were penalties galore and confusion from the refs, but the Eagles ended up kicking a field goal to make the score 21-10.

Not a terrific first half for the Eagles. The defense looked totally off and the offense had a hard time getting things going. Easily the worst football we’ve seen from this team so far this season.

Second half review

Offense:

The Eagles offense came out guns blazing to start the second half, using a steady dose of both a ground and aerial tactics to catch the Lions defense off guard.
Dorial Green-Beckham made an awesome play to put the Eagles in the red zone. DGB caught the ball in the middle of the field, stiff armed a would-be tackler to the ground and raced down the sideline for a 26-yard gain. Really impressive play.
Touchdown! Wentz finds Josh Huff for a one-yard touchdown. Eagles down 21-17.

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Defense:

Sack. Bennie Logan gets to Stafford and drops him for a loss. Eagles defense looking fired up early.
Fumble! Stafford feels pressure and tries taking off to run, but loses the football and the Eagles recover in striking distance.

Offense:

Wentz had a couple nice chances, including a lobbed ball up to DGB in the end zone, but he was unable to real it in. Eagles settle for a field goal. 21-20 Detroit.

Defense:

Eagles force the first Detroit three and out on the day. Philadelphia certainly gained momentum after their forced fumble.

Offense:

In the first half, Wentz was given an avoidable delay of game penalty. By trying to conserve the Eagles’ timeouts, he cost them yards. The same thing happened on this drive, causing the team to punt.

Defense:

Eagles force Detroit to a 4th and 1. For the second time in the game, the Lions convert.
Sack! Eagles hold Detroit to minimal yardage following the fourth down conversion and take down Stafford to force a punt.

Offense:

Wentz drives the Eagles down the field, but they are unable to get into the endzone. Eagles settle for a field goal, giving them a 23-21 lead.

Defense:

Eagles force another three and out. Rodney McLeod was inches away from a diving interception and Nigel Bradham blew up a running play in the backfield. Solid defense all around.

Offense:

On a critical third down, Wentz drops back and finds Jordan Matthews to convert for a first down with less than three minutes remaining. Eagles doing their best to kill as much time as possible.
Fumble. On a 3rd and 2, Ryan Mathews coughed up the ball in Eagles territory and the Lions recovered. Game-deciding play there.

Defense:

Eagles are unable to keep Detroit from getting into field goal range, but they do keep them from getting into the end zone. Detroit makes the field goal to take the 24-23 lead.

Offense:

The very first play of the Eagles’ possession, Wentz airs it out downfield but it is intercepted by Darius Slay, the same player who forced Ryan Mathews to fumble earlier in the game. Detroit runs out the clock and wins it 24-23.

It was too little too late for the Eagles. They started the game looking rusty and recovered, but not enough to give them a comfortable lead. Overall, things could have been worse, but they obviously could have played much, much better.

Additional notes

Leodis McKelvin left the game with another hamstring injury, which held him out of the Eagles’ last two games. Jalen Mills filled in for him on the outside.

Ron Brooks also left the game with an apparent leg injury. Philadelphia’s group of cornerbacks is thin, so losing both McKelvin and Brooks is less than ideal.

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