Eagles versus Lions Week 1 studs and duds (and one incomplete grade)

The Eagles hang on for a 38-35 Week 1 victory in the Motor City over the Lions.

Well, they survived by the hairs of their chinny chin chins. The Philadelphia Eagles open the 2022-2023 NFL campaign with a win, and that’s all that matters, but as expected, the Detroit Lions and a raucous home crowd at Ford Field didn’t make things easy.

Philly’s defense looked porous early. They stiffened shortly thereafter during the second quarter before returning to mediocrity to close the half. The third quarter was ‘iffy’, but they made enough plays to help protect the Philadelphia Eagles’ lead while also making a huge play of their own to help with the point total. That’s all that matters.

After giving up a fourth-quarter touchdown pass that trimmed a ten-point lead to a three-point margin, the offense was up to the task. With just under four minutes remaining, they closed the show with a quarterback kneel in the victory formation thanks to a clock-devouring drive that was punctuated by a 24-yard run by Miles Sanders at the two-minute warning.

This one was tough to watch at times. Improvements need to be made (as expected), but that’s okay. It feels much better to make the necessary adjustments with a checkmark in the win column.

We tip the cap to Michael Clay’s special teams unit for being ready for an onside kick attempt. That kept the Lions from earning an extra possession. Let’s hand out a few game balls to this week’s studs and discuss an area or two where we’d like to see improvement.