EAGLES’ CHANCE TO PLAY “ERASER” ROLE…

Anyone who thinks the Detroit Lions at 1-3 are a pushover is sadly mistaken. This team is chomping at the bit for a meaningful win on Sunday.

Key Matchups according to Chris McPherson of PE.com:

1. RB Theo Riddick vs. LB Jordan Hicks – Theo Riddick gashed the Eagles in the pass game last Thanksgiving. With the loss of Ameer Abdullah due to a foot injury, Riddick is now the primary ball carrier instead of just a pass-catching option.  At 5-9, 201 pounds, Riddick is small for an every-down, between-the-tackles running back. He leads the Lions with 122 yards rushing, but on just 3.1 yards per carry. And 21 of those yards came on a touchdown run, his longest play of the season to date. But Riddick is second on the team with 20 receptions, the most by an NFL running back to this point, so the Eagles still have to account for him in the pass game. Last year, the Eagles did not have Jordan Hicks for the Thanksgiving showdown. Hicks has played the second-most snaps of the Eagles linebackers this season and will be responsible for tracking Riddick out of the backfield. The Eagles didn’t game plan properly for Riddick last season. Don’t expect that to be the case again this year.

2. Eagles Tight Ends vs. LB Tahir Whitehead – According to Stats Inc., the Temple product and starting middle linebacker has allowed 22 receptions this season in coverage and four touchdowns. Both totals are the second highest in the NFL. The Lions, as a whole, have struggled to defend tight ends. A tight end has scored a touchdown in each of the Lions’ four games this year. Per Football Outsiders, tight ends average 72 yards per game against Detroit. Enter the Eagles’ trio of tight ends which will be healthy for the first time all season. Trey Burton missed the season opener with a calf injury, and Zach Ertz was sidelined for the past two games with a rib injury. Burton caught his first NFL pass last year in Detroit, and is tied for third on the team in targets in his two games.

3. Eagles Special Teams vs. Returner Andre Roberts – The Bears had the win over the Lions all but wrapped up last Sunday until Andre Roberts returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. It is the longest punt return in the league this season. Chicago recovered the onside kick to seal the win, but the Eagles were already victimized in Week 2 on Eddie Royal’s 65-yard punt return touchdown in Chicago.

Trends To Watch:

0 – The Eagles are the only team in the NFL to have zero turnovers through the first month of the season. The Lions’ defense, meanwhile, is tied for last in the league with just one forced turnover on the year.

18 – The Lions have allowed 18 touchdowns to opposing tight ends in their last 20 games, including six in just four games this season.

92.3 – The Lions rank 22nd in the NFL with an average of just 92.3 rushing yards per game. Conversely, the Eagles’ defense ranks third in the NFL, allowing just 71.0 rushing yards per game on average.

Now let’s talk about the Lions’ quarterback—

Tommy Lawlor at Iggles Blitz: “The Lions can move the football. They are 10th in the league in yards and 13th in points. QB Matt Stafford has been outstanding at times. He’s thrown 7 TDs on the year and has a rating of 93.9. Stafford has an explosive arm. He can put the ball anywhere on the field. He’s more athletic than people think. He has 8 runs for 64 yards this year. He can also run to buy time. That puts pressure on DBs to hold their coverage.”

“Stafford has a couple of terrific weapons in RB Theo Riddick and WR Marvin Jones. Riddick doesn’t have good stats (3.1 YPR), but he is very talented. He is an elusive runner that can make plays when he’s in space. He’s also a gifted receiver. Riddick has 20 catches and a TD in the air so far this year. He was 5-62-1 against the Eagles last year and gave Mychal Kendricks some headaches.”

“Jones is off to a great start with his new team. He is 23-482-2 on the year. That is 21 yards a reception. Wow. Jones runs good routes, but is also athletic. He has good hands and will make some tough catches. He doesn’t have to be open to be open. Jones is 2nd in the NFL in receiving yards and is tied for the league lead in catches of 20 or more yards. He is a major threat.”

“Anquan Boldin, Golden Tate and Andre Roberts are the rest of the key receivers.”

Detroit has invested in their O-line in the last few years.

Stafford has been sacked 10 times this year. This OL group is better when they run block.

Lawlor on the Lions’ Defense: “The Lions once had a great DL, but that group has eroded over time. DE Kerry Hyder has 5 sacks, but doesn’t jump out at you when you watch the Lions defense. He is 6-2, 280 and is a relentless effort rusher. He’s just not explosive or dynamic from what I’ve seen. DE Devin Taylor has great length and 1.5 sacks. Veteran DT Haloti Ngata anchors the middle. This group hasn’t impressed me at all. Watch the Bears game and you’ll see Brian Hoyer with plenty of time to throw on a regular basis.”

“The [Lions’]  secondary is a mess. Opposing QBs have a rating of 120.2 so far this year. That’s insane. The Eagles defense had their own coverage issues last year and were at 92.8. The Lions were down at 100.9 then so the secondary has been a problem for a while now.”

Translating Mr. Lawlor as best I can, the Lions are not operating at full power, especially with the absence of the injured DE Ziggy Ansah and LB DeAndre Levy, as well as talented TE Eric Ebron. But they have other playmakers who are capable of impacting the outcome, like MLB Tahir Whitehead, who has moved inside from his previous OLB position to fill the void left by the injury to DeAndre Levy.