The Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions are in different stages in their franchise makeup. Howie Roseman has been as active as ever, building his team around the inexpensive Jalen Hurts. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions are forming the foundation for their eventual franchise QB, whomever that may be. The two teams will meet in Motor City for Week 1 of the NFL season. Read on for a breakdown of the game, where to watch, injuries, and the game prediction from our NFL staff.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Detroit Lions preview
The Eagles are going for it. Philadelphia finished 9-8 a season ago and has improved drastically through the NFL draft, free agency, and the trade market. They added Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean while trading another first-round pick for Titans’ receiver A.J. Brown, who will carry much of the burden of evolving the offense.
They also added Haason Reddick in free agency and solved their second safety problem with a trade for C.J. Gardner-Johnson. They were already one of the best running teams in the league last season, and that should continue given their strength on the offensive line.
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The Lions may be underwhelming, but they will at least be entertaining. A season ago, they only managed three wins, but they lost five games by one score and kept more games close than their roster should have allowed.
Detroit has been building for two years now. And although they’re not yet ready to compete, they’ve created the foundation for whoever takes snaps for them as their next franchise QB. Aidan Hutchinson will be exciting to watch, and it’s worth keeping an eye on former first-round CB Jeff Okudah to see if he can find his footing in the NFL.
How to watch
- Date and Time
Sunday, Sept. 11, 1 p.m. ET - Channel
FOX - Live Stream
Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV (some markets), fuboTV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream, FOX Now
Matchups
The Eagles vs. Lions historical matchup is about as even as they come. The Eagles have won 17 games and the Lions have won 16. They tied one another in 1984 and 1954. They met a season ago, and Philadelphia absolutely demoralized Detroit, 44-6.
The Eagles made the playoffs last year despite not beating a single playoff team during the regular season. They’d go on to lose in the Wild Card Round to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-15. The Lions finished their season by beating the Green Bay Packers 37-30 in Week 18.
Philadelphia Eagles 2021 stats/rankings
- Scoring: 26.1 (12th)
- Yards: 359.9 (14th)
- Yards per play: 5.69 (13th)
- Passing: 200.2 (25th)
- Rushing: 159.7 (first)
- Defensive scoring: 22.6 (18th)
- Yards allowed: 328.8 (10th)
- Yards per play allowed: 5.2 (eighth)
- Pass defense: 220.9 (11th)
- Rush defense: 107.9 (ninth)
Detroit Lions 2021 stats/rankings
- Scoring: 19.1 (25th)
- Yards: 322.6 (22nd)
- Yards per play: 5.19 (20th)
- Passing: 211.6 (18th)
- Rushing: 110.9 (19th)
- Defensive scoring: 27.5 (31st)
- Yards allowed: 379.8 (29th)
- Yards per play allowed: 5.91 (29th)
- Pass defense: 244.7 (24th)
- Rush defense: 135.1 (28th)
Injuries to know
Philadelphia Eagles:
OT Andre Dillard (injured reserve)
TE Jaeden Graham (injured reserve)
WR Greg Ward (injured reserve)
TE Tyree Jackson (physically unable to perform
OL Brett Toth (physically unable to perform)
Detroit Lions:
G Tommy Kraemer (back, out)
DT Levi Onwuzerike (back, out)
S Ifeatu Melifonwu (hamstring, doubtful)
DE Julian Okwara (hamstring, questionable)
C Frank Ragnow (groin, questionable)
G Halapoulivaati Vaitai (injured reserve)
WR Jameson Williams (non-football injury list)
FB Jason Cabinda (physically unable to perform)
CB Jerry Jacobs (physically unable to perform)
DE Romeo Okwara (physically unable to perform)
DE Josh Paschal (physically unable to perform)
Prediction
Betting line (courtesy of Caesars)
Eagles -5; Eagles -225, Lions +185; O/U 48.5
Dalton Miller’s Prediction
1-0 straight-up, 1-0 against the spread in 2022
Eagles 27, Lions 21
Adam Beasley’s Prediction
1-0 straight-up, 1-0 against the spread in 2022
Eagles 27, Lions 20
Dallas Robinson’s Prediction
1-0 straight-up, 0-1 against the spread in 2022
Eagles 24, Lions 17