The Philadelphia Eagles’ defense delivered a statement victory on Sunday night, shutting down Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions’ offense in a 16‑9 win that shifts momentum in the Eagles’ favor in the NFC. Philadelphia’s roster entered the game determined to impose its style, and they followed through across every key metric.
From the outset, the Eagles offensive line and pass rush created chaos for Goff, who completed just 38 percent of his passes — the lowest completion rate of the season for any quarterback thus far. Philadelphia’s applied 20 pressures and logged seven quarterback hits, while Goff failed to convert a single throw on 12 attempts under duress. The result: a frustrated Lions offense repeatedly managed to move the chains only to come up empty in high‑leverage moments.
On the interior of the Eagles’ defensive front, Jordan Davis swatted three passes and triggered an interception by Cooper DeJean, while Jalen Carter added two more deflections. Their preparation showed up in the execution: head coach Nick Sirianni’s squad ran a batted‑pass drill this week designed to exploit Goff’s tendency to throw at certain angles, and it paid immediate dividends.
Detroit’s aggressiveness on fourth down backfired against this unrelenting unit. The Lions went 0‑for‑5 in those spots, enabling Philadelphia to turn must‑convert situations into breathing room. Special teams and offensive contributions may have not lit up the scoreboard, but the defensive dominance painted a clearer picture of what this Eagles team might become.
Adding to the defensive resurgence: Jaelan Phillips, acquired ahead of the November 4 trade deadline, continues to fit into the front seamlessly. He recorded six pressures and a sack — a strong follow‑up to his debut — and linebackers like Nakobe Dean say his physical presence and demeanor elevate the entire unit.
While the offense mustered just 26 points in its past two wins (against Green Bay and Detroit combined) — the fewest since 1997 over a two‑game streak — the defense has delivered back‑to‑back sub‑10‑point holds for opponents. That shift in balance may be the key to sustaining their momentum as the playoffs loom.
With the win, Philadelphia improved to 8‑2. Their odds of earning the NFC’s top seed jumped to 47 percent from 17 percent, according to ESPN Analytics. As Sirianni noted: “I feel like I saw a lot of teams waiting to lose. Our team’s waiting to win because they know how to win and know how to figure out ways to win.”