Previewing the Detroit Lions

Although Detroit is 1-3, this game has me slightly nervous. I don’t believe that their record indicates how good this team is. By looking at their stats above you can pick up a few things. 1.) Their strength is their offense.. They can put up points in a hurry because of great quarterback play from Matthew Stafford(pictured above) 2.) Their coach Jim Caldwell has come up with great offensive concepts along with their offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter. They are a top 10 offense in everything except for points(13th) and rushing yards(22nd). They will spread you out and utilize their wide receivers Golden Tate, Anquan Boldin and Marvin Jones. Don’t forget about their tight end Eric Ebron#85, who is a match up nightmare for linebackers. I have a feeling they might be calling his name a lot come Sunday. 3.) Their defense isn’t anything special. This is where I believe we can take advantage of this team. So far this season their defense has ranked on the bottom tier of the league in almost every statistical category. I could see Carson Wentz having a big day against this secondary and then pounding the ball with our stable of running backs. There is potential to put up some points  4.) This game has meaning for defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. He was the Detroit Lions head coach from 2009-2013. Knowing his demeanor, he will want to put on a great defensive performance against his former team after they fired him a couple of years back. Coach Schwartz also has some familiarity with this team knowing some of the players tendencies which should help while putting in the game plan this week. 5.) Lastly, how can we forget what happened last year in Detroit on Thanksgiving? An absolute embarrassing effort on national television which culminated in a 45-14 loss. That might have been the low point of the season and personally speaking, ruined my Thanksgiving. I know it was last year but revenge has to be on some of the players minds this week. Before last year we have had success against Detroit in recent games(see diagram below) and I do expect that to continue again. Expect a big dosage of Carson Wentz spreading the ball around early to open up the running game later on and pound the Lions into the ground. This can be a statement game for the Eagles coming off the bye.

Eagles win 30-20