Eagles vs. Lions preview: Predictions, odds, final injury report, and what everyone is talking about ahead of the game

After trudging to a 10-7 win over the Packers in Green Bay, Wis., on Monday Night Football last week, the Eagles will look to win their second prime-time game in a row as they host the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football.

Here’s everything you need to know about the team’s Week 11 matchup …

The Eagles game against the Lions will air live on NBC at 8:20 p.m., with Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth on the call and Melissa Stark on the sideline. The game will also stream on Peacock.

If you want to listen to Merrill Reese and Mike Quick on the call, the radio broadcast can be found on 94.1 WIP-FM. And if you want to watch the game with fellow Birds fans, here are a few spots to check out.

The Eagles did not rule anyone out for Sunday night’s game, and only designated one player as questionable on Friday’s injury report. That paves the way for the return of center Cam Jurgens. For the Lions, it was a bit of a different story.

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QUESTIONABLE

» READ MORE: Cam Jurgens set to return to Eagles Sunday for key game vs. Lions

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QUESTIONABLE

As of Friday afternoon, the Eagles are 2.5-point favorites according to both DraftKings and FanDuel. Both sportsbooks have set the projected point total at 46.5.

» READ MORE: What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 11 vs. the Lions

The Eagles’ offense recorded its worst scoring output of the season in Week 10 against Green Bay, scoring just 10 points. It was enough to beat the Packers, but will the Eagles be able to keep up with a Lions offense that ranks second in the league in points?

A.J. Brown took to a livestream to vent his frustrations about his role within the offense and the unit’s struggles this season. Will Brown’s comments produce a bounceback game for the receiver, or will his struggles continue?

The Eagles will also be without one of their trade deadline acquisitions, as Jaire Alexander decided to step away from football Tuesday. The Eagles acquired the defensive back on Nov. 1 for a late-round pick swap with the Baltimore Ravens. Alexander, 28, did not travel with the team to Green Bay due to a knee injury/coach’s decision.

» READ MORE: Eagles midseason awards and second-half X factors: Our writers make their picks

Here are more storylines to watch:

408 — Brown’s total receiving yards through eight games this season. It’s the receiver’s lowest total in his first eight games since his rookie season in 2019.

Here are our writers’ predictions for Sunday ...

Jeff McLane: Not only have three Lions starters already been ruled out, three more, including Sewell and Taylor, were listed questionable. The Eagles aren’t 100% healthy. Four-fifths of their O-line was on the injury report. But they won’t be without a single starter. I’m sticking with the Birds. Prediction: Eagles, 31-30.

Jeff Neiburg: This is a really good offense. The Lions are second in the NFL at 31.4 points per game. They have a two-headed running attack and a trio of pass catchers that keep defenses on their toes. Yes, the Eagles do have a good defense. It might even be a great defense now after the addition of Jaelan Phillips and the return of Nolan Smith. But this good-on-good matchup seems to favor the Lions with all of the things they’re good at. Lions 27, Eagles 24

Olivia Reiner: This might just be the most difficult game remaining on the Eagles schedule. I think the narrow win over the Packers — and the subsequent Brown Twitch stream reaction — should be the wake-up call that the offense needs to go back to the drawing board ahead of this game. Eagles 27, Lions 23

Matt Breen: If the Eagles can win in the trenches, Hurts should be able to make Brown happy downfield. The Lions offense has everything you need — a stud running back, a premier receiver, and a legitimate quarterback — but the Eagles suddenly have a defensive line that can control a game thanks to the game wrecker Phillips. They’ll be able to slow the Lions enough on Sunday night. Eagles 31, Lions 24

» READ MORE: Eagles vs. Lions predictions: Our writers pick a winner for Week 11

Here’s how the national media is leaning Sunday …

Here’s what our columnists are saying about the Eagles this week, starting with David Murphy, who argues that the Birds need to feed Brown this week …

David Murphy: “Brown needs to be better. More mindful. More aware of the pressure that he puts on his play caller and quarterback when they feel like they need to cater toward an individual player rather than letting the main thing be a W over the Lions. But, then, Brown is who he is. The important thing is that the Eagles need it. And, right now, they need to throw him a bone. More than three, anyway.” Read more.

Mike Sielski: “I’m not suggesting the Eagles are above criticism or concern; Brown’s diminished relevance in the offense and his reaction to it, for instance, are certainly worth monitoring. But I am suggesting that it’s exhausting and unnecessary to volley between outrage and apprehension when you have it this good.” Read more.

The Lions are motivated to face the Eagles as they try and remain tied for the NFC North lead. Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson went as far as to call the Week 11 game a “must-win” contest.

“Ultimately, where we see ourselves as a team, every year the standard is to battle for that number one seed,” Hutchinson said. “They’re one of those teams that we’re going to battle with. So, that’s why it’s a must-win in my eyes.”

Here’s what else they had to say …

Dan Campbell on the Tush Push: “I’m a purist, man. You take something else out of the game, then we’re taking the next thing out of the game. Then we’re taking another thing out of the game. Pretty soon we don’t have pads anymore, and then pretty soon you’re only playing 30 minutes. That’s why I don’t want to take it out of the game.”

Campbell on the environment at the Linc: “You go on the road and it’s you against everybody else. And it’s very clear that it’s you against everybody else there. You go some places and they wave at you like, ‘Man, we’re so happy you’re here to play against us.’ This is not one of those places. It’s as far from that as you can possibly get. I love playing in atmospheres like that.”

Amon-Ra St. Brown on blocking out crowd noise: “I think maybe some guys feed off it. But I feel like once you’re in the game, you don’t even realize it. You’re so locked in to what you have to do, trying to make a play, and all the details that half the time you don’t even hear the noise.”

» READ MORE: Lions prepare for ‘hostile’ Linc, but some call fans a ‘nonfactor;’ why Dan Campbell wants the Tush Push to stay

Brown’s livestream comments dominated the national narrative about the Eagles this week. Jason Kelce and other former players came to the receiver’s defense, saying that Brown has a right to be upset about his lack of involvement in the offense.

“In general, I think the media oftentimes kind of overstates this stuff, and I think that good head coaches find ways to maintain relationships,” Kelce said on WIP’s morning show. “I think A.J. has legitimate reasons to be frustrated.”

Here’s what else the national media is saying about Brown and the Eagles …

Stephen A. Smith: “[Brown has] taken a lot of unnecessary heat, and I think it’s wrong. He said nothing wrong; he was absolutely right not to apologize. [What] If A.J. Brown was doing the reverse, and didn’t give a damn because he won the Super Bowl last year, because that’s not the kind of attitude you want somebody to have?”

Chad Ochocino: “I’ve been there as a receiver. Obviously, never been on a team of this magnitude, that’s coming off a Super Bowl win. I do understand the frustration of wanting to be an [integral] part of the offense. I’m not asking for the ball 30, 35 times a game, but just make me feel like you want me.”

Mike Florio: “There’s this lingering issue of whether or not there’s an issue between [Brown] and quarterback Jalen Hurts. Last year, Brandon Graham … blurted out that there’s something personal between the two of them. And then he was given a mop and a bucket by the team’s PR staff presumably and was instructed to go clean up his mess, and he tried to. But nobody bought it. They’ve done a great job hiding whatever the truth is.”

» READ MORE: Former players, media members defend Eagles WR A.J. Brown: ‘Just make me feel like you want me’

🛏️ Saquon Barkley’s foundation gave out mattresses to underserved children. “This is what it’s all about,” Barkley said.

📣 This Philly native balances teaching special education and cheering for the Eagles

🏟️ Dan Campbell recalled a disgusting incident at the Vet during his rookie year with the Giants.

🦅 Dick Vermeil explained why he wears his Eagles NFC championship ring — not his Rams Super Bowl ring — and talked about the current Eagles.

🔢 Here are the numbers that matter for Eagles vs. Lions in Week 11.

📽️ Eagles Week 11 film preview: How does the Eagles’ defense stop a potent Lions offense?

Listen to the latest episode

Other problems, beyond the obvious: Turn on sports talk radio or read coverage of the Eagles, and it’s probably be impossible to find any analysis of the team’s recent woes that doesn’t reference the offense. The unit has been painfully disjointed and inconsistent to watch, unable to deploy a nucleus filled with all-pro talent. But to pin the Eagles’ issues on this factor alone would be misguided. Should head coach Nick Sirianni, offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, and quarterback Jalen Hurts shoulder a chunk of the burden? Yes, but as The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane points out, there’s plenty of blame to go around, and we shouldn’t overlook the other areas where it can be found. Listen here.

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