Everyone knows by now that the Detroit Lions will go for it on fourth down at just about any spot on the field, at any time in the game, from any distance away from the first-down marker. It’s head coach Dan Campbell’s way, and he’s obviously fine living with the results.
Some nights, like Sunday night at the Philadelphia Eagles, that hyper-aggressive approach looks needlessly reckless.
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The Eagles got a big 16-9 win to improve to 8-2. The Lions fell to 6-4 and their chances of getting the No. 1 seed in the NFC for a second straight season suffered a serious blow. The Lions won’t regret going for it over and over on fourth down. That’s what they do and it’s not changing. But they might regret not executing better on those downs.
The Eagles and Lions were pretty evenly matched on downs one through three on Sunday, and Philadelphia flipped the game on fourth downs. In a six-possession stretch on Sunday night (not counting a kneeldown at the end of the first half), the Lions turned it over on downs five times. One was a failed fake punt, which didn’t fool the Eagles because nobody will be fooled by the Lions’ tricks at this point. The Lions are predictable in their unpredictability.
In a loss on Sunday night, the Lions’ failures on fourth down were their undoing. They went 0 for 5 on fourth down.
Another low-scoring Eagles game
The Eagles played a Monday night game against the Packers that was low on scoring and action six days ago. Sunday night against the Lions looked the same.
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The wind affected both offenses. Jalen Hurts in particular had trouble, completing just three of his first 12 attempts. Cooper DeJean had an interception for Philadelphia off a deflected Jared Goff pass, and DeJean returned it to the Lions’ 11-yard line. The Eagles gained only 2 yards on that drive and kicked a field goal.
That was how most of the night went for the Eagles’ offense. Even their tush push was stuffed three times, including once on a fourth down late in the game. But Philadelphia’s defense was stellar. The story with the Eagles heading into Week 11’s action was the offensive struggles, and particularly A.J. Brown’s griping about them. At some point, maybe the conversation will shift to the Eagles’ defense returning to what it was during its Super Bowl run last season.
Philadelphia held a very good Detroit offense to one touchdown, which came from Jameson Williams in the first half.
When the Eagles had to make plays on fourth down against the Lions’ offense, they did. Last week the Eagles also looked very good on defense, holding the Packers to a single touchdown in a 10-7 win. That’s two straight quality wins in which Philly’s defense, which had been good but far from its championship form this season, controlled the entire game.
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The complaining about the offense gets more attention, but the strides the defense is making is probably more noteworthy to the Eagles’ quest for a second straight Super Bowl championship.
Eagles increase their lead
The Eagles started to slowly pull away, mostly because the Lions kept turning it over on downs.
To start the second half, the Lions’ first three possessions ended at the Eagles’ 32-yard line, 3-yard line and 45-yard line. All three ended on Goff incompletions on fourth down.
The Eagles weren’t taking full advantage of the Lions’ fourth-down issues. The offense was sputtering yet again. But a Jake Elliott field goal in the fourth quarter increased Philadelphia’s lead to 16-6. The defense was playing well enough that it seemed like that lead was fairly safe, even against a Lions offense with many big-play threats.
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Philadelphia could have put the game away but suddenly the tush push wasn’t working. It tried it on third-and-1 from its 29 and got nothing, then instead of punting it with about three minutes left the Eagles tried another tush push on fourth down and were stuffed again. That’s a rarity, and it gave the Lions some life.
The Eagles’ defense kept the Lions out of the end zone though. A sack of Goff pushed the Lions back and they settled for a field-goal attempt at the two-minute warning, which Jake Bates made to get Detroit within one score. But on the Eagles’ next drive the Lions picked up a pass interference penalty that didn’t look like a penalty at all, and Philadelphia ran out the clock after that.
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The Eagles are far from a complete product, but they keep winning games. That’s not the case for the Lions, who already have four losses after losing twice all last regular season. The Lions can’t blame the fourth-down failures on the loss. But it would have helped to pick up a few of them.
Live coverage is over43 updatesSun, November 16, 2025 at 5:14 PM PST
Ryan Young
Ryan Young
The Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders will wrap up Week 11 next on Monday night.
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Ryan Young
It wasn’t great, but the Eagles have secured their fourth straight win. They now sit at 8-2 on the year entering next week’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Lions, on the other hand, have now lost three of their last five. They sit at 6-4.
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The Lions nearly came up with a third down stop, which was made longer after a false start, but then Ya-Sin got hit with a pass interference call on AJ Brown. Brutal.
So the Eagles will get a first down, and should be able to end the game.
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After two incompletions and a massive sack, the Lions had to settle for a quick 54-yard field goal. It’s not a touchdown, but we’ve got a one-score game again.
It’s 16-9 now with 1:58 remaining.
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Well, this isn’t over just yet. The Lions somehow managed to stop Jalen Hurts on a tush push there on fourth-and-inches. They’ll take over now at the Eagles’ 29 yard line with 2:57 left.
What a turn of events. They just have to capitalize.
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Jared Goff had two more passes deflected at the line there, and he missed Gibbs deep right on third down. The Eagles will take over again after yet another punt with 5:06 left.
We’re just about done here.
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The Eagles couldn’t get the tush push to go, and will now punt it away on fourth down after a false start backed them up slightly. The Lions will get the ball back now with about 6:15 left.
They’ll need a quick score here if they’re going to pull this off.
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Not quite a three-and-out there for the Lions, but it was close. They had to punt after three straight missed passes from Goff, so the Eagles will take back over from their own 15.
They’re up 16-6 with 9:06 left in the fourth, and can end this thing right here.
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It wasn’t a touchdown, but Jake Elliott’s 49-yard field goal with the wind has made this a 10-point game. The Lions will have to make a move, and fast, if they’re going to mount a comeback.
We’ve got 10:15 left.
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That was a scoreless third quarter, but the Eagles are in full control. They’re facing a second and 18 when we come back after a low block penalty on AJ Brown.
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Once again, the Lions have failed to convert on fourth down. This just isn’t their night. The Eagles will take over just shy of midfield.
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Well, nevermind. A quick sack stalled that drive out, and the Eagles are coming out to punt. The Lions will get it back with 2:57 left in the third.
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Hurts just found Dotson deep after scrambling through the end zone, and then they picked up 15 more after an unnecessary roughness penalty. The Eagles are moving once again.
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The Lions got down into the red zone, but they couldn’t convert on fourth-and-goal! The Eagles pressured Goff, who tried to find Amon-Ra St. Brown in the back of the end zone, but was well off the mark.
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Thanks to a confusing (and maybe controversial) false start penalty and a broken up deep shot to Granson, the Lions made a big stop there. They’ll get the ball back next early in the third.
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Ryan Young
Gibbs had back-to-back first downs to open this drive, but the Lions quickly stalled out. Jared Goff missed a deep shot to Amon-Ra St. Brown on third down, and then their shot on fourth-and-five was off. Goff hit Jameson Williams in the hands, but they couldn’t connect.
So the Eagles will take over, again.
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The Lions have received the kick, and the second half is officially underway.
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After a very slow start, the Eagles have taken a seven-point lead into the break. Detroit will get the ball to start the second half
Lions stats
Jared Goff | 7/12 for 119 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
David Montgomery | 14 yards on 4 carries
Jameson Williams | 59 yards, 1 TD on 2 catches
Eagles stats
Jalen Hurts | 9/18 for 63 yards
Saquon Barkley | 32 yards on 12 carries
A.J. Brown | 43 yards on 6 catches