3 Key Takeaways from the Eagles Hard Fought Win Over the Lions

Philadelphia. On a cold, windy night with gusts reaching 25 mph, the Philadelphia Eagles grinded out a 16-9 victory over the Detroit Lions. It was not pretty football, but it was a win built on toughness, timely defense and grit.

With the victory, the Eagles improved to 8-2 despite scoring only 26 total points in the last two weeks. Passing was difficult, rhythm was inconsistent and the offense struggled for long stretches. But the defense did exactly what a playoff-caliber unit must do. They delivered.

Here are the three key takeaways from the Eagles hard fought win.

1. A J Brown was targeted often, but it still wasn’t his night

Hurts and the coaching staff clearly wanted to reestablish Brown in the offense. He was targeted 11 times, catching 7 passes for 49 yards, both team highs.

But the deep passing game was nearly impossible in the swirling wind. A miscommunication on a deep throw and a 15 yard low block penalty created more frustration for Brown.

DeVonta Smith also struggled with two early drops and did not record a catch until the final 12 minutes.

2. The Eagles defensive line dominated the game

The sack numbers were modest, but the impact was massive.

• Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter each deflected two passes from Jared Goff.

This was a classic defensive showcase.

3. The Tush Push had one of its worst nights

A questionable false start call on Tyler Steen erased what looked like a defensive penalty by Detroit. Later, a Tush Push attempt with under three minutes left was stuffed, giving the Lions a chance to close the gap.

Detroit hit a 54 yard field goal to make it 16-9, but the Eagles defense closed out the game.