Saturday, November 15
2:15 PM: The Lions are banged up heading into Sunday Night Football against the Eagles. On Saturday, Detroit ruled out defensive end Marcus Davenport, cornerback D.J. Reed, linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, and guard Miles Frazier. The Lions also added wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (oblique) to the injury report. He is questionable for the Eagles game.
Detroit had already ruled out cornerback Terrion Arnold (concussion), safety Kerby Joseph (knee), tight end Sam LaPorta (back), and edge rusher Josh Paschal (back). Arnold, Joseph, LaPorta, Davenport, Reed, and Rodriguez have all started game for the Lions this season.
Friday, November 14
9:54 AM: The Eagles' offense is coming off its lowest scoring output of the season (10 points against the Packers) just two weeks removed from a 38-point outing against the Giants. Philadelphia's defense was dominant in Green Bay, helping the Eagles improve to 7-2 on the season, but Saquon Barkley and the rest of the offense are looking to get back on track and take over games in their own right.
"I think that's a conversation, no matter if we score 10 points or we score 40," Saquon Barkley said on the offense's desire to get better. "That's just the nature of this business. You have to have a sense of urgency and a mindset to put what you did the week before in the past and move on and try to improve. You're never going to play a perfect game."
The Eagles have a big opportunity on Sunday night, facing one of the best teams in the conference led by the NFL's top offense. Philadelphia came away with a victory last week in a low-scoring affair, but Barkley knows that if the offense doesn't improve, that won't always be the case.
"We know that the way we played on Monday, more times than not, if we play that game against a lot of teams, we're going to lose," he said. "That's why you have to have complementary football. The defense came out and played big for us. We know we've got to improve." – Written by Matt Ryan
Thursday, November 13
4:42 PM: After a second look, it STILL looked good for Jaelan Phillips. The newly acquired EDGE player made his debut as an Eagle a memorable one with seven quarterback pressures, six total tackles, two for loss, and a recovered fumble in the team's 10-7 win on Monday night at Green Bay.
He has watched the tape and, yeah, it was a strong performance.
"Physical, knew my assignments, got to the football. I know I can play better and there are always things to improve, but I think that as a defense we got after it and came home with the win," Phillips said. "I play with relentless effort. That's my thing. Two, I like being physical. Vic (Fangio, defensive coordinator) expects me to go out there and play hard, play fast, with elite technique. It's pretty simple. I think that's the way it is for the entire defense. That's our philosophy."
The Lions are next and Phillips makes his debut at Lincoln Financial Field. He has a sense of what it is like to play in Philadelphia – he was here in 2023 as a member of the Miami Dolphins – but the atmosphere will be dialed up to a different level for this prime-time game.
"Being on the home team, it's going to be different," he said. "I know that. Having this fan base on our side, I mean, it's going to be electric. I haven't had much of a chance to get into the city since I've been here, but I have a taste. The fans here love the Eagles." – Dave Spadaro
2:52 PM: Jakorian Bennett was activated from Injured Reserve on Wednesday after fully practicing for the past three weeks as he recovered from a pectoral injury. He hasn't played since the Week 3 win over the Rams. The time on the sideline allowed for the cornerback to reset both mentally and physically.
"I know everything happens for a reason. My time's not the best time," Bennett said after Wednesday's walk-through. It was definitely tough, but it gave me that reset."
The 5-foot-10, 200-pound Bennett was acquired from the Raiders during Training Camp. Bennett's addition bolstered the competition for the second outside cornerback spot opposite of Quinyon Mitchell. He admitted that it took time to adjust to his new surroundings and figure out where he fit in.
"When I started to make it about the team, the whole process started to become a little more easier," he said.
Bennett has played just 24 defensive snaps in the three games. Adoree' Jackson is coming off a strong performance in Monday night's win over the Packers. While Bennett is now back on the roster, it may not yet be his time to earn snaps on defense.
"Keep doing what I'm doing. Keep stacking days and just be ready when my time comes," Bennett said. – Chris McPherson
5:00 AM: Give Moro Ojomo the assist.
He called out the fourth-and-1 play with 1 minute, 30 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of the Eagles' 10-7 win at Green Bay on Monday night, signaling to the defense, "Inside zone this way! Inside zone this way!" as he lined up in the right defensive tackle position.
That's exactly what the Packers ran.
But Jalen Carter blew up the play with penetration and running back Josh Jacobs tried to cut right. Edge player Jaelan Phillips was there waiting. He and safety Reed Blankenship knocked the ball loose, Blankenship recovered, and the Eagles took possession of the football.
On Wednesday, Ojomo talked about the origin of recognizing the play.
"They had a similar play early in the game during the touchdown drive that they had. The quarterback (Jordan Love) came up and he said a word, they ran the play, and the same thing happened on fourth-and-1," Ojomo said. "It was like déjà vu, so I just wanted to let everybody know that they just had this play.
"It was like a one-word play. They did that exact thing. I was like, 'Hey guys, this is what's coming.' Jaelan Phillips and JC made a helluva play on that."
Ojomo then made a great point: "Football is such a game of communication and it can be high level. So the tidbits that you get – BG (Brandon Graham) and Fletcher Cox have probably seen that on such a high level and being able to learn from that and your coaching telling you to learn from things that you see ... you've got to play fast. We were able to play fast because we knew what was happening."
Knowing the play before it happens, it's a football superpower and it comes from studying film, learning what tips to watch for, and, in this case, listening and absorbing. Ojomo said that is one of the main strengths that Carter has – a very high football IQ to go along with great physical skills and a desire to be great. That is a superstar combination.
"There is a different sense of confidence when you know something is coming," Ojomo said. "If you play baseball and you know what pitch is coming, you're going to swing harder and with more confidence. Same here. Keep learning. Keep looking for tips. Every bit of it helps you make plays, play faster, and help the defense." – Dave Spadaro
Wednesday, November 12
6:42 PM: A.J. Brown knows that despite the team's 7-2 record that stands atop the entire NFC entering Sunday night's prime-time showdown with the Detroit Lions, the goal for the offense is to always improve, always try to be better.
That's his approach from the practice field to the meeting rooms to gameday.
"If we're really focusing on winning and doing our job, we can't just keep slapping the Band-Aid over the defense doing their job and getting us out of trouble. At what point are we going to pick up our slack as an offense," Brown said at his locker after Wednesday's walk-through following the Monday night win in Green Bay. "We have to adapt and we have to continue to get better and try to find new ways.
"I see that the offense is struggling and I want to help contribute."
The All-Pro wide receiver returned to the lineup on Monday night after missing the Week 9 win over the Giants with a hamstring injury. Brown was held to two catches for 13 yards. The All-Pro receiver has 31 catches for 408 yards and three touchdowns this season.
"Yes, I dictate the cover. That's every single week. If you look back on film, every single game, I'm getting clouded. There's no surprise. When we play Detroit on Sunday night, they play a lot of man. I'm pretty sure they're going to cloud," Brown said.
On Monday night, Brown cleared space for quarterback Jalen Hurts to go over the top of Green Bay's defense for DeVonta Smith's 36-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that proved to be the game-winning points.
"Me freeing up the play for DeVonta, I don't have a problem with that. I want to see my team win. I want to see the offense thriving, passing," Brown said.
"We always go into it with a great game plan, trying to do certain things, and I understand how the game goes."
Brown made his Eagles debut in the 2022 season opener. He set the franchise record with 155 receiving yards, the most ever by an Eagle in his first game with the team. – Written by Chris McPherson
