Amon-Ra St. Brown speaks about his foundation’s charitable vision and goals
St. Brown hosted the St. Brown Foundation’s Strike For Literacy event in Downtown Detroit, raising funds for the literacy program Rhymes For Reason.
Fast facts: 8:20 p.m. ET; Sunday, Nov. 16; Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia; NBC; WXYT-FM (97.1).
Line: Eagles by 2½.
The coaches: Lions – Dan Campbell (50-38-1 overall, 45-31-1 with Lions); Eagles – Nick Sirianni (55-22, all with Eagles).
Last meeting: Sept. 11, 2022, Eagles won 38-35.
Key matchups
Jahmyr Gibbs vs Saquon Barkley
If you had known before the season started that Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs would have twice as many rushing touchdowns – and 13 more rushing yards per game – as Eagles star rusher Saquon Barkley, it would have been fair to assume a Barkley injury.
But, nope! That’s just how good Gibbs has been this season.
Barkley is coming off a 2,000-yard rushing season, turning in one of the greatest single years ever by a running back. He’s also just three weeks removed from a 14-carry, 150-yard game, though he hasn’t hit 100 yards in any other game this season.
So while he hasn’t been the dominating force he was last season, Barkley is still a dangerous running back … almost as dangerous as Gibbs has been this season.
The Lions have found success on the road against tough opponents this season with long, methodical drives featuring tenacious runs from Gibbs and David Montgomery. If the Lions want to quiet down a rowdy Philly crowd at The Linc, stopping Barkley and maintaining long possessions with their two reliable backs can make it happen.
Amon-Ra St. Brown vs Eagles secondary
Philadelphia’s secondary might fixate on Lions’ receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who is second in the NFL with eight touchdown receptions and fifth with 693 receiving yards. Washington’s defense in Week 10 held St. Brown to five catches – his lowest in a game since he had four catches in the season-opening loss to Green Bay – with consistent double-teams that forced quarterback Jared Goff to look elsewhere.
That didn’t work for the Commanders, since the double-teams on St. Brown opened up opportunities for receivers Kalif Raymond and Jameson Williams, who both set their season-highs in receiving yards. So, how will Philadelphia counter?
The Eagles secondary isn’t quite as formidable as it was when it allowed the fewest passing yards per game in 2024 (174.2), but it still features star cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, both of whom could present a difficult matchup for Detroit’s receivers. If the Eagles decide to spread out their coverage more than the Commanders did, it’ll be up to St. Brown to find holes up the middle to help get the passing game going.
Scouting report
Lions offense vs. Eagles defense
Remember that fearsome Eagles defense that gave up only 278.4 yards per game in 2024, best in the league by far? It has given up 327.9 yards per game in 2025, which makes it a bottom-half defense by that metric.
Except the Eagles defense also allows only a 10th-best 21.3 points per game. And it also just had its two best performances of the season, holding the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers to 246 and 261 yards, respectively. And it just held an explosive Green Bay air attack to 157 passing yards and seven total points. So, yeah, the Eagles defense may be back.
But you know what else may back? Detroit’s offense.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff took advantage of the protection the offensive line afforded him against the Commanders, going 25-for-33 for 320 yards and three touchdowns while spreading the wealth to just about every available pass-catcher on the field. He may not find as many opportunities against Philadelphia’s stout secondary this week, but he many not have to if Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs continues putting up ridiculous numbers.
For his part, Gibbs is averaging 7.4 yards per carry over his past three games, and that includes a stinker against the Minnesota Vikings in which he gained only 25 yards on nine carries. A steady diet of Gibbs and medium-gain passes to receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and tight end Sam LaPorta can help the Lions dictate the game’s flow.
That’s easier said than done against the defending Super Bowl champions, of course. But there’s a reason the Lions average over 30 points per game – this may be the best offense the Eagles will face all year.
Lions defense vs. Eagles offense
When you think of the last season’s Eagles offense, you probably think of the run game – a beefy offensive line, running back Saquon Barkley, the pressure-escaping abilities of quarterback Jalen Hurts and, of course, the “tush push.”
This year, though, Philadelphia’s rushing attack has fallen from second in the league in yards per game, at 179.3, to 20th, at 111.6. And it hasn’t come with a significant boost in their passing game, either, with Philly averaging 191.7 yards through the air in 2025 (25th in the league) compared to 187.9 (28th) in 2024.
Basically, if the Lions can stop Barkley, there’s a good chance they can stop the Eagles entirely.
That’s going to require strong play from the team’s interior defense, notably from linebacker Jack Campbell and defensive tackles Alim McNeill and Roy Lopez, a duo defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said “popped off the tape” in the team’s win against Washington. If they can hold Barkley to, at most, 3.5 yards per attempt (he’s averaging 3.9 so far in 2025 and averaged 5.8 in 2024), that could put the pressure on Hurts to get it done himself through the air.
That’s not a terrible strategy, with Lions safety Kerby Joseph likely not playing, cornerback Terrion Arnold in concussion protocol and cornerback D.J. Reed still recovering from his hamstring injury. But the Eagles’ passing attack has been a source of great stress in Philadelphia this season, and the Lions will want to make sure that continues this week.
Lions vs. Eagles prediction, pick
We’re midway through the season and still have a lot of questions to answer about the Lions.
The good news is that a game against a fellow Super Bowl contender can help answer those questions, whether the answers are good or bad. But considering how well the Lions are playing, especially with the offense looking as smooth as it did against the Commanders, Detroit has what it takes to keep its forward momentum.
The Eagles have home-field advantage, but the Lions have the personnel advantage (in all three phases), the coaching advantage (with Dan Campbell now calling plays on offense) and the quarterback advantage (with Jared Goff a steadier option than Jalen Hurts). The Eagles’ Vic Fangio-led defense will slow Detroit’s explosive offense, but it won’t be able to stop it entirely. The pick: Lions 27, Eagles 24.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com
