Nov. 17 (UPI) -- The Philadelphia Eagles scored just once, but leaned on their defense to beat the Detroit Lions, holding onto their status as the NFC's top team.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts found the end zone on a 1-yard run at the end of the first half of the 16-9 triumph Sunday in Philadelphia. Kicker Jake Elliott made three field goals for the Eagles, who capitalized on a turnover, strong pass rush and ball control to fuel the victory.
"The defense played awesome," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni told reporters. "I've got a ton of confidence in our guys to go out and execute."
The Lions out-gained the Eagles 317-272 in total yards in their second loss in three weeks. The Eagles, who extended a four-game winning streak, held advantages of 16-13 in first downs and 35:48 to 24:12 in time of possession.
"The defense was playing lights-out," Hurts said. "It was one of the best performances I've ever seen. So a really, really big-time game on that side of the ball.
"To be able to do what they did on first down, against a potent offense capable of doing really special things, have a lot of respect for that."
Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean intercepted quarterback Jared Goff on the Lions' first possession. Elliott made a 27-yard attempt less than two minutes later for a 3-0 lead. He made a 34-yard kick with 6:06 remaining in the first half.
Goff hit wide receiver Jameson Williams with a 40-yard touchdown pass about a minute later, but was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after the score. The penalty resulted in a 48-yard extra point attempt, which sailed wide right off the foot of Lions kicker Jake Bates, keeping the game tied.
Hurts proceeded to end a 10-play, 64-yard drive with his 1-yard touchdown run to give the lead back to the Eagles at the break.
Neither team activated the scoreboard in the third quarter. Elliott split the uprights with a 49-yard kick with 10:15 remaining to add to the Eagles lead. Bates made a 55-yard field goal with 1:58 remaining for the final points of the night.
Hurts completed 14 of 28 passes for 135 yards and ran for 31 yards in the victory. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley totaled 90 yards from scrimmage on 27 touches. Eagles linebackers Jaelan Phillips and Nakobe Dean each recorded sacks.
Goff completed 14 of 37 passes for 255 yards, a score and an interception. Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs logged 146 yards from scrimmage on 17 touches. Williams totaled 97 yards from scrimmage and a score on five touches.
With Sunday's win, the Eagles (8-2) kept the Los Angeles Rams (8-2) from taking over as the top team in the NFC. The Rams beat the Seattle Seahawks (7-3) on Sunday for their fifth-consecutive win.
The Eagles will face the Dallas Cowboys (3-5-1) on Sunday in Arlington, Texas. The Lions (6-4) will host the New York Giants (2-9) in Week 12.