All week, the message from the Philadelphia Eagles was that they wanted to be the more physical team over the Detroit Lions. Philly's defense responded to that message tenfold by shutting down the high-powered offense from the Motor City.
During the Eagles' 16-9 win over the Lions, the Philadelphia defense held Detroit to just 317 yards of total offense. They got a key first-quarter interception from Cooper DeJean that set up a Jake Elliott field goal. The Eagles' defense also sacked Lions quarterback Jared Goff seven times, with two sacks, and deflected his passes a staggering 10 times in the victory.
After the game, Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis shared his thoughts with the media on the defense and how they performed against the Lions. For Davis, his teammates on defense are a special group playing at a high level.
"It’s just a special display of what we got on defense, how we came out there, the mindset that we have. We talked about it all week. Going out there, being physical, playing our style of game. They gotta come through us. They gotta come through us. They gotta come through Philly if they want to advance. We went out there and made a stand and made a statement on defense. And I’m very proud of the guys."
Jordan Davis: "It’s just a special display of what we got on defense, how we came out there, the mindset that we have. We talked about it all week. Going out there, being physical, playing our style of game. They gotta come through us. They gotta come through us. They gotta come…
— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) November 17, 2025
Eagles' defense is playing at an elite level
Davis is a significant reason for the way this defense has played, as he had three pass deflections and stuffed the Lions' running game when they attempted to run up the middle. He's also been exceptional when getting pressure on the quarterback throughout the season.
Arguably, the biggest impact on the defense over the last two games, allowing just 16 points, is the addition of Jaelan Phillips. The new edge rusher got his first sack in an Eagles uniform against the Lions while adding two quarterback hits, one tackle for loss, and five tackles in the win.
Jalen Carter started the season rough for the Eagles with ejections, fines, and injuries, but he has bounced back nicely as he played well against the Lions. Carter had two pass deflections and added five tackles against Detroit.
While the secondary deserves their credit with Quinyon Mitchell, DeJean, and even Adoree' Jackson having good games in Week 11, the architect of this defense, Vic Fangio, is the real star of this defense. Even before Phillips' arrival, this defense was playing well with the young talent they have, but they went from very good to elite in two weeks.
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Fangio deserves a ton of love for his performance as the defensive coordinator as he has this defense rolling. This unit might have to carry this Eagles team to a Super Bowl.