The NFL Playoffs are inching closer and the standings are starting to align around the league. In the NFC, two teams have clearly emerged as threats to represent the conference in the Super Bowl. Those teams are, of course, the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles. However, they would both need to face each other in the NFC Championship in order to get there. Looking a little into the future, what would an Eagles vs. Lions playoff game look like?
How The Teams Match Up
First of all, the teams are very similar from a coaching perspective. Both Nick Sirianni and Dan Campell have reputations of being impassioned and eccentric. However, one could argue that Campell has a bit more of a beloved personality with fans and the league, whereas Nick Sirianni tends to walk the tightrope between lovable and annoying. This, though, isn’t relevant to strategy; it’s just more of a look into the teams’ personalities from the top.
One area where the coaches’ personalities translate is aggressiveness. Both have an aggressive approach to offensive strategy. According to StatMuse, the Eagles and Lions rank in the top 15 in the league in 4th down attempts. The Eagles, in particular, rank 8th with 20 attempts. A big reason for this is because of their use of the famous “Tush Push.” Even with Cam Jurgens replacing Jason Kelce, the team continues to run the play effectively. They tend to save it for short yardage and goal-line touchdown situations.
When running the other offensive numbers, the Lions edge out the Birds in total offense, being second in the league, while the Eagles are fourth, according to ESPN. The Lions also hold a significant advantage over the Eagles in passing offense. Detroit currently ranks fifth, while Philly is 28th.
A large reason for this, though, could be Philly finding its identity in the run game. The Birds have the number-one rushing attack in the league. Much of that is on the legs of possible OPOY and MVP candidate Saquon Barkley.
The Lions are not too far behind, though, ranking 4th in the league in rushing.
Defensively, the Eagles have a clear advantage. They are the number one total defense in the League and are third in passing defense. The Lions are higher ranked in terms of rushing defense though at fifth.
Key Takeaways
These are two very similar teams at the moment who could certainly put up a stellar playoff clash if they were to meet. Probably the key matchup in a game such as this would be how would the Lions defense fair against Saquon Barkley. It would be a potential showdown of the MVP of the league taking on a top 5 rushing defense.
Sounds like a classic case of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. However, will they meet in the playoffs? We’ll just have to wait and see.