Take flight or take cover? Lions prepare for worst at NFC-best Philly

Head coach Dan Campbell warned his Detroit Lions to be prepared for flying objects on and off the field when they visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night.

On the field, he is concerned about quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Eagles (7-2).

On the sidelines, he sounds worried about his Lions (6-3) getting hurt, period.

"It's a great place to play," Campbell, a former NFL tight end, told 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit on Tuesday, prefacing his comments about playing in the City of Brotherly Love.

"I mean, it's electric. Had batteries thrown at us, spit on. It's just the classic stuff. It's probably the most hostile place to play."

Campbell wants the Lions to tune out the noise at Lincoln Financial Field and focus on each snap of this prime-time showdown between two division leaders. Philadelphia sits atop the NFC East and Detroit enters Week 11 tied with the Chicago Bears for first place in the NFC North.

"I'm going to give them a very good snapshot of what this is going to be like," Campbell said. "Keep your poise, and man, every play matters. Every play matters. This is a heavyweight match, and one missed step can cost you this game."

As for Hurts, the reigning Super Bowl MVP has accounted for 21 touchdowns (16 passing, five rushing) and just one interception in nine starts this season.

Hurts improved to 9-1 in the regular season against the NFC North with Monday night's gritty 10-7 win at Green Bay. His 36-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith with 10:44 remaining held up as the game-winner.

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni is even better against the NFC North at 10-0, including playoffs. He is 2-0 head-to-head against Campbell and the Lions after notching wins in Detroit in 2021 and 2022.

Philadelphia is currently on a three-game winning streak since suffering back-to-back early October losses to the Denver Broncos and New York Giants. Detroit has alternated wins and losses in its last five games, including last Sunday's 44-22 road win against the Washington Commanders.

Not everyone has been thrilled with the modus operandi of the Eagles.

Wide receiver A.J. Brown had two catches for 13 yards at Green Bay, the third time in his eight games played in 2025 with two or fewer catches.

Brown said he's "not apologizing" for criticism of the Eagles' offense. Sirianni has grown tired of the talking point.

"Guys, I'm close to being done answering these questions about this," he said.

"He's working hard, and he is a big part of the game plan and will be going forward. He's working like crazy when he's here, and we're excited to have him."

The last time Brown faced the Lions, Week 1 of the 2022 season, he caught 10 passes for 155 yards.

Sunday night will be a matchup of two well-coached teams, as the Eagles have committed a league-low four turnovers this season -- two fewer than the Lions. Both sides are aggressive on fourth down, with Detroit converting 13 of 18 attempts and Philadelphia 11 of 16. And both are good in the red zone, with the Eagles scoring touchdowns on 17 of 21 trips and the Lions on 26 of 38.

Detroit is averaging 31.4 points per game, second only to the Indianapolis Colts (32.1). Jared Goff has completed an NFL-best 74.0 percent of his passes for 2,235 yards with 20 TDs and just three picks. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery have rushed for a combined 1,159 yards and 13 scores, and Amon-Ra St. Brown has 64 catches for 693 yards and eight touchdowns.

Knowing they'd have a shorter week to prepare for the Lions, the Eagles did some advance work during their bye in Week 9.

"This is a really good team that we're about to play," Sirianni said on Wednesday. "Really well coached. Really good players. Physical, tough team. I've got a lot of respect for this football team that's been doing it at a really high level for the past three years now. We expect their best."

As most teams are in mid-November and Week 11, the Lions are banged up. Seven players sat out Wednesday's practice, including star pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson (elbow), tight end Sam LaPorta (back), right tackle Penei Sewell (ankle), cornerback Terrion Arnold (concussion) and safety Kerby Joseph (knee). Eight others were limited, including left tackle Taylor Decker (shoulder).

For the Eagles, four starting offensive linemen were limited on Wednesday: right tackle Lane Johnson (ankle), right guard Tyler Steen (oblique), center Cam Jurgens (knee) and left guard Landon Dickerson (quad).

--Field Level Media