Mark Sanchez and the Philadelphia Eagles were looking to snap a two-game losing streak in a Week 12 game against the Detroit Lions.
Heading into this game, Philadelphia was 6-0 all time when playing on Thanksgiving Day, but that winning-streak ended today as Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and the Lions offense was just too much for the Eagles defense to handle. The Lions have now won three consecutive games. The Eagles, losers of three straight, continue to freefall during the second half of the 2015 regular season.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 7 | 17 | 14 | 7 | 45 |
| Eagles | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
On the first drive of the game, a 23-yard catch by Jordan Matthews and a 14-yard reception by Nelson Agholor set the Eagles up in field-goal position. However, Jason Peters left the game with an ankle injury and Lane Johnson slid over from right tackle to left tackle. Three plays later, a facemask penalty by Johnson pushed the Eagles back 15 yards, forcing a 50-yard field goal attempt by Caleb Sturgis, which banged off the right upright.
After both teams went three-and-out, the Lions struck first blood. On the first play of the drive, Ameer Abdullah broke out for a 23-yard run. Two plays later, Theo Riddick came away with a 23-yard reception from Stafford. A slant route by Golden Tate beat Byron Maxwell on a third-down, which set Detroit up with first-and-goal. Riddick capped off the drive with an eight-yard touchdown reception, and the Lions took an early 7-0 lead.
On the ensuing drive, the Eagles responded with a touchdown of their own. On the third play of the drive, running back DeMarco Murray finally busted out for a 19-yard run after not gaining much of anything on his first couple touches. On the next play, a 43-yard catch-and-run by tight end Trey Burton set the Eagles up with first-and-goal from the five yard-line. On third-and-goal, tight end Brent Celek scored on a short touchdown pass from Sanchez. The game was now tied up at 7-7.
On the next drive, the Lions came away with their second consecutive touchdown. First, two runs by Stafford gave the Lions a first down. Then, a 18-yard reception by Joique Bell on a screen-pass kept the drive moving. Cornerback Nolan Carroll left the game with an ankle injury, and Eric Rowe was inserted into the game. On the next play, Stafford took advantage of the rookie and connected with Tate for a first-down. Two plays later, a 14-yard catch by Lance Moore put the Lions in position to put up a touchdown. A Riddick reception gave the Lions a first-and-goal, and Tate came away with a touchdown catch out of the backfield to put the Lions up by the score of 14-7.
The Eagles went three-and-out on their next two drives. In the meantime, Detroit tacked on 10 more points. Kicker Matt Prater made a 48-yard field goal attempt. With 12 seconds left in the second quarter, Calvin Johnson beat Rowe for a 25-yard touchdown grab to give Detroit a 17-point lead going into halftime.
The Lions continued to pour it on during the second half. In a drive that was very similar to the opening drive of the second half last week's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Eagles defense allowed the Lions to score on a long touchdown drive. On that drive, Johnson, Tate, Abdullah and Riddick all converted a first down. Johnson beat Rowe for a touchdown on a second straight drive as the Lions took a 31-7 lead.
Philadelphia was desperate for some kind of a spark on offense. Ezekial Ansah forced Sanchez to fumble and her came away with the recovery. Three plays later, Johnson scored his third touchdown catch of the game, this time beating Malcolm Jenkins in coverage. The Lions were now up by an 38-7 lead with just over five minutes left in the third quarter.
Already up by 31 points in the fourth quarter, a 39-yard reception by Bell set the Lions up with first-and-goal from the one. The next play, Bell leaped over the line to score a touchdown, giving Detroit an insurmountable 45-7 advantage.
The Eagles scored a touchdown in garbage time on a 24-yard reception by Matthews, but the Eagles were still down by 31 with under three minutes to play. Philadelphia would run to the clock out to end the game by a final score of 45-14.
Passing Summary:
Eagles
- Mark Sanchez: 19/27, 199 yards, 2 TD, 116.1 RTG
- Matthew Stafford: 27/38: 337 yards, 5 TD, 137.8 RTG
Top-Performing Receivers:
Eagles
- Brent Celek: 2 rec, 10 yards, 1 TD
- Jordan Matthews: 3 rec, 60 yards, 1 TD
- Trey Burton: 2 rec, 49 yards
Lions
- Calvin Johnson: 8 rec, 93 yards, 3 TD
- Golden Tate: 7 rec, 50 yards, 1 TD
- Theo Riddick: 5 rec, 62 yards, 1 TD
Top-Performing Rushers:
Eagles
- DeMarco Murray: 14 car, 30 yards
- Kenjon Barner: 7 car, 30 yards
Lions
- Ameer Abdullah: 16 car, 63 yards
- Joique Bell: 7 car, 25 yards, 1 TD
Breakdown:
First Downs: Eagles – 14, Lions – 28
3rd Down Efficiency: Eagles – 6-for-14, Lions- 5-for-10
4th Down Efficiency: Eagles – 0-for-0, Lions – 0-for-0
Total Plays: Eagles – 58, Lions – 70
Total Yards: Eagles - 227 yards, Lions - 430 yards
Passing Yards: Eagles - 159 yards, Lions - 322 yards
Rushing Yards: Eagles - 68 yards, Lions - 108 yards
Redzone: Eagles – 1-for-1, Lions – 6-for-6
Penalties: Eagles - 2 penalties, 30 yards; Lions - 4 penalties, 29 yards
Turnovers: Eagles – 1, Lions – 0
Time Of Possession: Eagles – 22:49, Lions – 37:11
What's Next:
- Sunday, December 6, 2015: at New England Patriots, 4:25 p.m.
- Gillette Stadium; TV: FOX; Radio: 94 WIP
