Why Brooke picked the Eagles: Here’s to finally getting the NFC title game matchup everyone expected to see last January. Dan Campbell taking over play-calling duties paid off against a lesser foe last week, but calling a good game against Vic Fangio’s top-10 scoring defense is a much tougher task. The Lions ran play-action on a season-high 51.4 percent of dropbacks in Week 10 — up from 28 percent in Weeks 1-9, per Next Gen Stats. Should we expect another high dose of play-action from the Lions? It’s possible, because while Philly’s defense ranks among the league’s best against the pass, it has struggled against play-action this season, allowing 10 yards per attempt, fifth-most in the league. I expect Detroit to routinely look for the big plays downfield, and it’ll need them to pull off the upset. Perhaps the biggest storyline entering this game is A.J. Brown‘s continued frustration with the offense, which has reached an all-time high. No matter: The Eagles have found ways to move the sticks and stack wins. This unit isn’t playing to the level it was during last year’s Super Bowl run, but when your coach is confident enough to call a highly questionable, low-percentage shot on fourth-and-6 with the game hanging in the balance, it’s a good sign. Great teams find ways to win. Both of these clubs fall into that category. Yet, with Detroit dealing with a few too many injuries to its secondary and with this game being played in Philadelphia, the scales tilt the Eagles’ way.
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