Week 11’s edition of Sunday Night Football has the makings of an instant classic. On one side, Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles are winners of three straight games as they host this matchup at a rowdy Lincoln Financial Field. On the other side, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs and the Detroit Lions are looking to down their opponent to take the conference lead in the NFC standings. The superstars are out for this one with plenty of betting value available for those who know where to look.
Get ready for Sunday Night Football with a Lions vs. Eagles prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for this Week 11 showdown.
Lions vs. Eagles prediction, preview
Detroit Lions
On the visiting sideline, the Lions are 6-3 and got back on track last week with a victory over a banged-up Washington Commanders squad. At a macro level, Detroit ranks second in scoring (31.4) and sixth in yardage (372.4) while sitting fourth in red-zone scoring percentage with a league-best 3.9 touchdowns per contest. There’s a lot to like about this attack, but that rings even more true after last week — Dan Campbell took over play-calling duties and fully unleashed Jahmyr Gibbs, who racked up 172 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns in the victory. After an underwhelming first couple of months, Jameson Williams also emerged with six receptions for 119 yards, both season-highs, plus a touchdown. These shifts in the pecking order are encouraging signs moving forward that indicate the Lions of old may yet return to utterly dominate opponents on the scoreboard. Detroit sits top 10 in both rushing and passing yardage per contest, so a versatile offense can beat anyone in a variety of ways. On the other side of the ball, the Lions are also more than respectable at 13th in opponent scoring average (22.2) and seventh in yardage allowed (294.0). The pass rush comes in at fourth in sack percentage, while the unit as a whole ranks 10th in takeaways per game (1.3), too. This is another great football team with plenty of potential to make a deep playoff run.
Philadelphia Eagles
At 7-2, the Eagles are alone atop the NFC with three consecutive wins under their belts and momentum in their favor following a hard-fought 10-7 victory over the Green Bay Packers last Monday night. While the offense didn’t score much this past week, the unit has improved to 12th in points per game (24.2), and while they remain 23rd in average yardage (303.2), this team is beginning to show shifts that could lead to growth in that area. DeVonta Smith has started to usurp A.J. Brown as the top wideout in Philadelphia as the latter deals with some possible discontent with his role in the offense, and while the Eagles can get a pass against a tough defense in Week 10, they scored 28 and 38 points across the two prior contests. Jalen Hurts began airing the ball out more in recent games as Philly started opening up the offense, and he threw seven combined touchdowns across Week 7 and Week 8 prior to the bye. If there’s more of a threat to throw, Saquon Barkley will see more room to work in the rushing lanes underneath and perhaps see his own rushing efficiency increase. Defensively, the Eagles rank 10th in average points allowed (21.3) and 18th in average yardage allowed (18th), and they remain top-five in red-zone scoring percentage and touchdowns given up. While they’re just 23rd in sack percentage and 20th in takeaways per game (1.0), the lack of big plays is made up for by the bend-don’t-break approach here.
Lions vs. Eagles pick, best bet
The odds on DraftKings Sportsbook indicate a close contest. The Eagles enter as -5.5 favorites at home with -155 odds to win on the Moneyline. The Lions are listed at +130 to win outright with a game total of 46.5 points.
This is undoubtedly the game of the week as both teams are legitimate Super Bowl contenders with star power on both sides of the football. Admittedly, it’s still a little bit surprising to see Detroit enter as an underdog, however slim that margin may be. The Lions have the superior offense by far, even with tight end Sam LaPorta now on IR with a back injury. However, the rest of the injury report gives clarity on the odds discrepancy. Penei Sewell and Isaac TeSlaa, plus backup TE Brock Wright, are all questionable to play. Defensively, the Lions are already without Terrion Arnold, Kerby Joseph, and multiple edge rushers as well. This team is hurt; the Eagles are not. Philadelphia’s injury report is totally clean beyond offensive lineman Willie Lampkin.
To be clear, the Lions are still entirely capable of winning this game if Jared Goff, St. Brown, Williams and Gibbs can carry the load and score a ton of points against a respectable, but not elite Eagles defense. However, the Eagles’ offense will have the benefit of facing a very banged-up unit that’s without key contributors at several positions. Hurts, Barkley, Smith and Brown should have a day against this piecemeal group and move the ball quite effectively while scoring plenty of points of their own. If Philly can limit turnovers, win the time-of-possession battle, and just slow down their opponent’s attack, this looks like a chance to create additional distance in the NFC standings. If you’re nervous to pick the outcome, over 24.5 points for Philadelphia makes plenty of sense as a top pick given the injury report here.
