It’s obvious that one of the most-anticipated games of the NFL’s Week 11 will be the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles duking it out in Philly to reign at the top of the NFC. It’s rare when two teams as equally matched go up against each other in the regular season, but seeing that the Philadelphia Eagles have a 7-2 record and the Detroit Lions are 6-3, this is shaping up to be a close game.
Philadelphia has the home field advantage, which will certainly help them, but the Lions are also strong on the road, so it may not help as much as the Eagles think.
### Injury Report and Team Status
Leading up to the game, the Detroit Lions need good vibes. Their injury report isn’t perfect, and they’ll have to go at it without their starting tight end Sam LaPorta, who has been ruled out for the matchup due to a back injury. However, they’ll still have quarterback Jared Goff, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, and all the usual suspects in tow.
### Detroit Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown Fined by NFL
Right before the game, St. Brown received some unfortunate news. While it’s nothing that will keep him out of the game, it’s still frustrating when this happens to any NFL player.
The NFL doesn’t hold games on Saturdays unless it’s a special occasion, but Saturdays remain important during the season. Each Saturday, the NFL announces penalties for players based on actions taken during the previous week’s games.
According to an official NFL statement, these actions are “to protect players from unnecessary risk and preserve competitive balance and game integrity.” The NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed on a set of game-related rules violations that may result in accountability measures.
This week, Amon-Ra St. Brown’s name was on that list. On November 15, the NFL handed the wide receiver a $12,172 fine for unnecessary roughness under the “striking/kicking/tripping/kneeing” category. The incident happened in the second quarter of the Detroit Lions’ game against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Nov. 9.
Two Commanders players were also fined for their actions against the Lions. Ale Kaho was hit with a $46,371 bill for unnecessary roughness and “use of a helmet,” while Javon Kinlaw was handed a $28,555 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct and “contact with an official.”
### Mixed Predictions for Lions vs. Eagles
With the game approaching, NFL experts at NBC Philadelphia have shared their predictions, which are fairly evenly split between Detroit and Philadelphia.
Dave Zangaro of NBC Philadelphia has the Lions taking it, 30-26.
> “The offense must step up to have a chance to continue to try to get the bye week with the No. 1 seed,” he says, adding that the Eagles “won by scoring 10 points in Week 10, but we can’t sustain that type of offensive production.”
On the other side, Mike Mulhern predicts a close win for the Eagles, 31-30.
> “In the end, Vic Fangio will do just enough to force Jared Goff into a costly mistake that will prove to be the difference,” he says.
We shall see, Mulhern. We shall see.
https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/detroit-lions/player-handed-bad-news-before-eagles/
