Following an early Week 4 bye, the Eagles (3-0) return to action Sunday in Detroit where they'll put their unscathed record on the line against the Lions (1-3). Detroit, who is coming off a 17-14 loss to the Bears in Chicago last week, is currently riding a three-game losing streak.
The last time these two franchises matched up was last Thanksgiving when Matthew Stafford carved up the Eagles' secondary for five touchdowns in a 45-14 rout of the Birds.
To get a better handle on the 2016 Lions, here's what the local Detroit media is saying about the Eagles' Week 5 opponent.
Golden Tate nowhere to be found
In his first two seasons in Detroit, Golden Tate produced numbers worthy of No. 1 wide receiver acclaim. The 5-foot-11 speedster had a combined 189 receptions for 2,144 yards and 10 touchdowns.
But Tate's third season as a Lion hasn't gone as smoothly as the two prior. Through the first quarter of the season, Tate is fifth on the team in both receptions (14) and receiving yards (95), and has yet to find the end zone. Against the Bears, Tate had just one catch for one yard, playing only 57 percent of the total snaps. He's currently on pace for 56 catches for 380 receiving yards this season, which would be his lowest yardage ouput since his rookie year.
According to Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press, Tate's early-season struggles is further evidence that the Lions still haven't found a legitimate No. 1 receiver to replace the recently retired Calvin Johnson.
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"(Tate) insists his recent struggles are simply a microcosm of a larger offensive issue," Sharp wrote. "Out of sync. Trying to find a rhythm. Nothing that more hard work can’t remedy. But Tate’s increasingly alarming production slide is a reflection of a team that cannot replace a Hall of Fame receiver as easily as it thought ... Tate sounded like he’s trying to convince himself that they’re good. He brazenly considered himself a No. 1 receiver. But he’s been one of the bigger disappointments in the first quarter of the NFL season."
Detroit struggling to generate pressure
The Lions' defense has struggled to make plays in the early goings of the 2016 season. Through four games, Detroit has nine sacks and just one forced turnover, which is tied with the Giants for a league-low mark. That ineffective pass rush is one of the main reasons why the Lions are ranked 21st against the pass this season.
With five of the Lions' nine sacks coming from defensive end Kerry Hyder, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin has been forced to be creative in generating pressure on the opposing quarterback. For instance, last week against the Bears, Bevyl sent cornerback Darius Slay on a corner blitz and Slay was able to get to Brian Hoyer for the sack.
According to Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press, Bevyl would smart to continue to dial up those kinds of blitzes in the future.
"OK, Slay is actually the Lions’ best cornerback and he rarely blitzes. But last week he recorded a beautifully executed blitz when he came off the edge clean and sacked the Chicago Bears’ Brian Hoyer," Monarrez wrote. "If Austin is smart, he might ask Slay to get there more often because the Lions have shown little ability to get to the quarterback with stunts and linebacker blitzes."
Jim Caldwell's tenure in Detroit coming to an end?
After going 11-5 and claiming a Wild Card berth in Jim Caldwell's first season at the helm, the Lions have gone 8-12 since losing to the Cowboys in the 2014 Wild Card Round.
It looked as if Caldwell's job would be in jeopardy after the Lions got off to an abismal 1-7 start last year, but winning six of his final eight games was enough to buy him another season in Detroit.
But as the Lions stumbled to a 1-3 start this season while also being the third most penalized team in the league, talks surrounding Caldwell's job security have begun to heat up yet again.
Despite being asked about his job security by reporters during the week leading up to the Lions' matchup with the Eagles, Caldwell said he isn't worrying about things that are out of his control.
Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press wrote that Jim Caldwell shouldn't remain Detroit's coach past this season because he isn't the right coach to lead the Lions in their rebuilding phase.
"Caldwell shouldn’t see a fourth year with the Lions," Sharp wrote. "The fourth game of the season provided all the evidence first-year general manager Bob Quinn needs that Caldwell isn’t the right voice for the significant rebuilding job facing the Lions. The breakdowns in player communication and concentration suggest they aren’t listening any longer to the coach."
Predictions
The Eagles are listed as three point favorites on the road this week and most national experts are siding with Vegas on this one. If the Birds leave Detroit with a victroy on Sunday, it would mark their best start to a season since 2004, when Donovan McNabb, Terrell Owens and company won their first seven games.
ESPN: Six of nine experts picked the Eagles.
FOX Sports: Four of five experts picked the Eagles.
CBS Sports: Seven of eight experts picked the Eagles.
