The Sunday Night Football between the two heavyweights, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Detroit Lions, is a tight one at halftime. The Eagles took a late lead in the first half on a Jalen Hurts touchdown. The Philadelphia passing attack hasn’t looked very good in the opening 30 minutes. DeVonta Smith has been very quiet as a result of the limited passing attack.
DeVonta Smith’s Slow Start
Smith was a complete non-factor in the first half. Over his career, he has been a very reliable weapon for Hurts and the Eagles of the last few weeks, but Detroit held him in check. A.J. Brown has often expressed his frustrations with his lack of production, but tonight, he’s been the only target getting any sort of production.
Smith had zero catches in the first half. They have to get him involved if they want to put the Lions away. Detroit will certainly not go down easily, so leaning on Smith to help get the passing game in a groove can be very beneficial for the Eagles. Brown had six catches for 43 yards in the first half after letting all his frustrations with the offense out.
A win for Philadelphia would tighten its grasp on the NFC East crown. The Cowboys are the only potential threat, and they are already 3.5 games back, with seemingly no hope. However, there is still a mathematical chance, which will become slimmer if the Eagles defeat the Lions. It will also help them keep pace with the Rams for the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC.
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Smith is the fourth-ranked wide receiver in PFSN’s WR Impact score. His grade is 89.3, just barely behind his opponent tonight, Amon-Ra St. Brown. Smith has been electric for Philadelphia with a couple of 100-yard games and a few clutch touchdowns. Unfortunately, he couldn’t catch a pass, let alone rack up touchdowns or yards.
The Eagles are holding on well in the third quarter as neither team has scored. It hasn’t been great for Smith and his fantasy owners, but the Eagles won’t care as long as they pull out a win. Hurts hasn’t been all that either, as he’s completed less than half of his passes through three quarters.
The Lions and Eagles are set for a tight finish, and only time will tell if Philly can hold on.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.