Cam Jurgens is back in action. The Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowl center, who has been sidelined for the last two games due to a knee injury, returned to full practice on Friday after being limited earlier in the week. Jurgens, 26, signed a four-year, $68 million contract extension in April and has no injury designation for tonight”s game against the Detroit Lions, indicating he will play. Brett Toth had been substituting for Jurgens since he was injured on October 19 in Minnesota.
“I”m just trying to get better every day, every week,” Jurgens stated at the NovaCare Complex on Friday. “Brett did a great job. He”s been in the league seven, eight years now. He stepped in. … Communication was good. He knows exactly what we”re doing.”
The Eagles boast a record of 7-2 after narrowly defeating the Green Bay Packers 10-7 on Monday night, with head coach Nick Sirianni maintaining an impressive 10-0 record against teams from the NFC North, where Detroit currently leads the division at 6-3. Lions coach Dan Campbell commented on the challenge of playing in Philadelphia, saying, “You go some places and they wave at you, “We”re so happy that you”re here to play against us!” This is not one of those places. I love playing in atmospheres like that. It”s a great place to play … it”s electric. It”s probably the most hostile place to play. … It gets you fired up.”
Detroit was one of the ten teams that opposed the offseason proposal to ban the “tush push,” a signature play for the Eagles. Campbell, a self-described purist, expressed his view on keeping the game intact, stating, “If you take something out of the game, then you”re taking the next thing out of the game. Then pretty soon we don”t have pads anymore. Then pretty soon you”re only playing 30 minutes. A team has got a niche, they”ve found something, they”re good at it. That”s for everybody else to stop. It”s unique and it”s physical. More than anything I just don”t want to take anything else out of the game. I just want to leave the game alone.”
This week, the Eagles dealt with off-field drama involving wide receiver A.J. Brown, who publicly aired his frustrations about his limited role in the offense. After being targeted just three times against the Packers, he has recorded only 31 receptions for 408 yards this season, as the Eagles” offensive performance has lacked consistency. “At what point are we going to pick up our slack as an offense?” Brown, a team captain, remarked. “Week after week sometimes, we”re not contributing, we”re not doing our job on offense.”
Several teammates echoed Brown”s sentiments. Right tackle Lane Johnson has voiced similar concerns this season, and running back Saquon Barkley—whose production has fluctuated following a historic 2024 campaign—agreed with Brown”s assessment. “Whether we score 10 or we score 40, A.J.”s not saying anything wrong,” Barkley noted. “We”re looking for ways to improve. In reality, in our locker room, that has no factor at all … It”s a lot of noise, in my opinion. We”re focused on Detroit. And we know we”re going to get the best from A.J. as a player and a leader.”
The Lions will be without several key players due to injuries, including tight end Sam LaPorta, cornerback Terrion Arnold, and safety Kerby Joseph. With a wounded secondary, this could present an opportunity for Brown to shine.
The injury report for the Eagles lists center/guard Willie Lampkin as questionable due to knee and ankle issues, though he participated fully in Friday”s practice. Other full participants included long snapper Cal Adomitis, cornerback Jakorian Bennett, wide receiver Darius Cooper, left guard Landon Dickerson, right tackle Lane Johnson, edge rusher Nolan Smith, guard Steen, and center Jurgens. For the Lions, cornerback Arnold, safety Joseph, tight end LaPorta, and edge rusher Josh Paschal are out. Questionable players include edge rusher Marcus Davenport, tackle Taylor Decker, offensive lineman Miles Frazier, cornerbacks D.J. Reed and Amik Robertson, linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, running backs Jacob Saylors and Sione Vaki, tackle Penei Sewell, and tight end Brock Wright.
As both teams gear up for their Sunday night clash, here are the pregame position grades based on health and recent performances, which will be reevaluated postgame:
- QB: Eagles A-, Lions A-
- RB: Lions A, Eagles B+
- TE: Eagles A-, Lions C
- WR: Eagles A, Lions A
- OL: Eagles B+, Lions B+
- DL: Eagles B+, Lions B+
- LB: Eagles A-, Lions A-
- CB: Eagles B, Lions C
- S: Eagles B+, Lions C
- ST: Eagles A-, Lions B-
The Eagles (7-2) will face the Lions (6-3) tonight at 8:20 PM at Lincoln Financial Field. The game will be broadcast on NBC, featuring Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, and Melissa Stark. Radio coverage will be provided by 94.1-FM WIP with Merrill Reese, Mike Quick, and Devan Kaney, while Tico will cover the game with Rickie Ricardo, Oscar Budejen, and David Gerhardt. Westwood One will feature Ryan Radtke and Ross Tucker.
Betting odds place the Eagles as 2.5-point favorites, with an over/under of 46.5. The money line stands at Eagles -145 and Lions +125.
— Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc.
