Lions' Comeback Comes Up Short In 35-32 Loss To Eagles

Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Michael Vick filled in admirably in his first start in almost four years as he tossed two touchdowns to help the Philadelphia Eagles take a 35-32 win over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.

Vick, starting in placed of an injured Kevin Kolb who suffered a concussion in last week's loss to Green Bay, went 21-for-34 with 284 yards and added seven carries for 37 yards for the Eagles (1-1), who dropped a 27-20 game to Green Bay in the opener at home last week. Vick's last start was on December 31, 2006 when he was with Atlanta.

Kolb, who failed his concussion testing this past week, has been cleared to practice with the team next week. Philadelphia head coach Andy Reid had previously stated that Kolb will be the starter when he is ready to play.

LeSean McCoy had the best game of his career as he scored three on the ground and finished with 16 carries for 120 yards while DeSean Jackson added four catches for 135 yards and a score. Jeremy Maclin caught the other touchdown.

Shaun Hill, making a his first start as a Lion due to Matthew Stafford missing the game with a shoulder injury, went 25-for-45 with 335 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Lions (0-2), who lost to Chicago last Sunday, 19-14.

Rookie Jahvid Best continued to impress as he totaled 232 all-purpose yards and scored three times. He has scored five of Detroit's six touchdowns thus far this season.

NFL Catch Rule Helps Out Lions Against Eagles

Putting the ball on the ground before completing the process of making a catch cost the Detroit Lions a game-winning touchdown by Calvin Johnson last Sunday against the Chicago Bears. But in the Lions’ Week 2 match-up with the Philadelphia Eagles, the strict interpretation of the catch rule came back to help Detroit.

In the first quarter of Sunday’s game, Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson made a leaping catch on a long pass from Michael Vick. However, the football popped loose when Jackson fell to the ground. Initially, the play was ruled a complete pass. As you might expect, that incensed Lions coach Jim Schwartz.

From Pro Football Talk:

The officials on the field ruled it a complete pass, and Lions coach Jim Schwartz went crazy on the sideline, wondering how Jackson could get a catch when he didn’t hold onto the ball while going to the ground.

Schwartz threw his challenge flag, and after a lengthy instant replay delay, the referee overturned the ruling and said it was an incomplete pass.

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander? The enemy of my enemy is my friend?

Well, maybe something like that. However you want to put it, the same rule that robbed the Lions last week helped them this week. But it remains to be seen whether strict interpretation of the catch rule will give the Lions a win it took away last Sunday in Chicago.

Detroit Lions-Philadelphia Eagles Preview

(Sports Network) - Football is a violent sport that can lead to frustration, injuries and sometimes worse. The Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions can attest to that as they limp into Sunday's matchup from Ford Field.

Both teams are not expected to have their starting quarterbacks in this one, as the continuation of the Kevin Kolb era in Philadelphia will be put on hold due to a concussion suffered in a 27-20 loss versus Green Bay in the season opener. Lions franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford will miss some time as well with a shoulder injury sustained in a Week 1 loss at Chicago.

Kolb's face was planted into the grass by Packers linebacker Clay Matthews and he spent a few plays receiving medical treatment on the sidelines. The Eagles' staff, which garnered mixed reviews for the move, briefly sent him back in action before Michael Vick took over to begin the third quarter and almost led the Eagles to victory.

Kolb, of course, supplanted current Washington Redskin Donovan McNabb as the starting quarterback and is a longshot to play in this week's game.

In compliance with NFL rules, Kolb must go through a series of tests before returning to the field. He failed the second phase of testing before seeing a specialist for an evaluation. According to Eagles head coach Andy Reid, Kolb will not be able to practice until Friday at the earliest.

"I'm going to listen to the experts and I'm going to follow what the protocol is here and that's how I'm going about it," Reid said on the team's site.

Reid is going through the same motions with middle linebacker Stewart Bradley, who also left the loss to Green Bay with a concussion. He too was inserted back into the lineup even after collapsing following a collision with new teammate and former Lions linebacker Ernie Sims.

Eagles center Jamaal Jackson, who made a valiant effort to return from offseason knee surgery, also suffered a season-ending triceps injury in last week's loss. The news wasn't good either for All-Pro fullback Leonard Weaver, who's out for the year with a torn knee ligament.

The Eagles hope their laundry list of injuries doesn't result in their first 0-2 start since the 2007 campaign, when they went 8-8.

Detroit has been through this before, as Stafford went down with a shoulder injury on his non-throwing arm last year. The second-year signal-caller was blind-sided by Bears defensive end Julius Peppers last Sunday and had to be replaced by Shaun Hill in a 19-14 loss.

The setback was accentuated by a controversial play involving Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who had a would-be touchdown in the game's final minute called back for not having possession through the completion. The ball rolled out of his right hand after he hauled in Hill's pass and landed in the end zone.

Lions second-year head coach Jim Schwartz said afterwards he wasn't going to blame the officials for losing a game, citing other areas that led to Detroit's demise in the Windy City. Detroit went 4-for-14 on third down and named Hill the starting quarterback for its home opener versus the Eagles.

"Shaun has a lot of trust in the locker room," Schwartz told the Lions' website. "They know what kind of quarterback he is. I think that the players respect that. That's not a sell job, that's not a massage job. Shaun will go in and lead the team."

In Hill's last three seasons -- all with San Francisco -- he posted a 10-6 record as a starter with a 23-11 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He was acquired via trade in the offseason and will try to hand the Lions their first home-opening win since 2007.

An improved Detroit defense that added veteran end Kyle Vanden Bosch and rookie tackle Ndamukong Suh made a strong impression against the Bears, save a few big plays from Chicago running back Matt Forte. The Lions held the Bears in check within the red zone last week, but must keep up the pressure versus Philadelphia's young core of offensive weapons.

DeAndre Levy Among Inactives For Lions

The chances of linebacker DeAndre Levy playing for the Lions against the Eagles looked pretty good when Levy returned to practice on Thursday. Perhaps there was some wishful thinking in that, given that Levy would have been a valuable defensive asset against Eagles QB Michael Vick.

Unfortunately, it appears that Levy couldn’t go at full speed with that injured groin after pre-game warm-ups. He’s listed as inactive for the Lions, according to several reports.

Other inactives for the Lions include defensive end Cliff Avril and running back Kevin Smith. Safety Louis Delmas, however, is available for Detroit.

One more interesting note: Wide receiver/kick returner Derrick Williams is listed as the third quarterback on Sunday’s depth chart. Maybe not a surprise, with Matthew Stafford out. And, of course, if it comes to that for the Lions, they’re already in deep trouble, anyway.

The Freep’s Dave Birkett points out that listing Williams as a QB means he can’t play at wide receiver in the game. NFL rules state that two quarterbacks can’t be on the field at the same time, apparently.

Lions' Matthew Stafford Throwing ... Left-Handed

We already knew Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was out for Sunday’s game versus the Eagles.

But the local media couldn’t resist having a little fun with the fans, while watching pre-game warm-ups. Stafford was actually on the field, making throws. But it wasn’t quite what you think.

Tom Kowalski:

Matthew Stafford is on the field throwing …. with his left hand … five-yard passes … he’s not playing, folks …

Larry Lage:

Stafford has tossed passes – with his left hand – leaving banged-up right shoulder at his side b4 #Lions #Eagles game

Hey, if Stafford’s out for long enough and gets enough reps in, who knows? Maybe Detroit will have the NFL’s first ambidextrous quarterback. Sure, you separated one of his shoulders, Julius Peppers, but did you get the other one? Because Stafford has two!

Okay, maybe not. Carry on with your own pre-game warm-ups.

NFL Injury Report: Lions Vs. Eagles

The Week 2 injury report focusing on the Lions-Eagles game can be found below.

Detroit Lions

QB Matthew Stafford (Knee) - Out

RB Jahvid Best (Toe) - Probable

DE Cliff Avril (Knee) - Out

LB DeAndre Levy (Groin) - Questionable

S Louis Delmas (Groin) - Questionable

S C.C. Brown (Forearm) - Probable

Philadelphia Eagles

QB Kevin Kolb (Concussion) - Out

RB Mike Bell (Toe) - Probable

WR Jason Avant (Back) - Probable

OT Austin Howard (Back) - Probable

OG Nick Cole (Knee) - Probable

OG Todd Herremans (Ankle) - Probable

DE Antwan Barnes (Wrist) - Probable

DT Trevor Laws (Oblique) - Probable

LB Akeem Jordan (Groin) - Probable

LB Stuart Bradley (Concussion) - Out

P Saverio Rocca (Left Hamstring) - Probable

Lions Reach Sellout, Avoid Blackout

The Lions have achieved a sellout for Sunday's home opener against the Eagles. 2,000 tickets were remaining yesterday, but they were all sold to fans, as no outside help was required to sell out the game.

With the Lions achieving a sellout, it means that there won't be a blackout this week. That's great news; the bad news is that the Lions came so close to being blacked out for the first home game of the season. Usually the home opener sells out rather easily, but the Lions cut it close this year. That's not an encouraging sign for future home games, but then again, all bets are off if the Lions start winning.

Although this game is technically sold out, there are still tickets available, as the Eagles returned some of their allotment.

Michael Vick To Start For Eagles At Lions Sunday

With Kevin Kolb still working through the effects of the concussion he suffered last Sunday, it seemed unlikely he would be available to start at quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

Not to mention that backup QB Michael Vick played so much better when he was in the game, accumulating 278 yards of total offense. Compare that to Kolb completing 5-of-10 passes for 24 yards before getting hurt.

Nonetheless, the Eagles officially declared Kolb out for Sunday’s game, as he still hasn’t satisfactorily passed the concussion tests now required by the NFL. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report that Vick will start at quarterback for the Eagles. It will be Vick’s first NFL start since 2006. (You might remember Vick got into a little bit of trouble off the field.)

That could present some problems for the Lions’ defense, as Vick demonstrated last week with this slick run against the Packers.

Vick reminded us how good he can really be with his performance, presenting a dual threat that virtually no other quarterback in the NFL can match. Even if the Lions play sufficient pass coverage, Vick can still run for the first down. And if Detroit tries to counter that by keeping more defenders in the box, that leaves receivers open against one-on-one matchups.

How often is playing an opponent with a backup quarterback actually a worse development for a team? That might be where the Lions find themselves on Sunday.

Lions' DeAndre Levy, Louis Delmas Return To Practice

The Detroit Lions got some presumably good news on Thursday, with linebacker DeAndre Levy and safety Louis Delmas returning to practice.

Levy, who hasn’t practiced in three weeks and missed Detroit’s Week 1 game versus Chicago, participated in individual drills and according to the Freep’s Dave Birkett, didn’t appear to be favoring his injured groin.

Delmas, also suffering from a groin injury, played last Sunday but missed practice on Wednesday. He also worked in individual drills.

Two players did sit out Thursday’s practice, however. Quarterback Matthew Stafford and defensive end Cliff Avril were kept on the sidelines. Stafford is nursing a separated shoulder, but did not wear a sling on Thursday. Read into that what you will. Avril, meanwhile, is dealing with a broken finger that’s required surgery and a cast on his right hand, along with a sprained knee suffered against the Bears.

Lions Get Extension To Sell Out Home Opener

The NFL has granted the Detroit Lions a 24-hour extension to sell out their home opener with the Philadelphia Eagles.

There’s still about 2,000 tickets left, which the Lions now have until Friday at 1 p.m. to get rid of.

Lions Name Shaun Hill Starter; Matthew Stafford, 3 Others Miss Practice

Any speculation about Matthew Stafford's status for Sunday has been cleared up, because Jim Schwartz named Shaun Hill the Lions' starting quarterback for the Eagles game.

Stafford was not expected to play considering his injury is likely to require at least a couple weeks of recovery time. Although his right arm isn't in a sling, which is a good sign, he missed practice today. He wasn't the only starter out, though.

Cliff Avril, DeAndre Levy and Louis Delmas also missed practice. Avril just had surgery on his broken pinky finger yesterday and is also dealing with a knee injury. Levy and Delmas are both dealing with groin injuries, and Levy hasn't practiced since the end of August. Delmas may have been out just to rest, as he did that last week.

Lions Close To Sellout For Home Opener Against Eagles

Blackouts have been very common for Lions home games over the last couple of seasons, and it's likely that they will be common again this season. For the home opener on Sunday, however, it looks like the Lions will reach a sellout and not have to deal with a blackout.

As of noon Wednesday, the team had just 3,000 tickets left unsold for Sunday's game against the Eagles at Ford Field, making it almost certain the game will be sold out by Thursday's 1 p.m. blackout deadline. 

Even if the Lions are unable to sell the 3,000 remaining tickets by Thursday, they can get a 24-hour extension on the deadline. Anytime that happens a sellout is basically guaranteed, so I'd expect that to happen if the Lions don't reach a sellout by tomorrow. Either way, it appears as though the Lions' game on Sunday against the Eagles will be shown on TV locally.