The Philadelphia Eagles will have a chance to bounce back from a tough 16-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Oct. 14 against the Detroit Lions. The Eagles (3-2) will host the Lions (1-3) at Lincoln Financial Field. The kickoff is at 1 p.m.

The Eagles should be able to run the ball against Detroit. The Lions are ranked 15th in the NFL against the run. That means the Lions should get a heavy dose of Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, who is one of the league’s best rushers. McCoy had 16 carries for 53 yards including a 15-yard TD reception from quarterback Michael Vick in Sunday’s loss. He is the third leading rusher in the NFL with 384 yards on the ground.

Vick connected on 20-of-30 passes for 175 yards and 2 TDs, but fumbled four times. Two of those fumbles were recovered by the Steelers. In spite of his shortcomings, Vick still had the Eagles in a position to win the game. But the turnovers are really hurting the team.

In regard to throwing the football, the Eagles should have an advantage in their matchup with the Lions. DeSean Jackson, Eagles wide receiver, had four receptions for 58 yards against the Steelers. Jackson leads the team with 20 catches for 333 yards and 1 TD. In addition to Jackson, tight end Brent Celek (18 receptions for 315 yards and 1 TD), wide receivers Jason Avant (13 receptions for 126 yards) and Jeremy Maclin (9 receptions for 126 yards and 2 TDs) have been key players in the passing game.

Defensively, the Eagles need to get a pass rush together. They have to get some pressure on Matthew Stafford, Lions quarterback, who likes to throw the ball down the field. In the last two games, the Eagles haven’t been able to get to the quarterback. Stafford’s big target is wide receiver Calvin Johnson, the Lions’ most explosive player. Johnson has 29 receptions for 423 yards and 1 TD. Stafford has completed 114-of-173 passes for 1,182 yards and 3 TDs.

Detroit is coming off a bye week. They should be well-rested and are in desperate need of a win. Detroit has lost three straight games to San Francisco 49ers (27-19), Tennessee Titans (44-41 OT) and Minnesota Vikings (20-13) respectively.

NOTES: McCoy scored his sixth-career receiving touchdown in his return to the site of his college (Pittsburgh) home games. He now has 4,764 career scrimmage yards, moving past Tom Woodeshick into 16th place on the team’s all-time scrimmage yards list.

Celek caught his first TD pass of the season. Over the last 16 games, Celek has accumulated 74 receptions for 1,062 yards and 6 TDs. Celek surpassed Keith Jackson for 16th on the team’s all-time reception list. He now trails only John Spagnola (256) and Pete Retzlaf (452) among tight ends. Celek also tied Jackson for the third-time among Eagles tight ends with his 20th regular season touchdown.

Vick eclipsed 150 career touchdowns (117 passing, 34 rushing), throwing for two TDs and a 104.2 passer rating. It was Vick’s 12th game with a passer rating that exceeded 100 during his career with the Eagles.

Contact staff writer Donald Hunt at (215) 893-5719 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .