The Detroit Lions are looking to make it two straight wins on the road against an NFC East opponent when they travel to Philadelphia to play the Eagles in front of a national audience on Sunday Night Football.

Here are five things to watch out for in tonight's matchup:

1. Trench warfare

Lions assistant head coach and wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery said this week Philadelphia has the best defense the Lions will probably face all year. The Eagles have talent throughout all three levels of their defense with the strength being upfront along the defensive line. Defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis anchor the middle, and they'll be a great test for the interior of Detroit's offensive line. Philadelphia got some players back from injury on the edge, most notably Nolan Smith, and added veteran Jaelen Phillips via trade. Phillips made a big impact in his Eagles debut last week.

Detroit's offensive line is coming off arguably their best performance of the season in Washington but will certainly have their work cut out for them Sunday night. Whichever team wins in the trenches tonight will most likely win the contest.

2. Red-zone defense

When two good teams like Philadelphia and Detroit match up, the difference between winning and losing usually comes down to turnovers, third-down efficiency and who takes better advantage of their red-zone opportunities. The latter will be particularly key for Detroit's defense as Philadelphia comes into Sunday's contest with the No. 1 red-zone scoring offense in the NFL at 81.0 percent.

Detroit's defense hasn't been particularly good keeping opponents out of the end zone when they reach the red zone this season, ranking 25th by allowing a touchdown 66.7 percent of the time.

3. St. Brown vs. DeJean

Amon-Ra St. Brown is currently fourth among all NFL receivers in receptions (64), fifth in receiving yards (693) and second in touchdown receptions (8). He's Detroit's top weapon in the passing game and quarterback Jared Goff’s go-to target in the red zone and on third down. St. Brown has at least five receptions in eight consecutive games and 57 career games since entering the NFL in 2021.

Eagles versatile defensive back Cooper DeJean plays both in the slot and out wide, but two thirds of his snaps have come from the slot where teams are completing 61.4 percent of their passes (27-for-44) with an 86.4 rating and just one touchdown this season when throwing at DeJean.

4. Limiting Barkley

After averaging nearly 180 yards per game on the ground last season, that number has dipped all the way to 111.2 yards per contest this season for the Eagles, ranking 21st in the NFL. One of the things that's been missing from the Eagles' run game this season is the explosive play. The Eagles had 25 runs of 25-plus yards last season with seven of those being touchdowns. Only Baltimore had more in 2024. Philadelphia has just five runs of 20-plus yards this year as All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley is averaging 3.9 yards per rush vs. a 5.8 average last season.

Detroit's utilizing the versatility of their linebackers to play more base defense this season and that's allowed them to really key in on stopping the run. Detroit is allowing just 94.3 yards per game on average on the ground, which is eighth best in the league. Can the Lions limit Barkley and force quarterback Jalen Hurts to be a pocket passer to move their offense? That's the recipe for success tonight.

5. Roster depth

Detroit could end up counting on a few reserves to step up and fill key roles in tonight's contest. That's nothing new for this team, who played and won a Week 7 matchup against Tampa Bay with all four of their starters in the secondary out for that contest. A few key reserves the Lions might need to step in and give them important minutes tonight include safety Thomas Harper, cornerback Rock-Ya Sin and tight end Brock Wright.