Calvin Johnson scored three touchdowns to lead the Detroit Lions to a 45-14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles at Ford Field in the NFL this evening.
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The Eagles had a chance to get the first points on the board in their opening drive, as Caleb Sturgis lined up a 50-yard field goal, but the kicker's effort struck the right post.
The home side struggled with their first possession, but Matthew Stafford used a number of his receivers to move the ball around on the second drive for Detroit, eventually setting up Theo Riddick for an eight-yard touchdown.
Tight end Trey Burke got the Eagles into a strong position down the other end on the next drive as the visitors looked to hit back immediately, allowing Brent Celek to stretch the ball over at the start of the second quarter.
The Lions were back in front a couple of minutes later though as Golden Tate was left wide open, leaving the wide receiver to stroll into the endzone after Joique Bell had been tackled just short.
Ziggy Ansah sacked Mark Sanchez for a second time to stop the Eagles levelling the scores again, before Detroit extended their lead further thanks to a 48-yard field goal from Matt Prater.
Things got worse for the Eagles before the break though as Johnson, who was unable to make a catch in the first quarter, started to come into the game, getting free in the endzone to add a third touchdown for the hosts.
The wide receiver was in again early in the third quarter as Stafford found him with a similar pass to the previous score, before a fumble from Sanchez handed possession straight back to the home side, giving Johnson a third touchdown of the game a couple of minutes later.
Sanchez continued to struggle to get any kind of a rhythm going on offense for Philadelphia, taking another sack before the end of the third quarter, while Ansah got to him again at the start of the fourth.
Detroit got the ball back, leaving Bell to run 39 yards, before smashing the ball into the endzone from a yard out on the next play for a sixth touchdown for the Lions.
The Eagles did manage to get their first second-half points on the board late in the fourth quarter though, with Sanchez finally finding some rhythm to connect with Jordan Matthews for a touchdown.
The result leaves the Lions with wins from their last three games, improving to 4-7 this season, while the Eagles slip to 4-7, having lost three in a row.
Sian Cowper
