For anyone who just finished watching that epic game between the Eagles and Lions, many people are probably still wondering how the first half and the second half played out with such different performances.

The game started during a huge snowstorm, and throughout the first half especially, it was hard to see what was going on for players, referees, as well as the fans watching in Philadelphia and at home. As a result, neither team was able to score in the first half for the most part, and the first quarter ended with both teams unable to score.

Several games this week opened with severe weather conditions, but none as bad as the one that took place in Philadelphia with the field covered in snow, reaching a height of 8 inches at one point according to one reporter who was on the field.

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Somehow things calmed down a bit in the second half, allowing both offenses to explode, however it was the running game of the Eagles that truly took off, with LeSean McCoy setting an Eagles record for most rushing yards in a game, and destroying the Lions defensive ground game.

The Eagles finished with 299 yards rushing against a defense that didn’t allow a TD on the ground in the previous eight games and came in allowing the third-fewest yards rushing per game. McCoy was responsible for 217 rushing yards in the game, breaking the previous record of 205 that was held by Hall of Famer Steven Van Buren in 1949.

While the game completely lacked offense in the first half, and neither team was even able to kick a field goal or extra point throughout the game, there were a lot more points than expected at the start of the game. It became a back and forth scoring rout for a while, but eventually the Eagles took control, and dominated the 4th quarter.

The Lions led the game 8-0 at halftime, before taking a 14 point lead and appearing to take over the game. However, the Eagles quickly came back and under the running skills of LeSean McCoy, it became too hard for the Lions to come back. The snowy conditions were simply too much for the Lions to overcome, and fumbled on multiple occasions, twice during runs.

This is what the Philly v Detroit game looked like from the stands #nfl #eagles #lions pic.twitter.com/kJxZ5vn4a0

— Ross (@12ossT) December 8, 2013

I don't think the Eagles are better than Detroit but LeSean McCoy snowmobiled better than Lions. Now: your turn, Cowboys.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) December 8, 2013

While it did not prove to be too big of a deal in this game, Calvin Johnson is one of the top receivers in the league, and the Eagles were fearing going up against him. Johnson, as one of the top receivers only needed 40 yards to break the all-time receiving yards franchise record, and did that in the first quarter, however, he was not very effective during the rest of the game.

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Despite the very snowy environment, both teams somehow managed to find ways to score, and the Eagles pulled away with the victory. The final score was 34-20, giving the Eagles a record of 8-5, and dropping the Lions to 7-6. It was an important for both teams trying to secure spots in the playoffs, and the Eagles made a big statement with the win.

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