By Paul Macrie, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
Despite Calvin Johnson announcing his retirement at the end of last season, Matthew Stafford isn't missing a beat with a revamped receiving corps at his disposal.
The Eagles defense will need to prepare for Stafford's massive upside, and there is no coach in the league that is better aware of the Lions quarterback's abilities than defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
Schwartz was the head coach of the Lions from 2009 to 2013. In his first year as head coach, he, with the guidance of the front office, drafted Stafford with the No. 1 overall pick. This was after enduring a winless season in 2008. Stafford has grown to be one of the better quarterback talents in the NFL, but hasn't always shown that ability. Schwartz witnessed firsthand his best season as a pro in 2011, throwing for more than 5,000 yards, 41 touchdowns and leading the franchise to its first playoff berth since 1999.
Fast forward to 2016, and Stafford is having a nice start to his eighth season in the league. However, he is coming off his worst start of the season last Sunday in a dreadful loss to the Bears. He is fourth in the league in passing yards (1,198), 1oth in completion percentage (66.7) and 14th in passer rating (93.9).
Stafford hasn't missed "Megatron" as much as many thought heading into this season. Free agent signee Marvin Jones has performed well through four starts, with 482 yards and two touchdowns. The yardage is second in the league to Julio Jones, who is fresh off a 300-yard receiving game performance.
One thing the Eagles defense should focus on this Sunday is completely taking away the shaky Detroit running attack, and forcing the opponent to be one-dimensional. The Lions are currently 22nd in the league in rush yards per game (92.3), and the loss of Ameer Abdullah for the remainder of the season has proven to be costly.
Coming off a 66-yard team rushing performance against the lowly Bears, the Lions need to fix their running attack quickly before the season spirals out of control. Philadelphia has allowed only 71 rush yards per game through three contests, good for second in the league. That is exceptional news for the Eagles in their quest to stop the weak rushing pursuit.
To make matters worse for the Lions this season, they have more penalty yards than rush yards, 370 penalty yards to 369 rushing yards. That is the most telling statistic to why they are off to a 1-3 start, including three straight defeats.
Jones is the player to watch for Detroit. He has been targeted 36 times already this season, 11 more than tight end Eric Ebron, who is second on the team. Veteran Anquan Boldin has given Detroit a proven, reliable target in the slot, but Golden Tate has struggled mightily with only 95 yards receiving in four games.
Corners Nolan Carroll and Jalen Mills will have the assignment of covering Jones on Sunday. That will be the key matchup to focus on.
If the Eagles can get consistent pressure on Stafford it can once again make the defensive backs' jobs much easier. Nickel Ron Brooks, the linebackers and safeties Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod will need to be mindful of Ebron and Boldin.
Ultimately, the defense will be preparing all week to defend Stafford's enormous upside. The players that were on the team last season won't forget the 45-14 blowout loss on Thanksgiving Day. It is still hard to ignore that lopsided loss at Ford Field, and those memories could return if the Lions are moving the ball well at home on Sunday.
Stafford lit up that defense for 337 yards and five touchdowns that day.
The Lions won't be thankful to play the Eagles this year, though. With a new scheme and improved coaching from the coordinator level all the way to the assistants, it is almost certain they won't be giving up 40-plus points this time around.
Schwartz knows Stafford better than anyone. He saw his franchise quarterback mature to what he is today. He will be stressing all week that he remains a force at the position, even if he doesn't always display that upside, and a subtle reminder about last year's contest won't hurt either.
There is significant history between the Eagles defensive coordinator and Detroit's quarterback. It will be an intriguing chess match on Sunday, and the team in midnight green has to like their chances that Schwartz prevails, putting his unit in the right spots to succeed.
