Eagles vs. Panthers: 10 winners, 3 losers, 3 IDKs

The Philadelphia Eagles are 11-2 after narrowly defeating the Carolina Panthers.

We can sit right here and say “a win is a win.”

But that positive didn’t appear to be the prevailing sentiment from the postgame media availability. Multiple Eagles gamers expressed frustration with how the workforce carried out.

The Eagles entered this sport as 13.5-point dwelling favorites. And they have been a Xavier Legette drop away from being all the way down to the Panthers with 44 seconds remaining.

This efficiency hardly means the Eagles aren’t professional Super Bowl contenders. We’ve seen that they’re able to taking part in higher than this.

But this exhibiting did underscore some professional considerations that might stop the Eagles from reaching their final objective.

Time at hand out some winners, losers, and IDKs.

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WINNERS

SAQUON BARKLEY

Oddly sufficient, Barkley turning into the Eagles’ new single-season dashing chief looks like extra of a footnote than THE defining function from this sport.

But Barkley’s historic success shouldn’t go underappreciated. His 20 carries resulted in 124 yards (6.2 common).

With 1,623 dashing yards this season, Barkley is 483 yards away from surpassing Eric Dickerson for the NFL single-season dashing file. He’ll have to log at the least 120.5 yards per sport over the past 4 weeks to get there. With Barkley averaging 124.9 dashing yards per sport to this point, the feat is inside attain.

ZACK BAUN

How many off-ball linebackers are taking part in higher than Baun this season? Perhaps none?

Baun deserves extra than simply Pro Bowl recognition. He’s an All-Pro with the best way he fills out the field rating and makes impression performs on a weekly foundation.

Against the Panthers, Baun logged 11 complete tackles, three TFLs, two QB hits, and one sack. He’s a beast.

C.J. GARDNER-JOHNSON

CJGJ sought to be a tone-setter with a HUGE hit on Xavier Legette to interrupt up a 3rd down completion and drive a punt on the Panthers’ first drive. It felt very becoming that CJGJ laid the wooden like that on the day the place the Eagles had Sheldon Brown within the constructing as their honorary captain.

CJGJ additionally helped to spark the Eagles’ offense late within the second quarter; his interception allowed Philly to take over on the +44 yard line.

CJGJ went down with a number of accidents on Sunday however he was in a position to powerful it out and end the sport. The Eagles actually wanted him on the market with each Reed Blankenship and Sydney Brown inactive and he delivered.

JALEN CARTER

He’s clearly such a disruptive drive. Carter logged two TFLs and a team-high three QB hits.

A.J. BROWN

Brown didn’t see the type of quantity he deserves however he made essentially the most of his restricted alternatives by catching all 4 of his targets for 43 yards and 4 first downs. Those have been 4 of the Eagles’ complete seven passing first downs.

Brown might’ve had a a lot larger day had Jalen Hurts not missed him a number of occasions, together with for a possible 83-yard landing.

Brown is justified for expressing displeasure with the state of the Eagles’ passing assault. He’s not doing it as a result of he’s egocentric and he needs to build up stats that’ll assist him get a brand new contract. Brown already acquired paid within the offseason. He’s doing it as a result of he cares about profitable and he is aware of the Eagles may have a greater probability at profitable in the event that they do a greater job of getting him concerned. He’s means too good to solely be getting 4 targets.

DEVONTA SMITH

Playing for the primary time since Week 11, DeVonta caught 4 of his six targets for 37 yards and one landing. Not a horny stat line however he deserves credit score for getting open for the Eagles’ greatest completion (27 yards) and for his or her second landing to place Philly up 4 factors at halftime.

DeVonta’s rating was his first since he made that wild one-handed finish zone seize towards the Jacksonville Jaguars again in Week 9.

GRANT CALCATERRA

Playing in his forty seventh profession sport (together with playoffs), Calcaterra caught his first profession landing. Nice for him to lastly have a second within the highlight.

Also, right here’s a cool video of one among his siblings (do you know he’s a triplet?) celebrating the rating:

KENNY GAINWELL

Kenny G produced 33 yards from scrimmage on 5 touches. You’ll take that out of your backup operating again.

He additionally made a superb particular groups sort out on the opening kickoff to maintain the Panthers 4 yards behind the 30-yard touchback mark.

THE COMBINATION OF BRADEN MANN AND AVONTE MADDOX NEAR THE END OF THE GAME

Counting this as one winner.

Mann didn’t actually have a fantastic sport prior his precision punt late within the fourth quarter however he did a pleasant job of inserting that one for Maddox to have the ability to catch to pin the Panthers at their very own 3-yard line.

Nice to see Maddox making a superb play after largely struggling this season. He additionally needed to fill in for CJGJ at occasions and didn’t appear to get completely uncovered?

THE PERSON WHO BET $3.1 MILLION ON THE EAGLES’ MONEYLINE

You can’t assist however marvel what was going via their thoughts on the Panthers’ remaining drive.

Congrats to them on the ~$442,800 in winnings.

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LOSERS

THE PASSING OFFENSE

I can’t recover from the Eagles solely having 83 internet passing yards on this sport.

83 internet passing yards.

In the yr 2024.

That’s simply so extremely unserious.

83 internet passing yards towards a Panthers protection that entered Week 14 permitting the ninth-most passing yards per sport (225.3).

And a Panthers protection that was lacking their sack chief (Jadeveon Clowney dodged the Eagles) and their high cornerback for a portion of the sport (Jaycee Horn acquired harm).

“But the Panthers are taking part in higher just lately!”

OK, positive, however listed below are their internet passing yards allowed throughout this stretch:

• 230 in Week 9 (Derek Carr)
• 175 in Week 10 (Daniel Jones)
• 226 in Week 12 (Patrick Mahomes)
• 209 in Week 13 (Baker Mayfield)

Bryce Young helped the Panthers account for 184 internet passing yards towards the Eagles, who’ve a significantly better protection than Carolina does. And Young is working with a worse supporting solid.

The Eagles had A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and their total beginning offensive line wholesome. They can’t be held to 83 internet passing yards towards the Panthers. That’s simply not acceptable.

And the workforce is aware of it.

JAKE ELLIOTT

With a miss from 52 yards out, Elliott is now 18/24 on area objective makes an attempt this season. Only 4 kickers who’ve performed in at the least 12 video games have a worse made area objective proportion.

Elliott is 0/5 on kicks from 50+. Every kicker who’s tried at the least 5 from 50+ have made at the least two.

Elliott additionally missed an additional level on this sport, although it didn’t depend because the Panthers have been offside.

The Eagles have a kicker drawback in the meanwhile. That Nick Sirianni wasn’t prepared to belief him late within the sport was telling concerning the workforce’s insecurity in Elliott.

COOPER DEJEAN

This is the primary sport the place DeJean actually regarded like a rookie. His struggles contributed to Adam Thielen main the Panthers with 9 catches for 102 yards. There’s each cause to consider he’ll bounce again however right this moment simply wasn’t his day.

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I DON’T KNOWS

JALEN HURTS

THE GOOD

• Didn’t flip the ball over as soon as once more. Just two giveaways in his final 9 video games.
• Made some massive performs along with his legs. Avoided a sack to run for 15 yards to place the Eagles within the pink zone late within the second quarter. Stepped up within the pocket and took off operating for 35 yards to show Third-and-10 on the +44-yard line into 1st-and-goal on the 9-yard line.
• Good TD throws to DeVonta and Calcaterra.
• Had a very nice Third-and-13 completion to A.J. Brown on a comeback for a primary down in the course of the Eagles’ penultimate drive.

THE BAD

• Played a giant function within the Eagles solely having 83 internet passing yards.
• Checked all the way down to Jahan Dotson for 5 yards regardless of having A.J. Brown open deep for a possible 83-yard landing on the Eagles’ first drive. Brown regarded annoyed that Hurts didn’t hit him. That play might’ve actually modified the texture of the sport from the leap. Instead, the Eagles ran six performs for simply 9 yards and needed to punt.
• Held the ball FOR. EV. ER. Hurts simply didn’t appear to see the sphere nicely.

• Made two fairly vital errors on the Eagles’ penultimate drive.
• 1) The first mistake was sliding for a 9-yard loss as an alternative of throwing the ball out of bounds. Speaking after the sport, Hurts defended that call by saying he needed to keep away from the penalty. But the penalty would’ve been extra favorable than the slide. And how wasn’t he conscious of that a lot after beforehand making the correct choice to do this towards the Ravens in Week 13?

• 2) The second mistake was shedding monitor of the clock and taking a delay of sport penalty. That penalty turned 2nd-and-8 on the plus 36-yard line into 2nd-and-13 on the plus 41-yard line. On second down, Hurts threw a tad late to DeVonta on a comeback to have his move damaged up. On third down, Hurts checked all the way down to Calcaterra for 5 yards. Instead of being at 4th-and-8, the Eagles might’ve been dealing with a way more convertible 4th-and-3.

Hurts is able to taking part in higher than he did on this sport. But I don’t know if the passing sport is basically going to get fastened quickly.

NICK SIRIANNI

Two massive sport administration selections to spotlight. I don’t know that they have been no-brainers however I do suppose Sirianni in the end failed to offer his workforce an edge.

Sirianni determined to have Elliott try a 52-yard area objective as an alternative of going for it on 4th-and-4 from the plus 34-yard line. I’d’ve been in favor of being aggressive. You’re up 4 factors. If it’s a turnover on downs and also you restrict the Panthers to a area objective, you’re nonetheless up by a degree. Even in case you permit a landing, you’re solely down by a area objective. And in case you get it, hey, you’ve got an opportunity to go up two possessions or at the least kick a neater area objective. Upside is fairly good, draw back isn’t that dangerous.

Facing 4th-and-8 on the plus 36-yard line on the penultimate drive, Sirianni had three choices:

1) Keep the offense on the sphere to go for a primary down that successfully would’ve sealed the sport with the Panthers out of timeouts.

2) Bring Elliott in to kick a 55-yard area objective to attempt to go up two possessions.

3) Punt the ball to play the sphere place sport.

Sirianni selected the third possibility. As my outdated BGN Radio co-host Jimmy Kempski framed it, that was the one selection that assured the Panthers would get an opportunity to go on a protracted TD drive to probably win the sport. And that’s virtually precisely what occurred.

Sirianni mentioned his choice to punt was knowledgeable by how Braden Mann and the Eagles’ punt protection unit did a superb job of pinning the Ravens again deep in Week 13. Making a key choice with that type of anecdotal proof doesn’t really feel like a fantastic course of.

Sirianni additionally talked about trusting in his protection. There’s actually some sense to trusting them over Hurts and Elliott in that spot. But in case you actually trusted them, you shouldn’t have to fret about area place a lot, proper? Trust them sufficient to get a cease if Hurts can’t decide up a primary down or Elliott misses one other kick. The worst case state of affairs isn’t the Panthers getting the ball and scoring a landing in any respect. It’s them getting the ball and scoring a landing in a trend the place they depart little time left on the clock. And that’s virtually precisely what occurred.

Sirianni’s questionable sport administration and the Eagles’ passing struggles are two of the larger query marks heading down the stretch. These points have the potential to considerably hinder the Eagles within the playoffs.

DARIUS SLAY

Felt like this was a bizarre sport for Slay.

He had some struggles earlier than arising with a fourth down move breakup to drive a Panthers turnover on downs on Carolina’s penultimate drive.

He then acquired beat by Legette for what would possibly’ve been a game-winning landing had the rookie extensive receiver not dropped the ball.

But then he broke up one other Young fourth down move to seal the deal for an Eagles win.