The offense tries to make it three straight respectable showings against good teams.
Even though the Carolina Panthers have lost their last two games, their offense and quarterback Bryce Young in particular have been surprisingly competent. Young led the Panthers to two fourth quarter drives to tie or take the lead, but the defense ultimately broke and let the opposition march down the field to kick last second field goals. Now Young and the rest of the offense will see if they can take that newfound competency on the road.
The Eagles are riding an eight game win streak after a bumpy start to the season. It hadn’t exactly been a murderer’s row of opponents in that winning streak, but wins over the Commanders and Ravens (on the road) have firmly planted the team in the Super Bowl conversation. While Saquon Barkley’s MVP-caliber campaign has stolen the headlines, Philadelphia’s defense has put together one of the better seasons in the league. Rookie corners Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean have provided instant and substantial upgrades to what was previously a problem spot in the secondary. The defense is now a complete unit that’s bound to give fits to a fledgling Panthers offense.
If the Panthers do hope to have any success, here’s what likely needs to happen.
- Stick with the run game a little bit more. While Bryce Young did play well against the Bucs, it was surprising to see how often the Panthers chose to air it out. That’s especially true when you consider that the Bucs have been pretty mediocre at stopping the run over the course of the season. They probably can’t do that this week if the game is competitive. The rookie corners I mentioned above have helped give the Eagles one of the best pass defenses in the league. They’ve limited quarterbacks to a league low 6.2 yards per pass attempt, and their opponents’ passer rating of 83.3 is sixth best in the league. Meanwhile, their run defense has been closer to mediocre, allowing 4.4 yards per carry. The Panthers need big games from Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks.
- Touchdowns in the red zone. The Panthers turtled up against the Bucs and kicked a few field goals on 4th and short situations. The football gods frowned upon that and pushed a couple of those kicks left of the uprights. Carolina is 3-of-10 scoring touchdowns in their red zone trips in the last two games. Scoring opportunities are going to be hard to come by. The Panthers need to chase touchdowns if they’re within reach. The Eagles have the fifth best red zone defense, but the Panthers have nothing to lose. Touchdowns win football games.
- Get big games from backs and tight ends in the passing game. The Eagles are really good at wide receivers, which has forced opponents to lean on backs and tight ends to aid the passing game. 11 of Lamar Jackson’s 23 completions were to his tight end duo of Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely. The Commanders top two receivers were Austin Ekeler and Zach Ertz. The Jaguars were led by Evan Engram, and the Cowboys by Jake Ferguson. You get the picture. Teams are leaning on their tight ends and backs to get passing game production against the Eagles. The Panthers are hoping to get Ja’Tavion Sanders back this week, and Tommy Tremble is coming off his best game as pro. The Panthers need both to continue their strong play this week.