Section 215
Fansided

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Carolina Panthers Semi-Coherent Preview

By Mike Lacy

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The Philadelphia Eagles–Carolina Panthers matchup is previewed.

First place! After two straight wins in which the Eagles managed to make fewer self-inflicted mistakes than their opponents, they find themselves at the top of the NFC East standings.

Which means that their next game will be a matchup of division leaders, except the Eagles opponent is in first place on merit rather than default.

Carolina Panthers

Record: 6-0

Head Coach: Ron Rivera

Last Week: Defeated Seahawks 27-23

The Last Time they Met

Last season, the Carolina Panthers arrived in Philly for a Monday Night game as an injury-riddled mess. When they left town, they weren’t feeling much better.

Nov 10, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez (3) celebrates at the end of the game against the Carolina Panthers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterback Cam Newton was clearly not at full strength, and his offensive line proved unable to give him the protection he needed. The Eagles harassed him all game and sacked him nine times. By the second half, I actually found myself feeling somewhat sorry for him.

Meanwhile, Mark Sanchez was making his first start at quarterback, and looked pretty good. The Eagles led by 24 points at halftime and were able to coast to a 45-21 victory.

Want to know how well the Eagles played in that game? Bradley Fletcher scored a touchdown on an interception return.

What’s New with the Panthers

The Panthers have undergone a huge turnaround, and it appears that the NFC South might actually have a legitimate champion, rather than placing a team with a losing record into the playoffs. When the Panthers started 4-0, many attributed that to a weak schedule. After beating the defending NFC Champion Seahawks last week, people are taking the Panthers a bit more seriously.

Oct 4, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart (28) runs for a first down during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

The Panthers’ offensive numbers are a bit strange. They rank sixth in points scored, but only 28th in offensive yards. Part of that is due to the fact that their defense forces a lot of turnovers (three defensive touchdowns), and they don’t commit many themselves.

The Panthers have one of the top rushing totals in the league, which seems odd since their lead back is somehow still Jonathan Stewart. The numbers make much more sense when you see that Newton has added 225 yards on the ground.

As mentioned, the Panthers have been a turnover-forcing machine on defense. Cornerback Josh Norman has already picked off four passes and returned two of them for touchdowns. It might be a good idea for Sam Bradford to stay away from him in the red zone.

Featured Panthers Player: Cam Newton

One of the overriding themes of the 2014 NFL season was that running quarterbacks aren’t viable long-term solutions. Sure, guys like Robert Griffin III and Colin Kaepernick had some short-term success, but after a few years, as the hits pile up and their amazing athleticism starts to fade, so does their effectiveness.

Oct 18, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) throws a 26-yard touchdown pass against the Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field. Carolina defeated Seattle, 27-23. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Newton seemed like a prime example of this. The #1 pick in the 2010 draft had looked good early in his career, but he seemed to have lost a step last year. He was no longer able to “out-atheleticisize” opponents, and like many “running quarterbacks,” once he wasn’t a threat to run, teams were able to effectively neutralize him.

Newton’s passing numbers aren’t overly impressive this season. He’s completing less than sixty percent of his passes and has thrown four interceptions. But when you factor in those aforementioned 225 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns, he becomes a dangerous threat.

It appears that the key to stopping the Panthers’ offense is to keep Newton in the pocket and make them beat you through the air. But it isn’t like other teams haven’t been trying to do that.

Reason to Hate the Panthers

Should we still hold a grudge about the 2004 NFC Championship game? The Eagles were a flawed team that season, but they were still better than the Panthers on paper, and should have been the team to lose to play the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Aug 8, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson rides on a golf cart prior to the start of the game against the Buffalo Bills at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Were the Eagles just unfortunate to face Jake Delhomme during the man’s brief stint as a competent NFL quarterback? Why can’t the Eagles ever have guys go on ridiculous runs like that? I suppose that the Eagles have gotten good stretches out of guys like Ty Detmer, A.J. Feeley, and Jeff Garcia, but those runs always ended short of the Super Bowl.

Some disdain should also be held for Panthers owner Jerry Richardson who was one of the key owners in pushing for a lockout four years ago. Apparently, the man is just unable to get by if his football team is only making him millions of dollars and not billions.

Super Important Eagles Storyline: Fletcher Cox: Superstar

Most pundits familiar with the Eagles feel that Fletcher Cox should have been a Pro Bowler last season. He might not have had the high sack totals that are normally associated with elite defensive linemen, but he was certainly a dominating presence.

Oct 19, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Fletcher Cox (91) walks off the field after own against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Giants, 27-7. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

If Cox continues to play as well as he has, it will be impossible to exclude him from the Pro Bowl this season. Two weeks ago, he was named the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week for his three-sack game against the Saints. Against the Giants, he – along with his teammates – made things so tough for Eli Manning, that by game’s end, Manning was in full “I don’t want to get hit” mode.

With five sacks already, Cox is racking up the type of numbers that will surely make Pro Bowl voters take notice. Meanwhile, recognition or no, he will likely continue to terrorize opposing quarterbacks.

Mocking the East

Part of the fun of being a football fan is taking pleasure in the misfortune of your favorite team’s rivals. Each week, I’ll find a reason to make fun of one of the other teams in the NFC East. (Note: Although I’m sure I could feature the Redskins every week, I’ll try to spread around the mockery a bit.)

Oct 19, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Vinny Curry (75) reacts after pressuring New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) into intentional grounding during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Giants, 27-7. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Before last week’s game, people were raving about Eli Manning’s improved play. Because his name is Manning, and because he plays in New York, the media seems to love raving about Eli. Admittedly, if everything is going well, Manning can indeed be one of the best quarterbacks in the league. However, those pundits tend to ignore the fact that when things go wrong, Manning tends to fall apart.

The first drive of last week’s game, Manning had plenty of time and open receivers. As a result, he looked masterful. But once a little bit of adversity came his way, he looked awful.

In the second half, Manning looked like he wanted to just quit. It looked like his top priority was to get rid of the ball before he could take another big hit. Not coincidentally, the Giants offense went into the tank in the second half.

Nick vs. Sam

Since they were traded for each other, it’s only natural that fans would want to compare how Nick Foles and Sam Bradford are faring on their new teams. I’ll take a weekly look at the two quarterbacks and decide who holds the edge.

The Eagles had a relatively easy 20 point win over a division rival. You might think that was a sign that their starting quarterback played well, right?

Bradford wasn’t awful, but he certainly didn’t play well either on Monday. He continues to have poor chemistry with his receivers, and for the second straight week, he made a baffling decision in throwing an interception in the red zone.

Following his four interception game against Green Bay, Nick Foles and the Rams had a bye last week. Our last impression of Foles wasn’t good, but Bradford probably took a step back this week.

I’m going to call the two men even for now.

Super Bowl Year Song of the Week

The Eagles have not made many appearances in the Super Bowl (Two, to be exact). I’m hopeful that this season will mark their third appearance in the “big game,” so each week I’m going to take a song from one of the franchise’s Super Bowl seasons (1980 and 2004) that somehow relates to this week’s game.

Escape (The Pina Colada Song) – Rupert Holmes

If the Eagles let Cam Newton escape containment, it could be a long night for the defense.

Prediction

The Panthers aren’t going to go undefeated all season. Coming off a big win, this seems like a prime spot for a letdown.

The Eagles have been strong against the run, so I have a feeling that they’ll do everything they can to force the Panthers to beat them from the air. If Bradford can avoid the turnovers that have plagued him the past two weeks, the Eagles can pull off the upset.

Eagles 20 – Panthers 17

Next: Late Surge Snaps Flyers Overtime Losing Streak

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