Philadelphia Eagles: 3 keys to a win over Carolina Panthers

Force Newton to beat you with his arm

Throughout his career, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has been at his best when he is gashing defenses with his legs. Last season, the Eagles did a pretty good job of limiting Newton’s production on the ground. Something they must do on Sunday.

One of the areas in which Cam has been mediocre at best throughout his career has been in throwing the ball. He has the ability to make plays through the air, but he has been fairly inconsistent as a passer, especially as of late.

Outside of his MVP season in 2015, Newton has failed to live up to the hype of the number one draft pick. He has had plenty of flashes of brilliance, but he has not returned to his MVP level over the last two years.

When given the opportunity to run, Newton has the ability to beat defenses with his legs. Forcing Cam to sit back in the pocket and try to beat you from there should serve to the Eagles benefit. He has hit big plays with his arm, but throughout his career, he has shown to be way too inconsistent in that aspect.

The Eagles defense has been prone to giving up the big play, but overall they have fared well in the passing game. They give up 273 yards per game through the air, so they are not an elite pass defense yet, but are far from a bottom feeder in that category.

Forcing Cam to beat you with his arms will make the Carolina offense very one-dimensional, thus allowing the Eagles dangerous pass rushers to go to work and make Newton’s day very difficult on Sunday.