Make no mistake – Sunday is a huge game. While the Panthers are over .500 six weeks into the season, there are 10 (TEN!) teams standing at a record of 3-2, 3-3 or 2-3, including the Panthers opponents in the City of Brotherly Love on Sunday – a loss on Sunday lowers the Panthers percentage chances of making the playoffs to less than 40%. Carolina is less than a week from a disappointing 23-17 loss to the Washington Redskins in which they turned the ball over three times in the first half; that was following a showing that had the Panthers blowing a two score lead twice in the same game and needing the longest game-winning field goal in NFL history to beat the 1-5 NY Giants; the Panthers are trying to avoid losing consecutive games for the first time since last year when they lost in back-to-back weeks to the Bears.
And the Eagles.
The Panthers lost 28-23 in Week 6 of 2017 in a game that saw the Panthers having a chance to win at the end despite rushing for a total of one yard between their three running backs and turning the ball over three times, but ultimately a last-minute drive fell short; Carson Wentz threw three touchdowns, two of them to tight end Zach Ertz, and the Eagles won a key early-season matchup on Thursday night. After the Panthers lost the next week 17-3 to the Bears on the road, there was talk of the season going down the drain before the team reeled off six wins in the next seven games.
“I thought it was just a great competitive football game the entire time, ” said Eagles coach Doug Pederson. “Came down basically to the last series or two of the game; I know Carolina had an opportunity there to win it late and [we were] fortunate again to make a couple of plays down the stretch and pull out a victory. I think we’re going to see the same things this Sunday – two good football teams, it’s going to be competitive and it’s a great test, obviously, for our football team.”
Our five-point preview of the 2018 version of Panthers/Eagles is coming up next:
Five Players To Watch
DJ Moore, WR
After the Panthers’ first-round pick fumbled twice against the Redskins, one of the first thoughts expressed in the locker room was how quickly he was going to bounce back – almost all of his teammates talked about how they had made mistakes in their past, including wide receiver Devin Funchess – Funchess reiterated that thought this week as DJ Moore prepares to play in his hometown of Philadelphia, just 14 miles from where he attended Imhotep Institute Charter High School.
“It’s just a different mentality when you go back home. You just want to make every play, you want to have fun,” Funchess told the team website. “You’re going to see people from little league, an old coach who you didn’t even know was coming to the game, so I’ve talked to him and I think he’s ready.”
“I’ve seen his work ethic this week. It’s not like it’s changed, but I can tell he’s really paying attention more to the small details and he’s ready to go.”
Even with the fumbles, Moore managed to pick up 67 yards on five touches and it’s clear he’s growing into a larger role in the Panthers offense; how he is used to create explosive plays in Philadelphia will be an important part of Norv Turner’s plan.
Zach Ertz, TE
The tight end that scored two touchdowns against the Panthers last season is actually having a better start to his 2018 season as he is second in the NFL in receptions, and part of that is the inventive way that Doug Pederson and offensive coordinator Mike Groh move him around the field to get the matchups they want.
“They have stuff drawn up for him that gets him open, and what makes him good is he runs really good routes and he’s got great feel,” said Luke Kuechly. “He kind of reminds me of Greg a little bit with his ability to [change] a route or sit in a window so Cam can put it on him – he’s a smart player who knows how to get open.”
How the Panthers deploy their Pro Bowl safeties and linebackers to stop Ertz will likely dictate how successful the Panthers are when it comes to stopping the Eagles passing game – almost 30% of their receptions and yards come from the 6-5 tight end.
Torrey Smith, WR
Smith will face off with his former team on Sunday, his first return to Lincoln Financial Field since he scored a touchdown in the NFC Championship game and while the wideout says he can’t wait to see the championship banner, he knows that he’ll need to continue the play of last week in which he caught five receptions for 43 yards and a score, including four of those on one drive he capped off with a crossing route for a touchdown.
“He’s a great leader. Great man, first of all. Good person and then what he brings to that football team – he brings explosiveness, he can still run, he can still get open and it’s just a great addition for Carolina,” said Smith’s former coach Doug Pederson.
Carson Wentz, QB
A magician. A stud. Better than last year.
This is how the Panthers have been describing the Eagles’ third-year quarterback as he returns from a knee injury in Week 14 of last season – he’s picked up right where he left off from his MVP pace with eight touchdowns and a single interception in five games, including three touchdowns last Thursday against the Giants, the same amount he had last season in Carolina. While Thomas Davis says that Wentz isn’t running as much as he was last season, he is still as shifty and elusive as ever – if the Panthers are able to keep Wentz in the pocket and force him off his first look, it will hopefully allow the pass rush to get there and bring him down; the former #2 pick is nursing a sore back, which may limit his mobility even further.
Christian McCaffrey, RB
Only two teams in the NFL have allowed more receptions by running backs than the 41 the Eagles have allowed this season, including nine from Saquon Barkley last Thursday; McCaffrey currently ranks ninth in the NFL averaging 117.4 yards from scrimmage per game. In Week 6 of last season, McCaffrey was limited to only eight yards on the ground in the team’s matchup in 2017, but picked up 10 receptions for 56 yards and a score – don’t be surprised if the Panthers deploy him in a similar fashion to the way he was used in the Panthers’ Week 2 matchup with Atlanta when he had 14 receptions on 15 targets.
Four Fun Facts
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19 of the 53 players on the Carolina Panthers’ roster are undrafted free agents – four of those have made the Pro Bowl at some point in their career.
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While the Panthers have allowed 102.4 yards per game thus far in 2018, since 2012 , the Panthers rank first in the NFL in terms of rushing yards allowed at 96.5 yards per game.
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Despite starting Chris Clark, who wasn’t on the roster in Week 1, and undrafted free agent Greg Van Roten, the Panthers have only allowed eight sacks through five games, tied for the fewest in franchise history during that length of time – it’s also the second fewest in the NFL.
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Donte Jackson is one of seven players 22 and under since 2000 with three interceptions in his first five games, as well as one of 36 rookies since 1970 to do so.
Up Next: Three Matchups That Matter & Two Ways The Panthers Might Lose
