Game Preview – CAR at PHI

Posted: December 8th, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Game Preview – CAR at PHI

The Eagles are substantially more talented than the Panthers. If you combined the rosters, I don’t think one Carolina player would get a starting job. That’s a big advantage for the Eagles. But the Chiefs and Panthers also had more talented teams when they played Carolina over the past two weeks. Both of those games went down to the wire. The Panthers lost them, but easily could have won both games.

Carolina’s record is 3-9, but they are vastly improved from the team that struggled to even be competitive earlier this year. They lost five games by 18 points or more. This team is playing much better football at this point in the season. They are having fun and playing with confidence. They still need a lot of talent, but this organization finally feels like it is heading in the right direction.

QB Bryce Young is a key reason for the change. The former #1 overall pick was benched earlier in the year. He’s back to being the starter and is finally starting to show signs of why he was taken so highly. Young is more aggressive and confident than ever before in his NFL career. He throws well on the move and shows some playmaking ability. He’s willing to put the ball in tight windows and take some chances. There are still issues for him to work on, but it is good to see him making strides.

Carolina runs the ball well with Chuba Hubbard (4.9 ypc). They don’t have great weapons in the passing game. TE Tommy Tremble played well last week and Adam Thielen is a proven WR. Young needs more guys who can make plays for him.

Reed Blankenship is out and Tristin McCollum will replace him. Carolina could try to test McCollum. The Eagles pass coverage is good enough that I don’t think this will be a big issue.

While Carolina did battle KC and Tampa, the Eagles are a different story. They have the most dominant line play in the league. Neither Tampa or KC is close. The Panthers will struggle to block the Eagles DL and will struggle so beat the Eagles OL. Big advantage for the guys in green.

The Panthers have the worst run defense in the league so I would expect the Eagles to run a lot. If Carolina decides to load the box and take their chances, the Eagles can throw on them. Opposing QBs have a rating of 102.5 against the Panthers. It will be interesting to see how the Eagles attack them. Do they keep it simple or try to work on the passing game?

Dallas Goedert was put on IR so Grant Calcaterra will take over as the key TE. CJ Uzomah and EJ Jenkins will add depth. The Eagles will have FB Khari Blasingame for this game so they can run from 2-back sets if they want. Saquon Barkley could have a big day if the Eagles feed him the ball.

Jadeveon Clowney is out this week. He leads Carolina in sacks so having him out will hurt. DT A’Shawn Robinson is the best interior player on the defense. Safety Xavier Woods leads the team in INTs and tackles. CB Jaycee Horn is a talented young player. He leads the team with 12 PDs. There are some pieces to build around, but this defense is last in points allowed and 31st in yards allowed. They need help.

The Eagles are clearly the better team and they have more to play for. This is a game they should win and it shouldn’t be all that close. But the NFL can be funny. You never know when a bad team will play well and a good team will have an off-day.

Nick Sirianni has done a great job of having the Eagles ready every week. The message this time around is a need for “relentless effort”. If the Eagles play like that, they will win this game and get closer to securing a playoff spot.

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