Posted October 20th, 2018 | Comments Off on Game Preview – Panthers
Something has to give.
The Panthers have the #4 rushing offense. The Eagles have the #2 run defense.
Cam Newton has really struggled to throw the ball downfield. The Eagles…well you know.
Who wins those battles?
If this game comes down to the Red Zone, the Eagles have an advantage. They have the best RZ defense in the league. The Panthers are 31st. The Panthers don’t make it easy for you to get down to the RZ, but they are vulnerable if you get there.
I honestly don’t know what to make of the Panthers. They needed a miracle to beat the awful Giants. They lost to the Skins, and at one point trailed 17-0. Carolina’s most impressive win came when they beat Cincy 31-21. The Panthers needed four takeaways to win that game.
At the same time, this team has Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly, Kawann Short, Thomas Davis, Greg Olsen and Christian McCaffrey. Rookie D.J. Moore was terrible last week (two fumbles), but has played well this year and has big time potential.
I think this is a game where the LBs will need to come up big. They must be able to cover McCaffrey. Sometimes Moore. Sometimes Olsen. They must chase Newton around and tackle him in space. That’s quite the challenge.
Jordan Hicks got hurt last year in Game 7. He missed out on the championship run. He’s playing well this year and you know he wants to stay healthy and make plays. Hicks should have lots of chances on Sunday. Carolina doesn’t have dynamic receivers or runners. The ball will be in the short to intermediate area a lot, right where Hicks will be. Hicks did create an INT last week, but doesn’t have a pick of his own this year. Maybe that changes on Sunday.
We’ll see if the Eagles can build on last week’s win. This is a great opportunity, with the team being at home and well-rested. They’re banged up, but most teams are. The Eagles have more than enough weapons to go win this game.
If the Eagles passing game struggles on Sunday, it won’t be Kamar Aiken’s fault.
Roster Move: #Eagles have promoted DT Bruce Hector from the practice squad to the active roster and have released WR Kamar Aiken. pic.twitter.com/x8A657PEeZ
With Destiny Vaeao gone and Haloti Ngata still hurting, the Eagles needed some help at DT. Hector is more about effort than talent, but DT is a position where that can work. Hector can give you some solid reps in a game.
Does Darren Sproles have the worst hamstring injury in history? Yikes. You wonder if the Eagles should just sit him until after the bye week. If he’s not healthy by then, do you just give him the Old Yeller treatment? Sproles has been a terrific player for a long time and I hate that his final season has gone like this. It would be great if he could get healthy and help the team with some big plays down the stretch.
The secondary is going to be without the #3 CB and the #3 safety. Clearly that’s not ideal. It will be interesting to see if Avonte Maddox focused on the slot and then Rasul Douglas plays some S. Or will the Eagles use Deiondre’ Hall or Tre Sullivan? If you’re going to have those guys on the roster, they should play at some point.
This is another situation where the bottom of the roster needs to step up and help the team.
*****
Jalen Mills tweaked his hamstring during the week, but Doug Pederson says Mills is ready to go. An injury to him would have really made things tough.
Hyde is a limited receiver. He’s not an explosive runner. He would have given the Eagles a big, physical runner that they are currently lacking, but you don’t trade picks for that. That’s a guy you sign cheap as a free agent (LeGarrette Blount).
Hyde is a better fit for the Jags and what they want to do on offense.
*****
Another sign of just how crazy offenses are this year. From PFT.
So far this NFL season, 94 games have been played. In three of those games, both teams scored 40 or more points.
From the 2014 season through the 2017 season, 1,024 games were played. Only twice did both teams score 40 or more points.
That should make you feel better about the Eagles defense, which hasn’t given up more than 27 points in a game.
On the flip side…that should make you feel worse about the offense, which hasn’t scored more than 34 points in a game. One of these weeks the offense is going to explode. Sunday would be fine with me.
