Anthony DiBona
Remember when the Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Carolina Panthers in November last season? Yeah, that likely won’t happen this time around. Although it doesn’t look like they’ve changed much in terms of their roster, the Panthers are much better this season. They’re currently sitting at 5-0, atop the NFC South and will be looking for revenge after an embarrassing performance against the Eagles nearly a year ago.
But the Eagles are on a roll of their own as well. They’ve won two consecutive games in blowout fashion and will look to continue the trend on Sunday night. Although Chip Kelly is considered an offensive minded coach, the Eagles’ defense has been their calling card this season. As they’ve dominated for nearly the entire season outside of the first half in the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
Which likely means we’ll be in store for a good old fashion defensive battle under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football on NBC. That being said, let’s get right into this week’s preview for Sunday night’s game between the Eagles and Panthers at Bank of America Stadium!
Three Storylines To Watch For
1) Can the Eagles rattle Cam Newton once again?
Last season when these two teams faced off, the Eagles were in Cam Newton’s face all game long. They sacked him a whopping nine times and made it a long night for the star quarterback. But this year, Carolina’s offensive line is playing at a much higher level and Newton has only been sacked 11 times this season. Yet the Eagles pass rush has seemed to come alive these past few weeks and it’ll be interesting to see if they can hit Newton as much as All-Pro defensive end Fletcher Cox wants to.
"Hit him, hit him, hit him, hit him, hit him. Even when they run the ball, hit him." — @fcoxx_91 on#SNF strategy pic.twitter.com/YvwjDGIToz
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 23, 2015
2) Will the Eagles avoid Josh Norman?
In case you haven’t been paying attention this season, Panthers cornerback Josh Norman has been playing at an elite level. Honesty, he may be the best cornerback in the NFL this season and it isn’t particularly close. Norman has held opposing quarterbacks to a 24.1 passer rating when targeted, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s allowed just 17 receptions on 37 targets for 127 total yards, that’s just insane.
But how will the Eagles attack Norman? In the past, Kelly hasn’t avoided top cornerbacks all together when they’ve faced them. Yet he might consider doing so this year considering the level that Norman is currently playing at. Also, with how inaccurate Sam Bradford has been at times this season, it may be best to avoid Norman at all costs.
3) Which team will be able to run the ball?
It’s no secret that both of these offenses are built on running the ball. Obviously, the Panthers have been more effective this season doing so thus far. They’re currently third in the league in rushing yards per game at 132.8 yards per game while the Eagles sit at 19th overall, averaging 104.0 yards per game. But the Eagles have looked like a completely different team running the ball since Matt Tobin was pushed into the starting line-up at right guard.
Before making the switch, the Eagles offensive line looked like a mess in the running game. There were missed assignments, guys blocking the same player and basically anything else you could think of going wrong…happened. That hasn’t been the case with Tobin starting, in fact, the Philadelphia’s offensive line looks like a well-oiled machine right now. But both teams possess elite run defenses, so it’ll be interesting to see which team will be able to run the ball effectively on Sunday night. That may very well be the deciding factor in which team takes home the victory as well.
Key Matchup To Watch For
Sam Bradford vs. Himself
When in the world will Sam Bradford stop shooting himself in the foot? For weeks now, we’ve heard all of the excuses in the world. First it was rust, then it was lack of timing with receivers, now it’s his footwork…when will it all stop!? Enough is enough, we’re nearly seven weeks into the season and Bradford is still making inexcusable mistakes that are very uncharacteristic.
If those mistakes continue, it’ll be tough for fans to stick with him. Although it looks like Kelly isn’t ready to pull the plug on the Bradford experiment anytime soon.
Coach Kelly: Sam Bradford is our quarterback. We have full confidence in Sam.
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 20, 2015
Either way, it’s time for Bradford to step up and prove exactly why the Eagles traded for him in the first place. Besides Norman, Carolina’s secondary certainly has it’s weaknesses and Bradford should be able to take advantage of them. But will he finally be able to get all of these “problems” solved and get the job done? Only time will tell.
Bettor’s Odds
As of now, the Panthers are three point favorites over the Eagles, according to Covers. That’s the standard advantage given to home teams in the NFL. But I wouldn’t be surprised if that line shifted a bit towards the Eagles as the game gets closer to kickoff. Although they’re an undefeated team, the Panthers haven’t exactly played the toughest schedule. Either way, it will likely be a close game no matter what. The over/under is currently set at 46, which actually seems like a high mark considering the level that both of these defenses are playing at this season.
My Prediction
It’s going to be a relatively low scoring, defensive battle but the Eagles have too much going their way on offense right now. Although Sam Bradford has struggled for a majority of the season, he’ll do just enough to keep this game close. Then once Carolina’s defense is tired later on in the game, Philadelphia will turn to the running game and string some scoring drives together. All while the defense continues to play like one of the best units in the NFL and completely shuts down the Panthers’ running game.
Final Score Prediction: Eagles 24, Panthers 13
That’s all for my Eagles vs. Panthers preview, be sure to check back here at PhillyInfluencer.com for all of the latest news regarding your beloved Birds and everything else happening in Philadelphia!