Panthers-Eagles Stock Market: Eagles Survive Passing Problems

PHILADELPHIA - There was a palpable frustration over a struggling passing game afterward with Nick Sirianni proclaiming to his team "Do not be a prisoner of expectations."

Those expectations foreshadowed an easy win over 3-10 Carolina at Lincoln Financial Field but it was the Eagles who had to survive thanks to an Xavier Legette drop with 44 seconds left in the game.

Had the rookie receiver hauled in a deep ball from Bryce Young the Eagles would have likely been staring down the barrel of a 23-22 deficit with 44 seconds (and three timeouts) to get the struggling Jake Elliott into field goal position.

Instead, the Eagles were celebrating two plays later after a fourth-down incompletion to Adam Thielen signaled victory, a franchise-tying ninth straight for the Eagles.

THE BULLS

JUST WIN BABY - The Eagles have won those nine straight games since starting 2-2, matching the single-season record for longest winning streak. Philadelphia also won nine straight in 1960, 2003, and 2017, winning championships in 1960 and 2017.

HISTORY - Saquon Barkley ran for 124 yards on 20 carries to move to 1,623 on the season breaking Shady McCoy's franchise record for rushing yards mark of 1,607 in 2013. The fact that Barkley did it in 13 games is even more impressive.

OFF-SCHEDULE OFFENSE - The Eagles' off-schedule offense was off the charts with Jalen Hurts helping set up Eagles cores with runs of 15 and 35 yards, as well as a big throw to Devonta Smith that gained 27.

When the play Kellen Moore has called is run-- if it's not a carry by Barkley -- the offense remains clunky more often than not. Winning behind a strong running game and good defense has masked that issue.

THE $3.1 MILLION BET GUY - Someone bet the Eagles on the money line and used $3.1 million to try to pick up an extra $450,000. If it weren't for the egregious drop by Legette Mr. Money Bags would have handed out fewer gifts this holiday season.

THE BEARS

FALSE STARTS - The Eagles have now played 13 games and generated only six points from their opening offensive possessions, field goals against Cincinnati and the Los Angeles Rams. On Sunday Philadelphia managed one first down on their first try, extending that number to 18 on the season. It's a problem that needs fixing and just the tip of the iceberg to the bigger problem...

THE PASSING OFFENSE - Philadelphia's passing offense has gone south. For the third consecutive game Hurts was under 200 yards passing with a season-low 108. Combine that with last week's dismal showing at Baltimore (118 yards) and you have a team with A.J. Brown and perhaps the best offensive line as one of the most ineffectual passing teams in pro football.

"I think they did a good job. I think we did a bad job," Hurts said. "That starts with me, how I execute, and ultimately, you yearn, and I yearn for better synchronization amongst that, for a more complimentary style of ball, in a sense. You know, some things don't get you until it gets you. And there's definitely been some urgency there, trying to figure it out. And got to keep climbing and trying to progress."

50-YARD FOLLIES - From 2021 to 2023, Eagles kicker Jake Elliott was 15 of 17 on kicks of 50 yards or longer. This season the veteran hasn't made even one of his five attempts from long range. Sunday it was a 52-yard miss that would have extended the Eagles' lead to 17-10 coming out of intermission.

Late in the game, the typically uber-aggressive Nick Sirianni played it safe instead of allowing Elliott to kick a 54-yarder that would have essentially secured things for Philadelphia. Instead, the coach had Hurts try to draw Carolina offside before taking a delay of game and calling on punter Braden Mann to pin the Panthers back.

Mann and gunner Avonte Maddox executed the punt perfectly to back up Carolina at the 3-yard line but it was a striking contrast to the usual trust Sirianni places in Elliott.

"Yeah, the wind was a little bit more than people think there," Sirianni claimed "We hit those two backed-up punts last week against Baltimore, and we did a great job of putting them backed up; almost got a safety.

"Young got out of there. I thought Bryce did some good things. But he ended up getting out of there, but it was more about the wind being a little bit more than I think was understood. I mean, you could feel that."

MORE NFL: Eagles Survive Plucky Panthers, Saquon Barkley Sets Record in 22-16 Win