Inside the Numbers: Panthers vs Eagles Game Preview
Week five is here and the Carolina Panthers are ready to turn the page following their 36-28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. That loss was the first of the year for this young Carolina squad, so it will be interesting to see how they respond after being hit with some adversity for the first time this season.
The Panthers return home to Bank of America Stadium this week as they welcome in the Philadelphia Eagles (1-3).
What can we expect in Sunday's showdown vs Philadelphia? Let's break it down.
When the Panthers have the ball
| Panthers Offense | Stats | Eagles Defense |
|---|---|---|
387.5 (13th) | Total Yards Per Game/Allowed | 354.3 (13th) |
107.5 (T-16th) | Rushing Yards Per Game/Allowed | 150.3 (31st) |
3.68 (25th) | Rushing Yards Per Attempt/Allowed | 4.39 (18th) |
280.0 (8th) | Passing Yards Per Game/Allowed | 204.0 (7th) |
11 (T-23rd) | Sacks Allowed/Sacks | 8 (T-19th) |
39.6 (18th) | Third Down Efficiency | 48.0 (27th) |
24.3 (13th) | Points Per Game/Allowed | 26.5 (24th) |
Running back Christian McCaffrey's status for this game is still up in the air. He has been dealing with a hamstring injury over the past couple of weeks but the good news is, he could return for Sunday's game. If not, there's a very good chance he will be back in action next week against the Minnesota Vikings.
If McCaffrey were to miss this week's game, Chuba Hubbard will carry the load once again in the backfield. He made his first career start last week against Dallas rushing for 57 yards on 13 carries. Although the Panthers haven't run the ball as well as they would like, this seems like the perfect week to get the phase of the offense going. Philadelphia has one of the league's worst run defenses, allowing nearly 150.3 rushing yards per game. It is going to be key for the Panthers to establish the running game considering the Eagles' secondary has played fairly well to this point in the year.
Sam Darnold had his "worst" game as a Panther on Sunday throwing two interceptions but he also helped lead the team back to get within just one score at the end of the game. He could have imploded after the 2nd interception, but he remained poised. One big reason for his second half struggles had to do with being under duress seemingly every time he dropped back to pass. The Cowboys sent a ton of pressure and the offensive line didn't hold up. I expect the Eagles to do much of the same this Sunday. They will want to give Darnold a bunch of confusing looks, bring some exotic blitzes, and force him to throw the ball over the middle of the field into tight windows. The Eagles have just eight sacks on the season but they have some dudes that can go get the quarterback such as Derek Barnett and Josh Sweat along with Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave clogging things up in the middle. If the Eagles can't get to Darnold, it could be quite a long day as the Panthers will be scoring points in bunches.
When the Eagles have the ball
| Eagles Offense | Stats | Panthers Defense |
|---|---|---|
397.5 (8th) | Total Yards Per Game/Allowed | 251.5 (3rd) |
122.8 (T-9th) | Rushing Yards Per Game/Allowed | 95.0 (10th) |
5.40 (1st) | Rushing Yards Per Attempt/Allowed | 4.47 (23rd) |
274.8 (9th) | Passing Yards Per Game/Allowed | 156.5 (2nd) |
8 (T-12th) | Sacks Allowed/Sacks | 14 (T-1st) |
42.9 (10th) | Third Down Efficiency | 23.8 (1st) |
23.5 (T-17th) | Points Per Game/Allowed | 16.5 (3rd) |
Through the first few weeks of the season, it has been the Jalen Hurts show. The Eagles have been running their offense through Hurts but it could end up being problematic when they face a defense like Carolina's. He's the team's leading rusher (226 yards) and has the 2nd most carries (34) which is just three less than Miles Sanders, the Eagles' lead back.
Philadelphia is going to have to run the ball with efficiency against Carolina to even have a chance to stay in this game late into the 2nd half. They don't have the ability to match scores with the Panthers throughout the course of the game. Sure, they were able to do it last week against Kansas City but the Chiefs might have one of the league's worst defenses. Prior to the Panthers' loss to the Cowboys, Carolina was stout against the run allowing just 45 yards per game which led the league. Then, the Dallas game inflated that number after allowing 245 yards on the ground. Defensive tackle DaQuan Jones stated on Wednesday that much of it had to do with guys not staying in their gaps, not flying to the ball, and not finishing tackles. The good thing is, all of that stuff is correctable.
Carolina defensive coordinator Phil Snow will have his guys ready to stop the run but the one-on-one matchups on the perimeter are going to be crucial. Philadelphia has a trio of absolute burners in DeVonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, and Quez Watkins. Any one of those three guys has the ability to hit for a big play at any given moment. The Panthers' cornerback room will be a major strength moving forward but Stephon Gilmore is not able to play in this game and C.J. Henderson is still learning the ropes of this defense. Fortunately for Carolina, they have one of the fastest corners in the NFL in Donte Jackson.
The key for the Panthers' defense will be to limit Jalen Hurts' ability to run the football and to eliminate the explosive plays in the passing game. The best way to do that is to get more guys in the paint as Brian Burns would say, meaning crowd the quarterback's pocket. The only way I see Philadelphia staying within striking distance in this game is to have multiple plays of 20+ or 30+ yards. Moving the ball methodically on this defense is not going to work.
Will the Panthers take care of business and move to 4-1 on the season? I'll let you know my score prediction for this matchup on Saturday along with the rest of our staff here at All Panthers on Sports Illustrated.
You can follow us for future coverage by liking us on Facebook & following us Twitter:
Facebook - @PanthersOnSI
Twitter - @SI_Panthers and Schuyler Callihan at @Callihan_.
