In what was billed as a trap game all week, the Eagles won their ninth-consuective game in a victory over the Carolina Panthers at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday. Even so, they made the Delaware Valley sweat it out the entire way through.
Here some choice observations from the 22-16 too-close-for-comfort W…
Takeaways from when the Eagles were on offense
The slow starts… They're agonizing to watch. Given the sheer skill position talent on this roster between A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley, the ball really should only be going to those guys to set the tone and get the Birds on the board early. It hasn't been happening though. The acquisition of Barkley should've made this offense slump proof. Even with the running back is having an MVP-caliber season, it's not translating to making things easier on the passing game.
When the Eagles have a back like Barkley, it's okay to be Grandpa Simpson yelling at a cloud demanding that the Birds should be running the ball from the jump.
• Jalen Hurts started slow in his own right on Sunday afternoon, but did enough to help guide the Birds to victory. There were early frustrations reminiscent of issues he's dealt with early this season: not seeing receivers deep down the field, taking too many sacks, etc. Things appeared to be shifting late in the first half, however, on a seven-play, 44-yard touchdown drive. Hurts found Brown multiple times, a connection that was overdue for extended action. Hurts had a key 15-yard first down run that put the Birds into the red zone. Hurts then found Smith, back from injury, in the end zone for a five-yard touchdown on a nice pitch and catch:
Jalen Hurts connects with DeVonta Smith to give Philly the lead before half.
📺: #CARvsPHI on FOX
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Things didn't quite go smoothly for Hurts from there, but there were moments. When in doubt, as always, Hurts has the ability to make some game-changing plays with his legs. He had that aforementioned run to set up a scoring drive. Late in the third quarter on a third and 10, Hurts scrambled for 35 yards, flying up the field like a man on a mission. That led to a four-yard touchdown strike to Grant Calcaterra on a ball with some nice zip across the middle of the end zone. Hurts did, at least, play mistake-free football, not resembling the turnover-prone form he had to begin the year. Eagles should mostly be okay with QB1, it was a three-TD after all, but there's clearly room to go up given what he did during that Super Bowl-bound 2022 campaign.
There is a "chicken or the egg" element of these brutal first quarters the offense has had, with deserved blame for both the coaching staff and Hurts himself. Things continue to work themselves out, but will they have the ability to survive such starts when facing a team like Detroit in the postseason? They did in Baltimore last week. Ironing out the first couple of drives and game script is the thing that could swing the Eagles' Super Bowl hopes the most.
• Barkley set the Eagles' single-season franchise record, racking up 124 yards on the ground, surpassing LeSean McCoy's total of 1,607 back in 2013. He's the Eagles' team MVP with a case for winning the league MVP outright.
• Taking a delay of game penalty because late in the fourth quarter with just a six-point lead because you don't trust your kicker to boot a 52-yard field raises massive questions about situational management and the future of Jake Elliott in Philadelphia.
Takeaways from when the Eagles were on defense
• There was an absence of physicality that has defined this season's Eagles defense against the Panthers. The Birds have been a tackling machine and forcefully playing downhill. That didn't really happen on Sunday. An extra couple of yards here and there can ultimately add up and they did. This wasn't the defense, especially given the opponent, that Eagles fans have been accustomed to watching. Some credit needs to be thrown Carolina's way, naturally. Chuba Hubbard is having an excellent season at running back and while he was below his season-long yards per carry average, he ran on the Birds better than most have this year. Bryce Young has struggled mightily to begin his pro career, but had enough maneuverability in the pocket to shake off some would-be sacks and tackles, too.
• Adam Thielen, famously a member of the 2017 Minnesota Vikings team that melted down at the Linc seven seasons ago, had himself a day. He embarrassed the Eagles, frankly. The 34-year-old veteran got the best of star rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean on multiple occasions. That's something that could typically be chalked up to rookie growing pains given how seasoned Thielen is and DeJean being in his first season, but with the way DeJean has already showcased himself to be a legitimate NFL player already, it's a tad disappointing. DeJean has already set expectations sky for himself, maybe a little too much too early, playing like a corner beyond his years so far in 2024, but he looked the part of a real rookie against Carolina.
• Darius Slay, recovering from his own injury issues, played a hell of a final drive to keep the Eagles afloat, including the final defensive stop, going all the way across the field while tracking his man and making a diving stop. Give the defense their flowers, particularly young defensive linemen like Jalyx Hunt and Moro Ojomo, stepping up there and creating pressure for Young and helping end things on that final set up of play as well.
• For all these complaints, the Eagles' defense still allowed just 16 points. Vic Fangio and co. need to study the tape, learn from it and then get prepared for a 10-win Steelers team that features a bruising running back in Najee Harris.
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