Panthers-Eagles Stock Market: Eagles Survive Temporary Trouble

PHILADELPHIA – There was palpable frustration over a difficult passing game as Nick Sirianni told his team, “Don’t be a prisoner of expectations.”

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

Had the rookie receiver hauled in a deep ball from Bryce Young, the Eagles likely would have found themselves trailing 23-22 and needing 44 seconds (and three timeouts) to beat a struggling Jake Elliott to the field goal. to bring position.

Instead, the Eagles celebrated two plays later after Adam Thielen failed to finish on fourth down, signaling the win, the Eagles’ ninth straight victory, tied for a tie.

THE BULLS

EASY WIN, BABY – The Eagles have won those nine straight games to go 2-2 since the start, tying the single-season record for longest winning streak. Philadelphia also won nine straight times in 1960, 2003 and 2017 and won championships in 1960 and 2017.

STORY – Saquon Barkley ran for 124 yards on 20 carries and totaled 1,623 yards this season. In doing so, he broke Shady McCoy’s franchise record for rushing yards of 1,607 in 2013. The fact that Barkley did this in 13 games is even more impressive.

Unscheduled crime – The Eagles’ off-season offense was exceptional: Jalen Hurts helped set up the Eagles’ core with runs of 15 and 35 yards, as well as a big throw to Devonta Smith for 27 yards.

When the play called by Kellen Moore is executed – unless it’s a Barkley carry – the offense tends to remain sluggish. Winning behind a strong running game and good defense masked that problem.

THE 3.1 MILLION WEATHER GUY – Someone put the Eagles on the money line and tried to score an additional $450,000 with $3.1 million. Without Legette’s huge drop, Mr. Money Bags would have given out fewer gifts this holiday season.

THE BEARS

False starts – The Eagles have now played 13 games and scored just six points from their first offensive possessions, field goals against Cincinnati and the Los Angeles Rams. On Sunday, Philadelphia managed a first down on its first attempt, bringing that total to 18 this season. It’s a problem that needs to be fixed, and it’s just the tip of the iceberg to the larger problem…

The temporary offense – Philadelphia’s passing offense has faltered. For the third straight year, Hurts had fewer than 200 yards passing, with a season-low 108. Combine that with last week’s dismal performance in Baltimore (118 yards), and you have a team with AJ Brown and perhaps the best offensive line one of the best ineffective passing teams in professional football.

“I think they did a good job. I think we did a bad job,” Hurts said. “It starts with me, how I execute it, and ultimately you crave, and I crave, better synchronization, a more complementary ball style in a way. You know, some things don’t get to you until they’ve worked out.” And there was definitely a certain urgency to figure it out and I had to keep climbing and trying to move forward.

50 YARD FOLLIES – From 2021 to 2023, Eagles kicker Jake Elliott was 15 of 17 on kicks of 50 yards or more. This season, the veteran hasn’t even made one of his five distance attempts. On Sunday, it was a 52-yard miss that would have extended the Eagles’ lead to 17-10 after halftime.

Late in the game, the typically over-aggressive Nick Sirianni played it safe instead of allowing Elliott to kick a 54-yarder that would have essentially secured Philadelphia the victory. Instead, the coach had Hurts try to call Carolina offside before delaying the game and calling on punter Braden Mann to run the Panthers back.

Man and shooter Avonte Maddox executed the punt perfectly to set up Carolina at the 3-yard line, but it was a striking contrast to the usual confidence placed in Sirianni Elliott.

“Yeah, the wind was a little stronger there than people think,” Sirianni claimed. “Last week against Baltimore we hit those two secured punts and we did a very good job of securing them; We almost got a safety.”

“Young got out of there. I thought Bryce did some good things. But in the end he got out of there, but it was more about the wind being a little stronger than I think was understood. I mean, you could feel it.” ”

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