In shocking fashion, the Eagles blew a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter to lose, 21-17. Regardless of all the good the Eagles did in the first three quarters of this game, it was all done in by Cam Newton and the willingness to stick with their game plan.
Up until the late touchdown run by Curtis Samuel, the Panthers seemed unable to establish a flow on offense. Pair that with penalties and just poor execution, they found themselves relying on the defense to keep them in the game. Lucky for them, the defense did the job standing up the Eagles as the game went on. The offense was captained, of course, by Cam Newton, who led the way with 318 yards from scrimmage and no turnovers. The turnover statistic was key for the Panthers to win this game.
As for the Eagles, they would win time of possession and show an ability to move the football. Even the offensive line played well, keeping Wentz clean for the most part, clearing running holes for the three backs and limiting the costly penalties. The Eagles were, of course, led by the usual trio of Wentz (30 for 37 for 310 yards and two touchdowns), Ertz (nine receptions for 138 yards) and Alshon Jeffery (seven receptions for 88 yards and one touchdown). The issue for the Eagles, as has been the case the whole year, is the secondary. They have not shown an ability to get stops. It always seems like they are in prevent defense and do not know how to defend a double move, especially in the fourth quarter.
From here, we just need to wait it out. We must see how the rest of the division games play out and move on to next week against the Jaguars in London. Hopefully, the Eagles can go in to the bye week at .500. So, post bye week they have the opportunity to turn the ship around and go in to the big games down the stretch healthy and ready to play.
