The Eagles defense did all they could to bail the offense out. They held the Panthers off the board for so much of the third and fourth quarter.
But after another miscue for special teams and more struggles for Sam Bradford and Co., Carolina could not be stopped.
The Panthers remained undefeated while the Eagles dropped to 3-4 with a 27-16 loss on Sunday night at Bank of America Stadium.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 16 |
| Panthers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 27 |
The Eagles started with the ball but failed to make anything happen on their first drive. The Panthers wasted no time getting going.
It took just four plays for the Panthers to travel 72 yards, as Mike Tolbert capped the brief drive with a two-yard touchdown run.
The two teams traded interceptions on the next two plays. Bradford's next pass was behind Jordan Matthews, but off his hands and deflected into the arms of Colin Jones. Cam Newton's pass was juggled by Ted Ginn Jr. and ripped away by Nolan Carroll for an interception.
The Eagles would get on the board with a 52-yard field goal by Caleb Sturgis with 5:42 to play in the first half.
Just 2:09 later, the Panthers were back in the endzone after a 60-yard drive that again took just four plays. Newton capped it off with a two-yard touchdown run.
The Eagles added another field goal as the half expired as Sturgis connected from 29 yards.
The Panthers opened the second half with the ball and wasted no time scoring on the drive. A seven-play, 80-yard drive came complete as Tolbert scored his second touchdown, taking a pass from Newton and barreling in for the two-yard score.
The Eagles had a quick answer. Just 2:09 later, Ryan Mathews broke free for a 63-yard touchdown run, getting the Eagles back within eight.
Sturgis added a 24-yard field goal after a Byron Maxwell interception to cut the Panthers lead to five.
Sturgis would miss from 50 yards on a drive early in the fourth that would have cut the lead to two. The Panthers followed with a drive that carried them near the redzone before Graham Gano connected on a 35-yard field goal.
That was all the scoring Philadelphia could muster, as the Eagles were shut out after cutting the lead down to five. They had chances late, but failed to convert on the Carolina defense.
Gano added a 29-yard field goal in the final minute to cap the scoring.
Passing Summary:
Eagles
- Sam Bradford: 26/46, 205 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 58.7 RTG
Panthers
- Cam Newton: 14/24, 197 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT, 59.2 RTG
Top-Performing Receivers:
Eagles
- Zach Ertz: 5 rec, 63 yards
- Miles Austin: 4 rec, 52 yards
- Darren Sproles: 5 rec, 31 yards
Panthers
- Greg Olsen: 3 rec, 85 yards
- Ted Ginn Jr.: 5 rec, 59 yards
- Corey Brown: 3 rec, 38 yards
Top-Performing Rushers:
Eagles
- Ryan Mathews: 6 car, 97 yards
- DeMarco Murray: 18 car, 65 yards
- Darren Sproles: 3 car, 9 yards
Panthers
- Jonathan Stewart: 24 car, 125 yards
- Ted Ginn Jr.: 1 car, 43 yards
- Cam Newton: 4 car, 20 yards, TD
Breakdown:
First Downs: Eagles – 20, Panthers – 21
3rd Down Efficiency: Eagles – 7-for-18, Panthers – 2-for-9
4th Down Efficiency: Eagles – 1-for-2, Panthers – 0-for-0
Total Plays: Eagles – 81, Panthers – 58
Total Yards: Eagles – 349 yards, Panthers – 394 yards
Passing Yards: Eagles – 172 yards, Panthers – 197 yards
Rushing Yards: Eagles – 177 yards, Panthers – 204 yards
Redzone: Eagles – 2-for-2, Panthers – 5-for-5
Penalties: Eagles – 7 penalties, 46 yards; Panthers – 5 penalties, 43 yards
Turnovers: Eagles – 1, Panthers – 3
Time Of Possession: Eagles – 31:06, Panthers – 28:54
What's Next:
- Sunday, November 8, 2015: at Dallas Cowboys, 8:30 p.m.
- AT&T Stadium; TV: NBC; Radio: 94 WIP
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
