The Philadelphia Eagles now have a 3-4 overall record after losing to the Carolina Panthers by the score of 27-16 on Sunday night.
The Eagles didn't play well on both side of the ball to start the game.
On the opening drive of the game, the Eagles got a first down after three touches by running back DeMarco Murray. On the next set of downs, Sam Bradford would have completed a third-and-six to Zach Ertz, but Lane Johnson was called for a false start on the play. The drive ended when Bradford was sacked by Mario Addison on the next play.
On the ensuing Panthers drive, running back Jonathan Stewart carried the ball twice for a gain of 45 yards. On the next play, Cam Newton connected with Corey Brown on a 25-yard reception, and the Panthers were set up for first-and-goal. Fullback Mike Tolbert punched it in for a score on a two-yard carry to give the Panthers a 7-0 lead.
On the first play of the next drive for the Eagles offense, Bradford was picked off by Colin Jones. The pass was slightly thrown behind Jordan Matthews, but the second-year receiver had his hands on the ball before it was tipped into the air and into Jones' hands.
On the next play, Nolan Carroll stripped the ball away from Ted Ginn Jr. and the Eagles were given possession.
After the Carroll interception, the Eagles were forced to punt. On that drive, Jason Peters suffered a lower back injury and was carted off the field. He didn't return to the game.
The Eagles scored the next points of the game on their fifth drive of the night on a 52-yard field goal by Caleb Sturgis.
Sturgis made a big mistake on the very next play. He kicked the ball out of bounds, and the Panthers started their next drive on the 40-yard line.
After a nine-yard catch by Greg Olsen on the first play of the drive, Ginn Jr. gained 44-yards on an end-around, and the Panthers were set up with first-and-goal. On second-and-goal, defensive tackle Bennie Logan was penalized for a neutral zone infraction on two straight plays. Newton then scored on a read-option play, and the Panthers took a 14-3 lead.
After the Eagles went three-and-out, Newton threw his second interception of the night. Malcolm Jenkins made a diving catch in front of the Panthers intended receiver, and the Eagles offense was put in good field position.
The Eagles scored another field goal after the Jenkins interception, and the Eagles were down by the score of 14-6 at halftime.
The Eagles had some chances in the second half, but they couldn't finish off the comeback.
On the opening drive of the second half, the Panthers scored a touchdown on a Tolbert touchdown reception, and the Panthers took a 21-6 lead.
The Eagles responded with a 63-yard touchdown run by Ryan Mathews. Mathews had a total of 97 yards on six carries. Whereas Murray gained 65 yards on 18 carries.
The Panthers offense took the field after the Mathews touchdown with the score at 21-13. Newton was intercepted for the third time of the night, this time by Byron Maxwell. Maxwell returned the ball to the 18-yard line.
Two catches by Brent Celek set the Eagles up with first-and-goal. Josh Huff dropped a third-and-goal pass from Bradford, and the Eagles were forced to kick another field goal.
After the 24-yard field goal by Sturgis, the Eagles were only down by five points with the score at 21-16.
The Eagles had a chance to make it a 21-19 game, but Sturgis missed a 50-yard attempt.
After the Sturgis missed field goal, Michael Oher was called for holding, and the Panthers started the next drive with a first-and-20. Devin Funchess caught a first down pass on the next play. Brown then caught a first down pass, and then Newton ran for 16 yards on a designed quarterback run, which set the Panthers up for a 35-yard field goal by Graham Gano.
The Panthers took the lead by the score of 24-16.
Both teams forced each other to punt, and the Eagles took the field down by eight points in the waning moments of the fourth quarter.
Kawann Short forced Bradford to fumble on the first play of the drive, but Jason Kelce was able to make the recovery for the Eagles. On third-and-16, Luke Kuechly was called for pass interference, and the Eagles were given a first down. The drive ended in drops by Ertz and Miles Austin.
The Panthers extended their lead on a Gano field near the end of the game to extend the lead to 27-16.
Heading into their bye week, the Eagles now sit in third place in the NFC East division.
The Washington Redskins (3-4) were able to win in comeback fashion against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The New York Giants (4-3) defeated the Dallas Cowboys (2-4).
Michael Malia is a contributing intern for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Facebook (Michael Malia) or Twitter @Michael_Malia.
