The Philadelphia Eagles are returning to Lincoln Financial Field this weekend to host the Carolina Panthers. The Birds will be coming off a trip from London while their opponent is coming off a bye week.
In order to preview this Week 6 matchup, I reached out to our enemies over at Cat Scratch Reader. The witty Walker Clement kindly took the time to answer my questions about this upcoming battle. Let’s take a look at the answers.
1) Bryce Young seems to be playing well; three of his top seven games in terms of passer rating have taken place this season. How real is his improvement and what can it be attributed to?
I’m scared to say it’s real but that’s mostly because we’ve been hurt before. Young was excusably atrocious (coaching dumpster fire) in his rookie year. He was worse to start his second season to the point that he got benched until an Andy Dalton broken thumb returned him to the line up. He was better, but not good. Last year, his third season, had ups and downs. The ups showed he was physically capable of playing well, a legitimate question up to that point. The downs proved he couldn’t (yet) play well consistently.This season he seems to be playing well consistently. His worst game was against the Cleveland Browns when he had a mild, nagging knee injury that has apparently persisted through the bye week.
Otherwise he has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league. His statistical improvement alone has been so stellar that he remained a top 10 passing quarterback through Week 5 despite having a bye in Week 5. So, is it real? Why is it real? I truly don’t know but all of Panthers nation is what I would describe as cautiously giddy at this unexpected and welcome turnabout in Young’s fortunes. We’re also all fully braced for when the other shoe drops and knocks the wheels off of our clown car.
2 – Sounds like the Panthers could be getting some key players back for this game. Who are you expecting to return and what’s the impact? What about the absences that Carolina could be dealing with?
There are three players who could return to the lineup and have a significant impact over what the team put together against the Lions in their last game.
First is Taylor Moton. He has started nearly every game for the Panthers at right tackle since 2018. He is an excellent player who will elevate the Panthers struggling run game if he is ready to play. There is no guarantee he will be up to the task after recovering from blood clots in his lungs during the offseason. But with back up and rookie right tackle Monroe Freeling questionable-at-best with a knee injury, the Panthers need every man they can find.
Similarly, Tershawn Wharton may be ready to step into the ailing defensive line rotation. He should provide some much needed fresh legs and pass rushing acumen. Don’t expect him to get a sack if he plays, but he should be contributing to pressure.
The second most important returning player is wide receiver Jalen Coker. He is an incredibly talented guy and shares great chemistry with Bryce Young. He is a large part of Young’s statistical improvement this year. With him on the field, McMillan shouldn’t need to catch another 14 passes for 192 yards in a single game.
3 – The Eagles’ offense stinks but the Panthers haven’t exactly been one of the top defenses in the league. What are the strengths and weaknesses of that unit?
The strengths entering Week 4 were the interior defensive line and the cornerbacks. Since then, defensive tackle Cam Jackson and cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson have landed on IR. Young corners Akayleb Evans and Will Lee III had rough outings against the Lions. Lee has promise, but he’s a rookie who is still adjusting to the speed of the game. They are expected to start again this week.
That leaves Devin Lloyd, who has been amazing, and Jaelan Phillips, who is a one-man show thanks to injuries across the rest of the front seven, as the noticeable strengths of the defense. It sounds bleak, but they managed to hold Jahmyr Gibbs to 46 yards on 15 carries in their last game. Anything can happen.
4 – What’s the biggest matchup in the Panthers’ favor and the biggest matchup against their favor?
Wide receiver Tetarioa McMillan, the Week 4 NFC offensive player of the Week, vs anybody you have is the biggest match up in favor of the Panthers. Conversely, DeVonta Smith versus anybody left standing in a Panthers uniform after the snap is a huge mismatch against Carolina. That suggests an explosive, high scoring game with lots of fast scores. Right?
5 – Who wins this game and why? With the Eagles currently listed as 1.5-point home favorites, what’s your score prediction?
It a little bit depends on who they get back from injury, but I think these are two teams trending in opposite directions. The Panthers should ultimately win this one, but the idea of a shoot out decided by the performance of two star wide receivers will be wrong. I expect the Panthers to flip, or fumble, the script and end up narrowly winning a surprisingly defensive battle 17 – 14.
I’d be comfortable widening the margin of victory if Young, Coker, and Moton are all fully cleared to play. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see them look completely new to the game of football and lose by three possessions or more. Such is the confidence bred by our recent years of, uh, success.