The once-mighty Philadelphia Eagles — two seasons removed from a Super Bowl championship — have suddenly turned into an NFL punching bag.
Bryce Young threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns to Tommy Tremble, and Chuba Hubbard ran for 120 yards and a score to lead the Panthers past the injury-riddled Eagles 25-14 on Sunday.
Tremble did everything but run the Rocky steps.
Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard, center, runs with the ball between Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell and linebacker Arnold Ebiketie as they play in Philadelphia on Sunday.
Photo: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
“Great fight in the guys,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said.
The Panthers (3-2) had little trouble in the second half picking apart the Eagles (2-4), who have lost four straight games for the first time since 2020 and were missing quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley.
Hurts is on injured reserve and would miss at least four games with a blood clot in his calf. Barkley missed his second straight game with a hamstring injury and Will Shipley and Tank Bigsby, his two backups, were sidelined by injuries.
The quarterback showdown between Young and Eagles backup Tanner McKee seemed like a mismatch entering the day. McKee, in his fourth season, made his third career start and first one without the Eagles having already clinched a playoff berth.
McKee was sacked for an 11-yard loss on the Eagles’ first play from scrimmage and he nearly had a pass intercepted on second down. McKee’s day never got much better, and he finished 26 of 45 for 215 yards and a touchdown. He hit DeVonta Smith — who missed the last two games with a hamstring injury — for a 19-yard TD that pulled the Eagles within 19-14 early in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles forced a three-and-out and then wasted their drive when McKee lost 12 yards on a fumble. It was one of several examples of miscommunication affecting the offense.
“Whether it was guys in the wrong spot, I’ve got to get them fixed or a missed call, I’ve got to get it fixed,” McKee said.
Young was happy to take advantage of the Eagles’ miscues. He sealed the win with his second TD pass to Tremble, a 19-yarder for a 25-14 lead.
Young even heard “MVP!” chants from a small group of Panthers fans there were about the only ones left inside the stadium at the end.
“All the Panthers fans being able to be out here all the way in Philly and feeling the support,” Young said. “We all show that. We all feed off of that. Whether it’s here or there, the support for all of us is huge.”
Young — who threw a 12-yard TD pass to Tremble in the second quarter — bailed out the Panthers late in the third on third-and-8 at their own 10 when he connected with Jalen Coker for a 32-yard gain. Young extended the drive with a 15-yard completion, and the Panthers converted a fourth-and-1 when Hubbard found a hole for a 19-yard run.
Hubbard finished the drive in the fourth with a 2-yard touchdown run for a 19-7 lead. Carolina’s 2-point attempt failed.
A week after the Eagles lost by a field goal on the final play against Jacksonville in London, Ryan Fitzgerald made kicks of 47 and 52 yards for the Panthers. The latter made it 13-7 and was his 11th straight successful attempt to open the season. He did miss an extra point.
The Eagles are in a world of hurt without Hurts and were forced to turn to McKee, who had lost his grip on the No. 2 spot in training camp. He regained the backup job after the Eagles cut Andy Dalton, but he looked out of place all game. Offensive coordinator Sean Mannion did him no favors by calling a series of failed screen and swing passes.
McKee threw a third-and-14 sideline pass for Smith in the third quarter that sailed out of bounds against one of the worst defenses in the NFL and was greeted by jeers.
The struggling offense is not all on McKee. The Eagles were shut out in the third quarter and have scored only six points in that quarter all season. Philadelphia had only 37 total yards in the first quarter and punted on its first five drives.
Dameon Pierce scored on a 2-yard run to cut Carolina’s lead to 10-7 at halftime.
The Panthers were penalized 13 times for 149 yards.
“A lot of times these are effort penalties, and guys are trying too hard in different situations,” Canales said.