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Maybe the Panthers will totally underestimate the Eagles’ backup quarterback?! Probably not. Multiple Panthers players had nice things to say about Tanner McKee. But it is funny to see at least one player admit to not really knowing much about him. Which is fair, considering Sunday will mark McKee’s third-ever NFL start. There isn’t a whole lot to possibly know right now. We’ll see if McKee can play well and make himself more well known.
Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …
After the Panthers spent the first half of the week preparing to face Hurts, the MVP of Super Bowl LIX two years ago, Carolina players were trying to learn what they could about McKee. “No bulletin board material, (but) I don’t know much about him,” safety Nick Scott said. “I imagine what’ll happen is they’ll pull some film for us so we can get a feel for his game. I’m not sure where he is from a mobile standpoint. But he’s a bigger body, 6-foot-6. So bigger guy, probably got a rocket of an arm.” As of Thursday afternoon, everything Scott knew about the 6-foot-6, 231-pound McKee he’d learned through a quick chat with Panthers backup quarterback Kenny Pickett, who spent a season with him in Philadelphia in 2024.
Eagles Film Preview: The Panthers’ defense can be exploited – BGN
However, there is a rather significant problem with using that play to describe the defense the Eagles will face: Horn won’t be playing! Neither will Mike Jackson. Losing both starting outside cornerbacks changes this secondary considerably, and the Panthers miss them massively. Their season-long coverage results include contributions from two players who won’t be available to help on Sunday. The Panthers have shown they can execute these structures with their best corners, but the replacements haven’t been as reliable. Even with Hurts unavailable, the Eagles should have opportunities outside. I would let McKee throw the ball vertically against this defense.
The Carolina Panthers are set to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in a contest that may well be decided by who can put eleven players on the field for every snap. Injuries abound on both sides, but the teams do appear to be trending in opposite directions for the moment. The Panthers are slowly getting healthier after a fortunate early bye week, while the Eagles are continuing to fall apart as they return home from a game in London just last week. It seems particularly rude for the NFL to pit a jet-lagged Eagles against a Panthers team that just had a week off, but that’s just the kind of thing that you have to expect in s 17-game season filled with as many international games as they can squeeze in. Does that mean the Panthers are expected to win? Yes, more or less. They have opened on FanDuel as 1.5-point underdogs and have moved to -3.5 point favorites on the eve of the game. Does that mean that we, the long suffering and well meaning staff here at Cat Scratch Reader expect them to win and win easily? Of course not. We’ve watched the Panthers before.
Game Preview – CAR at PHI – Iggles Blitz
Let’s focus on McKee and the Eagles for now. We’ll talk more about Hurts when we have more info. McKee is getting a huge opportunity. He will get to start at least four games. That is huge for him since he’s a free agent after the season. He can show teams that he deserves to be a starter, is a top backup, or is just a guy. It is up to McKee to show what he can do. The Eagles get a chance to see what the offense looks like with a different QB running it. Maybe the change will make a difference. McKee doesn’t have Hurts raw talent, but he might do some things better within the framework of the offense. Might is the key word there. McKee sure didn’t impress anyone this summer. He got to practice with the starters this week and will have a gameplan built around his skill set.
QB1s at risk: Cam Ward, Kirk Cousins among starting quarterbacks who could be benched – NFL.com
JALEN HURTS. EDITOR’S UPDATE: The Eagles have placed Jalen Hurts on injured reserve due to the blood clot in his calf, the team announced on Oct. 17. Hurts will miss at least four weeks as he receives treatment. Hurts’ injury threw Philly for a loop. The QB was diagnosed with a superficial blood clot that will knock him out for at least one game. The timeline for his return is unclear, so we don’t need to delve too deep into the situation. However, it’s fair to point out that Hurts hasn’t played well, with a -0.16 EPA/dropback entering Week 6 (21st in the NFL), a 37.8% success rate (25th), and a 57.8% completion rate (third-worst). Like Justin Herbert, Hurts isn’t going anywhere, at least in the short term. Philly radio, however, will be something to behold on Monday if Tanner McKee lights up a Panthers defense that ranks 29th and 26th in yards and points allowed, respectively.
Eagles notebook: Time to see Carson Steele on offense? – NBCSP
Last week, the Eagles started Shipley but then he injured his foot and left the game. That left them with Dameon Pierce and Steele, who began the year on the practice squad. So with Shipley now out and Barkley and Bigsby still out, the Eagles go into this game against the Panthers with Pierce and Steele as their top two options. “It’s unfortunate but it’s a blessing to be on the field,” Steele said. “So it’s kind of a toss up. I’m just excited for an opportunity. That’s really all I can say. I hope my guys heal up, get back out on the field and I’m going to try to help them in any way possible.” Last week, Steele played 20 special teams snaps but didn’t see the field on offense. That seems likely to change this weekend with yet another injury at the running back position.
Spadaro: Game Preview vs. Panthers, 6 storylines to follow – PhiladelphiaEagles.com
Tanner McKee starts at quarterback for the Eagles. This is McKee’s third career start, and his first in a game that isn’t Week 18. He took all the first-team reps on Thursday and Friday and he has a command of the game plan. McKee and Offensive Coordinator Sean Mannion spent a lot of time together during the week discussing specifics that fit McKee’s skill set, so we will see what looks different about the scheme. No doubt, this is a great opportunity for McKee against a Carolina defense that has played much better after a Game 1 struggle against a Bears offense that put up 59 points. The Panthers are on the rise, and they are likely to try a variety of things to take advantage of McKee’s lack of game experience.
Patriots activate A.J. Brown off injured reserve – Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots offense will have one of its best players back against the New York Jets. Wide receiver A.J. Brown, who spent the last four weeks on injured reserve, will be activated to the 53-man roster on Saturday. The expectation is that he will line up against the Jets on Sunday, according to a report by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Brown, 29, was moved to IR following the Patriots’ season opener against the Seattle Seahawks. After catching three passes for 26 yards in his debut with the team, he suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter. The issue was later diagnosed as a high ankle sprain, prompting New England to move him to injured reserve.
Steelers make roster moves ahead of Buccaneers game – Pittsburgh Steelers
The team signed running back Lew Nichols from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. Nichols was activated from the practice squad to the Active/Inactive Roster for the Week 3 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Week 4 game against the Cleveland Browns, and Week 5 game against the Indianapolis Colts. Nichols spent the 2025 season on the Steelers practice squad and was signed to a Reserve/Future contract at the end of the 2025 season. Nichols was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft, spending most of the season on the Reserve/Injured List. He has since spent time on the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad.
Packers place 3 on injured reserve before Week 6 vs. the Cowboys – Acme Packing Company
The Packers placed defensive lineman Jonathan Ford, defensive lineman Javon Hargrave and wide receiver Skyy Moore on the injured reserve today. Those were three of the four players who were already ruled out against the Cowboys, with the non-IR’d player being cornerback Benjamin St-Juste.
Survey results: NY Giants’ fan confidence remains high – Big Blue View
To the surprise of, well, pretty much everyone, the New York Giants come in to Week 6 of the 2026 NFL season with sole possession of first place in the NFC East. The Giants have had at least a share of first place since their season-opening win, and have managed to expand their lead while their division rivals have faded. Even the Giants’ Week 5 tie served to extend their lead by half a game. And yet, the Giants are still entering Week 6 as 1.5-point underdogs at home against the New Orleans Saints, per Fanduel. This marks the third time in three weeks that oddsmakers have held the Giants as underdogs against a team in last place, and the fifth time in six weeks that the Giants are underdogs. But while Las Vegas and the national media in general don’t have much faith in the Giants, Giants’ fans themselves remain very confident in the direction of their team.
Cowboys need to approach the next two games as must wins – Blogging The Boys
One thing that’s in their favor in terms of having a shot at the playoffs is that the NFC East, or NFC Least as its been nicknamed, is still more than winnable. The New York Giants lead the division at 3-1-1. Behind them are the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cowboys at 2-3, and the Washington Commanders are 1-3-1. Dallas has the Green Bay Packers on their slate for Sunday Night Football in Week 6 followed by the Eagles on Monday Night Football in Week 7. These games are very important of course, but the Cowboys need to approach these as must wins.
Dan Quinn, hot seats & 18%: Commanders fan reaction to the Giants tie – Hogs Haven
Reading many of the headlines this week in the wake of the tied game vs the NY Giants, I had the feeling of a cataclysmic disaster taking place in Ashburn; a complete loss of faith based on the final 12 seconds of that overtime contest. These survey results don’t really reflect that, though. The 18% of survey respondents still professing to have confidence in the team’s direction isn’t significantly different than the result following the Week 2 loss to the Cowboys in Dallas. Honestly, I’d been expecting the survey results this week to show an absolute meltdown in confidence to near-0%. Instead, roughly 1 in 6 survey respondents continue to see a team headed in the right direction.
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman could be headed for a breakup at ESPN – SB Nation
Could one of sports broadcasting’s pairings be headed for a breakup? If recent reports are to be believed, the partnership between Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on ESPN’s Monday Night Football could just be nearing its end. The pair took over coverage of Monday Night Football for the 2022 NFL season, and have been the lead broadcast team on the network since that opening night. But according to a report from Front Office Sports, tension between the pair recently hit something of a fever pitch, in the hours leading up to last Monday night’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Buffalo Bills. Part of that tension could be due to Aikman being on the cusp of free agency for next season. While the network reached a new six-year deal with Buck in September, one that will keep the play-by-play announcer in place through ESPN’s next Super Bowl, Aikman remains without a contract for next year and beyond.
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