The Panthers went into Philadelphia and came away with a 25-14 win, and there was plenty to like about what they did.
Carolina moved the ball, Bryce Young made some big throws, and the defense never let the Eagles get much going. Jalen Coker also looked pretty comfortable in his first game back, giving Young another weapon alongside Tetairoa McMillan. Still, I'm not ready to get carried away with this one.
Philadelphia was missing some important players and became even more shorthanded as the game went along, so you have to keep that in mind when looking at this win. Carolina deserves credit for taking care of business, but Sunday also gave us a little more to think about with this team.
1. Give Carolina Credit, but Keep This Win in Perspective
Let's start here because I don't want it to sound like I'm taking anything away from the Panthers. They went on the road, controlled most of the game, and beat Philadelphia by 11 points. That's a good Sunday, no matter who was on the other side.
But the Eagles weren't close to full strength. Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley were already out, and Philadelphia lost more help as the game went along. Carolina wasn't exactly getting the best version of the Eagles.
The Panthers still had to beat the guys who were out there. We've seen Carolina lose enough games over the years that it probably should've won, so I'm not going to hold it against them for taking care of business. The Panthers were the healthier team and played like it.
That's what they were supposed to do.
2. McMillan and Coker Together Changes This Offense
We've been waiting a few weeks to see what Young would look like with McMillan and Coker on the field together, and Sunday gave us another good look at it. Coker finished with six catches for 97 yards, while McMillan had six for 86. For me, this was probably the most encouraging thing to come out of the game.
That's 183 receiving yards between the two of them, but it's not just about the number. Young had another receiver making plays opposite McMillan, and everything didn't have to go through one guy. Teams are still going to worry about McMillan, but Coker gives them somebody else to deal with.
I'm not expecting those two to combine for nearly 200 yards every week. But Carolina finally got both of them on the field together, and we saw what it could do for Young and the passing game.
Now let's see what it looks like when defenses have a few weeks to adjust to it.
3. Carolina Can't Keep Doing This With the Penalties
I still don't know how the Panthers managed to have 149 penalty yards and win by 11 points. Carolina was flagged 13 times, and some of them came at the worst possible times. There were several moments where the Panthers would make a play, only to give some of it right back because of a flag.
They got away with it Sunday, but against a healthier team, I'm not so sure they do. That's what's frustrating because Carolina actually did a lot of things well. Young didn't turn the ball over, Chuba Hubbard ran for 120 yards, and the defense held Philadelphia to 222 total yards.
Clean up even some of those penalties, and this game probably isn't as close for as long as it was. Carolina can fix that, but it needs to happen because 149 penalty yards isn't something you're going to keep overcoming.
So What Did We Really Learn?
I don't think Sunday proved the Panthers are suddenly one of the best teams in the NFC, as Philadelphia was too beat up for me to go that far. But I do think we're learning a little more about Carolina. The Panthers are starting to win games they're supposed to win, which hasn't always been a given around here.
Young has more help around him, the defense is doing its part, and Carolina is finding ways to win even when it makes things harder on itself. There's still plenty to fix, and 149 penalty yards is a pretty obvious place to start. But the Panthers went into Philadelphia as the healthier team, handled a game they should've won, and came home 3-2.
I'll take that.
Add us as a preferred source on Google