If you can describe the Carolina Panthers’ 25-14 week six win over the Philadelphia Eagles in one word, growth would be apropos.
In recent years, Carolina (3-2) would tend to get wrapped up in a pattern of losing winnable games.
The Panthers interrupted the pattern on Sunday. It didn’t look pretty at times, but the Panthers were able to handle their business on the road against a banged-up Eagles team.
Bryce Young hit Tommy Tremble for a 19 yard touchdown with six minutes remaining to kill what little momentum Philadelphia had and to put the game out of reach.
Here’s more takeaways from week six.
Ground Game Working
Chuba Hubbard was held to just 24 yards in the first half before exploding in the second half for 96 of his total120 yards and a touchdown.
Offensive coordinator Brad Idzik adjusted by tightening formations like brining Tommy Tremble closer to the box. As a result, the offensive line got the extra leverage they needed to double team the Eagles’ interior linemen.
The other adjustment was utilizing counters and tosses to the weak side, forcing Philly’s linebackers out of position. Hubbard made adjustments of his own, by slowing down and letting the blocks develop.
Holding It Down
Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero dialed up the aggression late in the game to preserve the lead. Instead of going to his soft zone sets, Evero went to blitz packages that attacked the gaps in third and fourth down situations.
Carolina’s defensive line was, in particular, solid Sunday. They deliberately and methodically took away Philadelphia’s quick slant options by clogging lanes right at the line of scrimmage. Applying pressure and squeezing the line of scrimmage eventually closed the game, as Derrick Brown came up clutch with his critical tipped pass late in the fourth.
The secondary held serve and contained DeVonta Smith. He had 75 yards, but he had to earn them. It took the Eagles 14 attempts to get them. The individual performances of Will Lee, Zakee Wheatley, and Akayleb Evans were volatile with the penalties, but as a collective their bend don’t break production was effective enough.
MVP?
Bryce Young is the first quarterback with at least 280 passing yards and a touchdown in each of his team’s first five games of a season since 2013 when Peyton Manning and Drew Brees accomplished the feat.
Manning won the MVP that season and led the Broncos to an NFL record of 606 points. Through five games, Young leads the league in total passing yards (1,549), yards per game (317) and 11 touchdowns.
According to Next Gen Stats, Young also leads the league in passing first downs, completions of 10+ yards, completions of 25+ yards and deep passing yards.
The numbers are there. If Young can continue his tear and Carolina is 6-2 after Week 8, this will be more than just an entry point into the conversation. Serious considerations and conversations will be had.
Flags Over Philly
The Panthers committed 13 penalties for a franchise record of 149 yards. The penalty breakdown includes three on special teams, three on defense and seven on offense. At this point, the Panthers must clean it up. It starts with differentiating between aggressive and mental penalties. For instance, head coach Dave Canales said he’s ‘fine’ with penalties in coverage as long as the corners are actively contesting downfield and challenging opposing receivers, while penalties such as illegal blocks and ineligible men downfield are not. Aggressive defense is the game being the game, but pre-snap penalties are controllable.
Panthers Grind Out Week 6 Win In Philly