October 16, 2026
Bill Streicher/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Eagles could use a dominant performance from Jalen Carter against Bryce Young and the Panthers offense.
After three straight losses, the Philadelphia Eagles' season is spiraling. They will hope to stop the bleeding back in Lincoln Financial Field against the 2-2 Carolina Panthers. Here are our five things to watch.
As noted in our picks post this week, the Eagles' offense has been putrid through the first five weeks of the season:
| Eagles offense | Stat | Rank |
| Points per game | 18.4 | 29 |
| Yards per game | 262.2 | 31 |
| Yards per play | 4.5 | 30 |
| First downs per game | 14.4 | 32 |
| EPA per play | -0.19 | 30 |
| Success rate | 37.02% | 31 |
| Rush yards per game | 91.6 | 23 |
| Rush yards per attempt | 3.8 | 21 |
| EPA per rush | -0.18 | 26 |
| Pass yards per game | 170.6 | 28 |
| Pass yards per attempt | 6.0 | 28 |
| EPA per pass | -0.20 | 27 |
| Average T.O.P. (excluding OT) | 27:50 | 27 |
And that was before Jalen Hurts was ruled out with "superficial blood clots" in his calf. Barring any surprise roster moves, Tanner McKee will start in his place. We'll get to him in a moment.
You would think that the Eagles probably played some really good defenses, given those atrocious stats above. But, nope. They played two objectively bad Commanders and Titans defenses, a mediocre Bears defense, and a Rams defense missing Myles Garrett, Aaron Donald, and Jaylen Watson. The only good, healthy defense they faced this season so far was Jacksonville's.
The Panthers defense kinda stinks. I mean, they gave up 59 points to the Bears Week 1. But it might not matter. The Eagles' projected starters on Sunday are really anyone's guess. Here's mine (it probably won't be 100% correct):
• QB Tanner McKee
• RB Dameon Pierce
• WR DeVonta Smith
• WR Makai Lemon
• WR Darius Cooper
• TE Dallas Goedert
• LT Jordan Mailata
• LG Willie Lampkin
• C Drew Kendall
• RG Tyler Steen
• RT Markel Bell
Six of those guys weren't starters to begin the season.
There's really not a lot to say here. It's a skeleton crew, and it's going to be hard to win with that offense.
In 2024, McKee played in a meaningful Week 17 game against the Cowboys after Kenny Pickett went down with an injury, and then he started the following week against the Giants in a game the Eagles rested their starters. He was outstanding against the Cowboys in limited action, and he did enough to win against the Giants. We reviewed McKee's performances in those games during the 2025 offseason. At the time, McKee was getting some hype around the league as a possible starter for some other team.
In 2025, with playoff seeding on the line in a Week 18 game against the Commanders, the Eagles opted to rest starters and McKee got the starting nod. He looked decent enough for one quarter while he still had DeVonta Smith to throw to, and then it went badly thereafter. The Eagles lost to a Josh Johnson-led Commanders team that was missing Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota and already had their bags packed for Cancun.
During the 2026 offseason, the Eagles traded for Andy Dalton, who beat out McKee for the QB2 job during training camp, even though Dalton didn't even look very good. During the Eagles' loss to the Chicago Bears Week 3, Hurts was hit hard, and was forced into the medical tent to check for a concussion. While he was being tested, play resumed with Dalton subbing in... and yada yada yada, he's not on the team anymore. (Well, for now anyway.)
So it'll be McKee getting his third career start. His first two were in "resting starters" games. In this matchup, he'll be playing with a bunch of backups again, but this time not by design.
I'm curious to see how he looks.
Chuba Hubbard is the Panthers' lead back. In four games this season, he has 61 carries for 306 yards (5.0 YPC) and 3 TDs. He's 11th in the NFL in rushing yards per game.
"They're dangerous," Vic Fangio said on Thursday. "I think they're third in the league in yards. It's only a five-game season up to this point, but fifth in points, something like that, or fourth in first downs. They're balanced. They run it good. Hubbard's really a good back, runs hard. They block good. They're a good offense, and it's not tilted one way or the other. It's [not] all pass. They're really good running and throwing, and the run game and the pass game complement each other in the early downs. They got it going right now."
Hubbard is a taller back than usual, at 6'1, 216, but he has some nice elusiveness, and he breaks tackles.
chuba hubbard is good pic.twitter.com/alXeX6ZqOR
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) October 6, 2026
The Eagles' defense is going to have to carry the team the rest of this season, because they're not going to get much help from the offense. That's not really new, but that dynamic is at a new level this season. They're also going to have to create turnovers. Hubbard had one fumble on 134 carries last season, and he has none so far on his 61 carries, so he has done a nice job with ball security.
The Panthers have a trio of big passing game targets in Tetairoa McMillan (6'5, 212), Jalen Coker (6'3, 213), and TE Darren Waller (6'6, 245). They're all capable of using their size to make big plays.
Here's McMillan:
Beautiful ball
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) October 5, 2026
📺 NBC#DETvsCAR pic.twitter.com/8zCzIdhA6s
Bryce Young goes long to Jalen Coker!
— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026
CHIvsCAR on FOX/FOX One pic.twitter.com/y4dv1AgdzS
And Waller:
Waller BALLER
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 20, 2026
📺 FOX#CARvsATL pic.twitter.com/S6dY6cyivf
"The quarterback has really progressed," Fangio said. "I think I coached against him when he was a rookie, and to see the progress that he's made from then to now, kudos to him and their coaching staff. He's a really good processor, makes quick decisions, knows where to go with the ball. He's elusive, he's a scrambler, really good anticipation. Very, very impressed by him."
Young has thrown for 9 TDs vs. 2 INTs. He is known as a runner, but he really doesn't run that often. As Fangio notes, he is a scrambler, but he scrambles to buy more time to throw down the field.
The Eagles do have bigger corners (relatively speaking) in Quinyon Mitchell (6'0, 193), Riq Woolen (6'4, 210), and Cooper DeJean (6'0, 200).
The Panthers' offensive line looks like this:
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| Rasheed Walker | Damien Lewis/ Corey Bullock | Luke Fortner | Robert Hunt | Monroe Freeling |
Notes:
• Ikem Ekwonu was the Panthers' starting LT, and a player the Panthers were hoping to build around. He suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in the Panthers' loss to the Rams in the Wild Card round of the playoffs last season. He will miss a substantial part of the 2026 regular season. The Panthers signed Rasheed Walker this offseason to prepare for the loss of Ekwonu.
• Taylor Moton was the starting RT. He was diagnosed with blood clots in his lung in June, and was placed on the NFI list. He has not played yet this season, but the Panthers opened his 21-day practice window this week. In the 2026 draft, the Panthers drafted Monroe Freeling, who has been starting at RT. Freeling is on the injury report with a knee injury. He did not practice on Wednesday, but was limited on Thursday. If neither Moton nor Freeling can play, Stone Forsythe would likely start at RT.
• Damien Lewis is the starting LG. He has an elbow injury, and was limited both on Wednesday and Thursday. He has missed the last two games, and waiver claim pickup Corey Bullock has filled in. To be determined who will start at LG. Lewis might be the Panthers' best offensive lineman.
• Robert Hunt made a Pro Bowl in 2024.
• Luke Fortner is just a guy who has kind of bounced around.
This is not a great line. Young has been pressured a whole lot so far this season.
Most dropbacks under pressure this season
— PFF (@PFF) October 13, 2026
Tyler Shough 89
Bryce Young 83
Jalen Hurts 82
Justin Herbert 82
Deshaun Watson 79 pic.twitter.com/L3pQtlB1fj
#FeastinMeter™️: 5/10 turkey legs 🍗🍗🍗🍗🍗
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