The Eagles have their hands full as they try to avoid a disastrous 1-4 start to their season in Carolina against a solid 3-1 Panthers team. This article will compare both teams at every position and see which one has the advantage in this matchup.
QB: Push
Darnold is looking strong so far in Carolina, but Hurts is definitely in the same conversation as him as far as QB rankings go. This is a push heading into the game.
RB: Advantage Eagles
This wouldn't be the case if Christian McCaffrey was healthy. Nick Sirianni has two solid running backs on his roster. Hopefully someone on the sideline reminds him of that so there aren't 60+ passes thrown and Hurts throws his shoulder out.
WR: Advantage Panthers
The D.J. Moore is having his breakout season and is considered one of the best receivers in the game through the first month of the season. Robby Anderson and Terrace Marshall are capable pass catchers as well. I give them a slight edge over the trio of DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, and Jalen Reagor.
TE: Advantage Eagles
Zach Ertz + Dallas Goedert >>>> Ian Thomas
OL: Advantage Panthers
The Eagles still only have 2/5 original starting lineman. The Panthers will be missing their starting LT, but their o-line hasn't had as many penalties as the Eagles line has. They have the advantage on Sunday.
DL: Advantage Panthers
Javon Hargrave and an occasional flash from Josh Sweat, the Eagles defensive line has been a major disappointment. The Panthers have the 2nd-most sacks in the league, so the Panthers' line are much hotter heading into this game than the Eagles' line.
LBs: Advantage Panthers
It is not likely the Eagles have any linebacker advantages this season since the front office never addresses the position properly in the offseason. The Panthers have the advantage here.
DBs: Advantage Eagles
The Panthers recently added CJ Henderson and Stephon Gilmore to their defensive backfield. Henderson has only played one game and Gilmore is not eligible yet, so the Eagles luck into having an advantage in this game.
STs: Advantage Eagles
Harrison For his career Zane Gonzalez is a paltry 77% on field goal attempts. Jake Elliott has a 82% success rate, so the Eagles will have a slight advantage in this special teams matchup.
Closing Comments
The Panthers aren't overwhelming when comparing positions, but at the end of the day they've down what they needed to do to have a 3-1 record. The Eagles have shot themselves in the foot week in and week out, and if that doesn't change the actual matchup won't mean much because they'll have dug themselves in too deep of a hole to climb out of.
