Eagles-Panthers player matchups to watch in Week 14 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles (10-2) are hosting the Carolina Panthers (3-9) at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday afternoon.
Here are some key matchups to watch:
Saquon Barkley vs. Panthers run defense
Barkley is right in the mix of the MVP conversation this year and for good reason. He’s just one rushing yard shy of the 1,500-yard mark and is still on pace to break the NFL’s single-season rushing record. Last week, he faced the NFL’s top-ranked run defense entering that game and toughed it out for 107 yards on the ground. This week? He’ll face the NFL’s worst run defense. The Panthers have given up 166.8 yards per game this season, which ranks 32nd in the NFL. They are also giving up 4.8 yards per pop, which ranks 27th in the NFL.
The Panthers played tough and lost a close one to the Buccaneers last week 26-23 but they gave up a season-high 236 yards on the ground in that game. Bucs running back Bucky Irving had 25 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown in that one and was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week. In their two games since getting back from their bye week, the Panthers have given up the most yards after contact per carry (4.4) in the NFL. And their explosive play rate of 18.5% is the fourth highest in the NFL.
And for the season, the Panthers have given up 1.96 yards before contact per attempt, which ranks 28th in the NFL. The Eagles’ offensive line has been so good at creating giant holes this season and they will have an opportunity to do that on Sunday. And even when they don’t, Barkley should be able to create after contact. It’s a recipe for another big rushing performance.
Jordan Mailata vs. Jadeveon Clowney
At one point this season, Chuck Harris led the Panthers in sacks but then he was waived and claimed by the Eagles. The Panthers’ new leader in sacks is a familiar name: Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney is 31 now and the former No. 1 overall pick is years removed from his last Pro Bowl season. But he’s still the most dangerous pass rusher on this Panthers team. In 10 games this season, Clowney has 3 1/2 sacks, 7 QB hits and 7 TFLs. He mostly rushes on the defensive right, which sets up a matchup vs. Jordan Mailata.
It’s hard to overstate just how dominant Mailata has been this season. Not only is his ProFootballFocus’s highest graded offensive tackle in the league this season — he’s their highest graded player overall. Mailata has been an absolute force in the run game and he’s been a brick wall in pass protection. According to PFF, Mailata has had 274 reps in pass protection this season and has given up just 10 total pressures and 1 sack.
A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith vs. Panthers pass defense
The Eagles have definitely become a run-first team over their eight-game winning streak and they’ve barely had to throw the ball in the fourth quarter the last couple of months. This could very well be another one of those games. But there should be opportunities to pass against the Panthers, especially if DeVonta Smith is back in the lineup. Even though A.J. Brown didn’t have a huge game against the Ravens, he still made his presence felt with 66 yards all in the second quarter.
The Panthers are 24th in the NFL in passing and 29th in net yards per attempt, giving up 6.8 on average. The Panthers’ starting corners are Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson on the outside and fifth-round rookie Chau Smith-Wade has taken over as the starting nickel in recent weeks.
Jalen Carter vs. Robert Hunt
Over the last month or so, Jalen Carter is playing like one of the best defensive players in the NFL and he’s barely leaving the field for Vic Fangio’s defense. While Carter has been getting doubled a ton in recent weeks, when he doesn’t get extra attention, he’ll have 1-on-1 matchups against right guard Robert Hunt.
The Panthers spent big money on Hunt in free agency this offseason, signing him to a five-year, $100 million contract. Hunt, 28, has given up a team-high 24 pressures and 4 sacks this season, according to PFF, who ranks him as the 21st best guard in the NFL out of 73 qualified players. The hope for the Eagles is that the Panthers trust their big-money guard to block Carter 1-on-1 because there might not be a guard in the league who can block him 1-on-1 right now.
Eagles run defense vs. Chuba Hubbard
The Panthers have done a good job of featuring running back Chuba Hubbard in their offense under new head coach Dave Canales. Hubbard has 919 yards on 189 attempts this year for an average of 4.9 yards per carry and also has seven rushing touchdowns.
Hubbard is sixth in the NFL in rushing, just 580 yards behind Barkley. Hubbard is doing a nice job in the framework of the offense but he isn’t creating a ton after contact. He is averaging 3.2 yards after contact per attempt, which ranks 24th in the NFL. The Eagles have been a really good tackling team since the bye week and they should be able to get Hubbard to the ground.
Vic Fangio vs. Bryce Young
It looked like maybe the Panthers missed on their No. 1 selection from the 2023 season and they even benched Bryce Young earlier this season. Since returning to the starting lineup in Week 8, Young has been playing well.
In those five games, Young has led the Panthers to a 2-3 record while completing 60.4% of his passes for 1,082 yards with 6 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. And he hasn’t thrown an interception in three straight.
Where has Young improved?
“Just in the full operation of their offense,” Fangio said. “I think they’ve done a good job of coaching him. They have a really good running back in Hubbard. They feature him. They’re running play-action and boots off of that run game. I think they’ve done a good job in their entire offense of finding out who they are within his quarterback abilities.”
Young’s top weapons in this game will be Xavier Legette, Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen at receiver. And it seems possible they’ll have TE Ja’Tavion Sanders (neck) and WR Jalen Coker (quad) back in the lineup.
But even with Young’s improvement this feels like a game where you’ll give the advantage to the veteran defensive coordinator with the best defense in the NFL.
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