Philadelphia Eagles vs. Carolina Panthers will be won by a trench war
The Eagles and Panthers will face off on Thursday Night Football in a game that will, more than likely, be decided in the trenches.
Thursday Night Football this week is shaping up to be quite the game. The 4-1 Philadelphia Eagles will take on the 4-1 Carolina Panthers in a game that might be a little sneak peek as to what lies ahead in the 2017 postseason. Before we get ahead of ourselves though, let’s focus on the game tomorrow. In what promises to be a slugfest, this game will be won (or lost) by the play of the offensive and defensive lines.
Eagles Defensive Line
The Eagles will be looking to their defensive line to harass quarterback Cam Newton all night. Newton had a slow start to the season, but he’s really hit his stride in the last two games. The defensive line cannot allow him to settle into any kind of rhythm. The Eagles currently sit tied at 14th in the NFL for total sacks, but they’ve also allowed the third most pass yards.
The front four doesn’t necessarily have to get Newton on the ground every play, but they need to generate pressure and force him into bad decisions. Giving Newton all day to throw will put a serious strain on the secondary.
Philadelphia Eagles
Secondly, the Eagles will need to contain the rushing attack of the Panthers. The Eagles front seven has been praised this season and for good reason. They are currently third in the NFL in rush yards allowed with 314. The Panthers have a legitimate “thunder and lightning” duo with Jonathan Stewart and Christian McCaffrey. Each player offers a little something different and will need to be contained for the Eagles to be successful. Holding those two in check will make the Panthers a little more predictable, which allows the defensive line to pin their ears back and rush the passer.
Eagles Offensive Line
Finally, the Eagles offensive line is going to have to continue their strong performance. They will have to do this without star right tackle Lane Johnson who is out with a concussion.
The Eagles are currently tied at 14th in the NFL with 13 sacks allowed, however some of these can be contributed to Carson Wentz holding the ball a little too long. The Panthers are tied for 3rd in the league with 17 sacks. The offensive line is really going to have to work to give Wentz time. One way that they can do this is to establish a solid running game. The last two games have really showed the balance that this team is capable of. The Eagles have currently rushed for 624 yards on the year which ranks them 3rd in the NFL. Establishing a solid running game will open up the play action pass and force the defense to be on their toes.
The Panthers
The Panthers are no slouches when it comes to line play either. Their pass rush is currently tied for third in the NFL with 17 sacks. As a whole, the defense is giving up the 9th least pass yards in the NFL. The defensive line has done a great job of disrupting their opponents’ pocket which has been key to their success.
When it comes to rush defense, the Panthers rank in the top-10 in that category as well. They have given up 399 yards on the year. LeGarrette Blount, Corey Clement, and the Eagles O-line will have their work cut out for them to establish a solid rushing attack. The biggest challenge will be getting past the two studs linebackers that anchor that defense, Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly.
On the offensive side, the Panthers have given up 15 sacks which is tied for ninth most in the NFL. They also haven’t been incredibly effective running the ball, sitting at 19th with 493 yards on the year. This is an area that the Eagles will need to key in on. The Eagles have a deep talented rotation at defensive end which should allow them to generate pressure. This should be even easier if the defense can live up to the hype and shut down the run game.
Bring on Thursday
This game has the makings of a very entertaining and hard-fought battle. Each team is trying to continue their strong starts and show the rest of the NFL that they are legit. The Eagles have a very good opportunity to make a statement against a team that recently played for a Super Bowl. If they can seize that opportunity, then they will put the rest of the league on notice.