Philadelphia Eagles: 5 Players that are key to a victory over Carolina Panthers

Fletcher Cox, DT

Fletcher Cox has been unstoppable for offensive lines. This guy sure wasn’t lying when he said he wanted to be in the defensive player of the year conversation. Cox could potentially have a field day this week, as he dominated the Panthers a little over a year ago while playing with an injured leg. Coming off of last week’s performance, Cox is probably loaded with confidence.

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton did not respond well to the Eagles pass rush last season. Although he had a few big moments while scrambling, more often than not he was getting put on his back. The pass rush was so dominant that Newton was forced into throwing not one, not two, but three interceptions to the Eagles last year.

As long as Cox is having himself a good day, the rest of the defensive line can feast. The big man up front draws so much attention that teams forget that Michael Bennett, Brandon Graham, and Derek Barnett are coming to hunt the quarterback as well. Seeing the pressure that the Eagles have been getting on the quarterback these past two weeks, Cam Newton is going to have a tough day in the pocket on Sunday, that’s for sure.