Lights Out

PHILADELPHIA — The Tanner McKee-led Eagles offense didn’t give the crowd much to cheer about Sunday afternoon, as the Eagles dropped their fourth straight, falling to the Carolina Panthers, 25-14.

A 19-yard touchdown connection between McKee and wide receiver DeVonta Smith briefly revitalized the fans in attendance, drawing within five points with 10:42 remaining in the final frame. The defense forced a three-and-out, but the Eagles’ offensive surge would prove to be short-lived. An issue with the quarterback-center exchange led to a loss of 12 yards, digging a hole the offense just wasn’t equipped to climb out of, even with plenty of time remaining.

An Eagles defense that had been on the field for what felt like most of the game surrendered a late score via a busted coverage, slamming the door on a potential come-from-behind win, with Bryce Young finding tight end Tommy Tremble for his second score of the afternoon.

A McKee heave to Smith on 4th and 17 on the Eagles’ ensuing possession fell incomplete. The Panthers took over with 4:26 remaining and controlled the clock the rest of the way.

McKee completed 26 of 45 pass attempts for 215 yards and a touchdown. Running back Dameon Pierce was the team’s lone ball carrier Sunday afternoon, carrying 12 times for 35 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith led the way in the receiving game, reeling in seven of 14 targets for 75 yards and a touchdown.

The Week 6 inactives: WR Hollywood Brown, QB Joe Milton (3rd QB), RB Saquon Barkley, DB Michael Carter II, OLB A.J. Epenesa, OLB Jalyx Hunt.

Active but did not play: QB Cole Payton, RB Jaydon Blue, C Drew Kendall.

Defensively, Arnold Ebiketie led the unit in tackles (nine), while OLB Nolan Smith picked up his third sack of the season. Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and defensive tackle Jordan Davis split a sack of Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.

Let’s get to the observations.

* If the Eagles didn’t dress C Drew Kendall, the Eagles would have went into Sunday’s game with just seven healthy offensive linemen. The second-year pro, who’d been dealing with a knee injury and entered the game as questionable, was watched closely during warmups, and it was determined Kendall would serve as emergency depth. Second-year C Jake Majors made his second NFL start, with Willie Lampkin also reprising his role as left guard for the second consecutive week.

*On an offense absent of explosive plays, I was surprised to see Hollywood Brown inactive, as his 4.3 speed could theoretically stretch a defense, or at minimum, force coordinators to respect his field-stretching ability. Without Brown, the Eagles just don’t have any semblance of a vertical dimension apart from Smith. The same can also be said for Blue, who was active but did log a snap. Sure, he joined the Eagles’ practice squad just before the season, but a big part of his appeal is his open-field elusiveness and home-run hitting ability. With Pierce being more of a downhill runner, mixing in someone with Blue’s skill set for a handful of plays might’ve helped open things up a bit more– especially with Sunday’s No. 2 running back Carson Steele exiting early with an injury.

In other depth chart related news, the Eagles opened in base defense to start, with Cooper DeJean aligning at safety opposite Drew Mukuba. But when shifting to its nickel personnel, Kenny Moore – not Marcus Epps –  paired with Mukuba. Last week, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio praised the play of Moore, who was pressed into service in London once Michael Carter left the game:

“I think when you consider the lack of background, both he’s never played safety in his career, gets here after training camp, limited reps with our defense, he’s getting some in scout team – I thought he did a pretty damn good job considering the circumstances,” he said.

Postgame, Moore spoke about the chemistry established with Mukuba:

“In meetings, I sit right by Drew and Cooper DeJean, and it’s a lot of tailored communication. Coach [Joe] Kasper does a lot of great, making sure that everybody’s on the same page and it’s capisce at the end of the day. So, we spend a lot of time together throughout the week, whether it’s me and Drew, the safeties in general, collectively all together with Coach Kasper, and he does a great job at making sure that we understand what the expectation is.”

* I was interested to see how OC Sean Mannion would approach the offense with Tanner McKee at the controls. While the offensive line is mostly comprised of reserves and running room has been difficult to come by, I was still expecting more of a concerted effort to establish the run early, given the inexperience at quarterback. But there was also no quick game and very little under center (while under center play action hasn’t yielded positive results, variance is healthy and it could be better executed), expected hallmarks of Mannion’s scheme. Instead, the passes to the flats seemingly replaced a largely ineffective running game, but it still isn’t clear what exactly the Eagles are looking to accomplish offensively.

McKee finished the first half completing 13 of 23 pass attempts for 94 yards. There were some drops – an early one from Makai Lemon and one later in the half from Dallas Goedert – and a couple of penalties that stifled momentum. Still, as the game progressed, it appeared as though McKee settled in. The late first half surge didn’t carry over, however, as the Eagles struggled to protect against the Panthers’ blitzes. McKee was under siege and in a constant time crunch. But the lapses in protection, or inability to implement an in-game solution, isn’t exclusive to this week. It’s been a prevailing theme.

* The Eagles entered Sunday shorthanded at the edge rusher position, with Jalyx Hunt and A.J. Epenesa sidelined and headliner Jonathan Greenard returning from an ankle injury and seemingly on a pitch count. They needed to lean on Nolan Smith to shoulder a higher volume of snaps. But Smith, who collected a first-half sack, exited early with a concussion. That left only Greenard, Arnold Ebiketie and rookie Keyshawn James-Newby to absorb the remaining snaps. James-Newby, by the way, was elevated from the practice squad and appearing in his first NFL game.

Upon first watch, I actually thought James-Newby performed fairly well, apart from a neutral zone infraction called against him (and running into the kicker penalty). For a rookie playing his first NFL snaps, he played fast and confidently. His 4.5 speed was apparent on a handful of rushes, and one in particular forced Bryce Young into an intentional grounding call.

Depending on the health statuses of Hunt, Epenesa and Smith this week, James-Newby may have to play quite a bit on Monday night. When the snap share comes out Monday morning, I’m curious to see how many Greenard played and learn from Fangio whether an uptick can be expected.

* Last week, Fangio confirmed his intent of rotating linebackers Jihaad Campbell and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Campbell started the game, seemingly handling most of the first half reps. The second-year linebacker, however, appeared to have contributed to the second quarter Tommy Tremble touchdown. Trotter Jr. was on the field most of the second half, it seemed, combining for five tackles and a half-sack. I’m interested to hear Fangio’s impressions regarding the rotations and the factors that determined it on Sunday. The sense I get is that because it was always the plan, he rode the hot hand for continuity purposes.

Numbers to consider

* There were 24 penalties (233 yards) in this game. The Panthers accounted for 13 and still managed to win by nine points. The Eagles were 6-of-15 on third downs. The Panthers (34:48) won the time of possession battle over the Eagles (25:12). The Eagles rolled up 17 first downs to the Panthers’ 24, running 61 plays to the Panthers’ 74.

* To expand on the latter, the defensive snap share is excessive. For perspective, against the Washington Commanders in Week 1, the Eagles’ defense racked up 70 snaps, while games against Chicago (72), Los Angeles (84) and Jacksonville (72) all exceeded the 70-snap threshold. Sunday afternoon was no exception, with the snaps also hiking over 70.

The defense typically gets out to a fast start early and can get off the field, but there’s a common thread late in games, where it suddenly becomes more susceptible. Perhaps that can be traced back to fatigue, as the offense continues to pile up three-and-outs at an alarming rate. The defense keeps the Eagles in games, but the offense has been unable to sustain drives.

* The running back room continues to be ravaged by injuries. Like, it’s hard to believe. Following a four-yard reception in the first quarter, Carson Steele came up grabbing him arm and took a trip to the medical tent. He then exited the field through the visitor’s tunnel, presumably for an X-ray. He was listed as questionable with a shoulder injury.

Steele returned shortly thereafter, however, but would again hurt that same shoulder on a kickoff. He walked gingerly off the field and was declared out for the afternoon. That left only Dameon Pierce and Jaydon Blue to shoulder the carries. If Saquon Barkley doesn’t return for the team’s Monday night matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, the Eagles may have to sign another running back to keep the total at three.

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.