Early Crossroads Game For Birds

(ITB photo: Anthony Harris and the Eagles’ defense need a turnaround vs. the Panthers)

With the Eagles looking to break their three-game skid, Nick Sirianni’s team travels to Charlotte this weekend in hopes of turning things around against the Panthers.

On the latest Inside The Birds podcast, Geoff Mosher and Adam Caplan broke down the matchup and predicted the outcome.

Miles Sanders

Geoff Mosher: “I could be wrong, but I don’t feel like Miles Sanders and the running backs are gonna get lost in the sauce in this game. I just don’t see that happening three weeks in a row. I know they’re a pass-first offense but I also know that they’ve been doing things to help the offensive line and the quarterback. Last week it was the quick game, and this week with the way [the Panthers] are gonna come at you, you have to make some adjustments. I have to think there’s gonna be opportunities to run the ball. You can either reverse or you can draw, you can counter against an aggressive front to get them off-balance and they certainly have two running backs in [Kenny] Gainwell and Sanders who can take advantage of those kinds of holes that are created when a defense is aggressive. I will be stunned if after the game, we are talking about 12 or fewer carries collectively for the running backs – absolutely stunned.”

Panthers For Real?

Adam Caplan: “The one knock on them – and it’s true – is you look at who they went against. Zach Wilson’s first ever game in Week 1 against the Jets. Obviously, they should dominate. Jameis Winston in Week 2 where they won, they blew out the saints 26-7. Jameis, they don’t want to throw the ball because he’s throwing the ball 25 times per game. Week 3 David Mills’ first ever start in Houston.

Mosher: “It’s not about who you play, it’s about when you play them.”

Caplan: “Exactly, Week 4 at Dallas where Dallas is playing lights-out offensively, [the Cowboys] housed them and put up 36 points.”

Defensive Line

Mosher: “Normally we would say this is a great opportunity for the Eagles and their front four to really capitalize and dominate, and it is, but the problem I see is that they’re just in the midst right now of an identity crisis. They’re going through it, you can tell. I mean Fletcher Cox had his press conference and he did not make excuses but he did lay it out that he’s playing the 4i, which is a different alignment, a different technique, a different responsibility and they just are not built like a traditional Cover 2 defense.

Fletcher Cox

Mosher: “You know what, Fletcher Cox, he’s been under the public backlash, he’s got to show up this week. He’s got to have a better game, he’s got to do something more productive. I know they target you, they double-team you, they’re driving you back in the run, but you played similarly, in the 4i under Chip Kelly and you had some of your best years there so it’s not like it can’t be done. I get that it’s very rare that you’re seeing teams pound you with the run and pound you with the run and it happened two straight weeks, but you’ve got to be Fletcher Cox. That’s all I’ll say, you got to really kind of rise here.”

– Justin Morganstein (@jmotweets_) is a staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.

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