Carolina (3-9) at Philadelphia (10-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m., FOX
BetMGM NFL Odds: Eagles by 12 1/2
Against the spread: Carolina 5-7; Philadelphia 8-4
Series record: Eagles lead 8-4.
Last meeting: On Oct. 10, 2021, Jalen Hurts passed for 198 yards and rushed for two scores to help the Eagles come back from a 12-point deficit in a 21-18 home victory over Carolina.
Last week: Panthers lost at home to Tampa Bay, 26-23 in overtime. Eagles won 24-19 at Baltimore for their eighth consecutive victory.
Panthers offense: overall (30), rush (24), pass (29), scoring (30).
Panthers defense: overall (31), rush (32), pass (24), scoring (32).
Eagles offense: overall (4), rush (1), pass (28), scoring (7).
Eagles defense: overall (1), rush (7), pass (3), scoring (4).
Turnover differential: Panthers: minus-4; Eagles: plus-3.
QB Bryce Young has rebounded well from an early season benching and is looking very much like the player who won the Heisman Trophy at Alabama and was drafted No. 1 overall by the Panthers in 2023. Coach Dave Canales replaced Young for veteran Andy Dalton after the second-year QB had a 44.1 rating in the opening two games. Since returning to the lineup in Week 8, Young has passed for 1,062 yards, with six touchdowns and three interceptions, while completing 60.4 percent of his passes. Against Tampa Bay last week, the 23-year-old went 26 of 46 for 298 yards and a TD while adding three rushes for 17 yards and a TD.
RB Saquon Barkley has been practically unstoppable for Philadelphia. Entering Week 14, he leads the NFL in rushing yards (1,499) and rushing yards/game (124.9). The former Giant, who signed for $26 million guaranteed with the Eagles in the offseason, ranks third in the league with 11 rushing touchdowns. He is 108 yards away from tying LeSean McCoy’s single-season franchise record for rushing yards, set in 2013.
Barkley vs. Panthers defense. Carolina ranks last in the NFL by giving up 166.8 yards on the ground. Against the Buccaneers last week, Bucky Irving ran for a career-high 152 yards to help Tampa Bay rack up 236 on the ground against the Panthers. Now, Carolina has to contend with the league’s best rusher in Barkley and the NFL’s top rushing offense (188.9 yards per game) in Philadelphia.
Panthers: LB Jadeveon Clowney (knee) did not practice on Wednesday. TE Ja’Tavion Sanders (neck), CB Caleb Farley (shoulder), LB Josey Jewell (hamstring) and LB D.J. Wonnum (knee) all were limited participants on Wednesday.
Eagles: WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring) did not play against Baltimore last week but was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice. S Reed Blankenship (concussion), WR Britain Covey (neck) and TE Dallas Goedert (knee) all remained out of practice on Wednesday after getting injured against the Ravens.
Philadelphia has won 67 percent of the regular-season matchups, but suffered the most crushing defeat in the series, losing 14-3 at home in the NFC championship game on Jan. 18, 2004.
Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard eclipsed his career high for a season in rushing yards last week, but had a late fumble that led to Tampa Bay’s victory. Hubbard has 919 yards this season. … WR Adam Thielen had eight catches for 99 yards against Tampa Bay. … Carolina has converted just three of 10 red zone chances in the past two weeks. … The Panthers have 15 sacks in their past six games. … They are assured of a losing season for the seventh straight season. ... The Eagles return home for the first time since Nov. 14 and will play four of the last five regular-season games in Philadelphia, where they're an NFC-best 19-5 since 2022. … With a win, Philadelphia can tie the franchise mark for consecutive victories, set in 1960, 2003 and 2017. … The first-place Eagles have a 2½-game lead on the Commanders in the NFC East and are a game behind the Lions for the best record in the NFC entering Week 14. ... WR A.J. Brown is third in the NFL with an average of 88.1 yards a game. … Philadelphia ranks fourth in the NFL in total offense at 377.7 yards per game and first in rushing offense at 188.9 yards per game. The Eagles lead the league in total defense at 282.8 yards a game). Zack Baun has a team-best 117 tackles, which is fourth in the NFL. Josh Sweat leads the Eagles with seven sacks. The Eagles held Baltimore RB Derrick Henry to 82 yards rushing last week. … P Braden Mann had five punts downed inside the 20-yard line against the Ravens.
How could you go wrong with Hurts? The "tush push" has been not just the Eagles’ secret weapon but fantasy owners’ best friend. Hurts has the fourth-most touchdowns in the NFL, with 26, including 12 on the ground. If the Eagles get close to the goal line, it’s likely that coach Nick Sirianni will stick with what has worked —especially given Carolina’s poor rushing defense.
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