Eagles drop fourth-straight game to Panthers for first time since 2020
Oct 18, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker Bobby Okereke (58) sacks Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee (16) during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
The Eagles had a lot of questions heading into Week 6 against the Carolina Panthers.
The questions are only being stacked on top of more losses, suffering a 25-14 loss to the Panthers at Lincoln Financial Field, dropping to 2-4. It is the first time the Eagles have lost four straight games since 2020, and the first under head coach Nick Sirianni.
Following Jalen Hurts being placed on injured reserve on Saturday with his blood clot, Tanner McKee got the start, and although he was not terrible, he showed that Hurts is without a doubt still the QB1 in Philadelphia. Early on, McKee simply could not find himself a rhythm, finishing the first quarter with under 20 passing yards. He finished the game with 215 passing yards on nearly 50 attempts, illustrating the offense’s inability to consistently move the ball through the air.
Luckily for the Eagles, their defense was able to keep the Panthers out of the endzone until a questionable punt in the second quarter ultimately led to a Carolina touchdown. Nevertheless, in the first half, the Eagles had themselves in a favorable position to upset the Panthers, only being down three points at halftime.
Even after this, throughout the third quarter, the defense continued to hold on, only allowing one field goal throughout the whole quarter. This is especially notable considering the fact that in the third quarter, the defense was on the field for almost 12 of the total 15 minutes within a quarter. Bryce Young was able to sling the ball deep with very little trouble, as he had five receivers get over 10 yards per catch.
Offensively, the Eagles consistently failed, and were only able to run eight plays for 16 yards, and held the ball for just three minutes. The Eagles also went three-and-out five times throughout the game, highlighting their inability to sustain drives. So, with that being said, the defense had the tall task of managing both the Panthers’ offense and their own stamina, as entering the fourth quarter they had already found themselves on the field for over 25 minutes of the game.
With that being said, this made the fourth quarter a lot more of a struggle than it was already going to be. Even with DeVonta Smith putting the team on his back to give the Eagles their second touchdown of the game to make it 19-14, the defense could not stop the Panthers and the game ended in another Eagles defeat. Carolina leaned on Chuba Hubbard, who finished with 120 rushing yards, with roughly 30% of that production coming in the final 10 minutes as the Eagles’ defense wore down. By the end of the game, it was clear that the dysfunction of the offense was rubbing off across every aspect of the team.
The Eagles totaled just 35 rushing yards due to injuries, and the Panthers found themselves getting three sacks on 11 QB hits for a total of 28 yards lost. For reference, the Eagles had just two sacks on only five QB hits, and only totalled eight yards lost.
If the offensive struggles were not apparent enough, the Eagles were forced to punt eight times in 11 drives. On top of that, even with Braden Mann punting the ball around 43 yards on average, only two of Mann’s punts landed inside the 20-yard line, showing just how often the offense stalled throughout this game and how little the ball moved. The Eagles struggled to move the ball once again in this game, going three-and-out five times.
Isaac Baranski
Isaac is a high-school senior who currently attends the Hun School of Princeton. In his free time, he has many interests, but most of all is his love for Philadelphia sports. He has watched the 76ers since the days of Sam Hinkie and hopes to watch the process be completed. He has also watched the Phillies since the days of Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, and the great crew, and hopes to see Red October finally achieve its goal. Along with that, he picked up a love for the Philadelphia Union shortly before the pandemic and has seen them win multiple Supporters’ Shields in person. Lastly, and most importantly, he is a major football lover and an even bigger Eagles lover. Since developing his love for The Birds in elementary school, he has made it his goal to never miss a game.
Get New Articles Emailed Right To Your Inbox:
