The Philadelphia Eagles just survived a wild, turnover-filled Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants. Now they face an even tougher clhallenge on the road in Week 7’s Sunday night clash against the still-unbeaten Carolina Panthers. The NFC South leaders are benefitting from strong plays from their field general in Cam Newton, but the Panthers could come crashing back down to earth should they sleep on Chip Kelly’s suddenly soaring Eagles.
Get some primetime action in Week 7 of the 2015 NFL Regular Season by checking out our previews for Thursday night’s Seahawks vs. 49ers game and Monday night’s Ravens vs. Cardinals showdown.
[sc:Football ]Philadelphia Eagles vs. Carolina Panthers Preview
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
When: Sunday, October 25, 8:30 PM ET
Line: Philadelphia Eagles (+3) at Carolina Panthers (-3); total: 46.0 – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: NBC
Betting on the Philadelphia Eagles (3-3)
The Philadelphia Eagles’ defense bailed out its offense’s handful of miscues in a crucial 27-7 win over divisional opponents the New York Giants. Cornerback Nolan Carroll II returned an interception 17 yards for a touchdown, while linebacker DeMeco Ryans added another pick off Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
[sc:NFL240banner ]The front seven was also devastating. Vinny Curry led the team with 1.5 sacks; Fletcher Cox added another; and Brandon Graham shared a sack with Curry in a rough night for the Giants’ signal caller. The Eagles also forced two intentional grounding penalties in a splendid night of pass rushing.
Troubling Panthers quarterback Cam Newton should be pretty manageable for the Eagles. Forcing him into some hurried throws could provide some timely turnovers, as Newton has thrown four interceptions already in five games this season.
Philadelphia’s offense still has some cleaning up to do, though. First, wide receiver Jordan Matthews lost a fumble. Then running back DeMarco Murray also fumbled, but at least he managed to retain possession. Worst of all, quarterback Sam Bradford had a horrible night with three interceptions and fumbled a snap from the shotgun formation. All in all, the Eagles had four turnovers in the game against New York.
Things won’t figure to get much easier for Bradford, as the Panthers have one of the best passing defenses in the league. Completions are hard to come by against Carolina; the Panthers have given up the fifth-lowest completion rate in the league against opposing quarterbacks (59.3 percent) this season, including having to go up against two Super Bowl-winning signal callers in Drew Brees and Russell Wilson.
On the other hand, the running game could bail Bradford out once again. Murray, for once this season, had a solid outing with his 109 rushing yards on 22 carries, including a 12-yard touchdown run. He may have finally found his stride after rushing for 192 yards and two scores over his last two games. Even Ryan Mathews is churning out competent numbers with 113 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries combined in the last two games.
Murray and Mathews face a strong Carolina front-seven, though. The Panthers rank 12th in the league against the run, allowing just 96.6 yards on the ground per game.
The Eagles are 4-2 ATS in their last six games against NFC South teams.
Betting on the Carolina Panthers (5-0)
Finally! The Carolina Panthers broke their four-game losing streak at CenturyLink Field when quarterback Cam Newton found tight end Greg Olsen all alone for a 26-yard, go-ahead touchdown pass Sunday afternoon with just 36 seconds remaining. The score capped a crazy comeback as the Panthers scored on back-to-back 80-yard touchdown drives in the final 3:55 of the game to win 27-23 over the Seattle Seahawks after entering the fourth quarter down 23-14.
Newton was an excellent 12 of 15 for 162 yards in the fourth quarter, and threw for 269 yards overall. But he also threw two interceptions, which each led to Seattle field goals. And Olsen should never be counted out; he was having a monster game already with 105 yards on six catches before his game-winning score. He’ll likely remain Newton’s go-to target without any other receiver topping 25 yards or more in Week 6.
The Eagles have been pretty vulnerable against the pass this season too, allowing 260.7 yards through the air per game. That opens up another huge outing for Newton and Olsen. But for the potent pair to really kick it into gear, they’ll need their rushing offense to give them some support.
Running back Jonathan Stewart had his biggest outing to date, rushing for 78 yards and two scores on 20 carries in the victory against the Seahawks. The Eagles have allowed just one rushing touchdown all year-long, but having him threaten to break out from the line of scrimmage should help draw defenders away from Newton.
The Carolina quarterback also has a solid pair of legs himself. He ran for 30 yards and a score on seven carries against the Seahawks. Newton now has three rushing touchdowns this season.
One thing that has worked so well for Carolina is its knack for picking off opposing quarterbacks. The Panthers are tied for third in the league with eight interceptions this season, including two that were returned for touchdowns. Cornerback Josh Norman has been very solid in Carolina’s secondary with a league-high four interceptions (two pick-sixes) and a forced fumble as well. Norman should be able to pick off Philadelphia’s Sam Bradford, who has thrown five interceptions in his last two games.
The Panthers have won their last five contests at home, but have gone just 2-3 ATS.
Writer’s Prediction
The Panthers continue rolling with a stylish blowout win at home. Create a betting account now and win big on thrilling primetime football action.
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