On Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles (11-2) won their franchise-record tying ninth straight game after defeating the Carolina Panthers (3-10) 22-16 at Lincoln Financial Field.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate Philly’s ‘Big 3’ and their outstanding performances on Sunday:
-Saquon Barkley was one of the few bright spots for the Eagles on Sunday. He ran for 124 yards, his ninth 100-yard game of the season. Barkley also established a single-season franchise record with 1,623 rushing yards, breaking the previous mark set by LeSean McCoy in 2013 (1,607).
-C.J. Gardner-Johnson was seen in a lot of different places on Sunday. He had an interception, two passes defensed, and six tackles. Gardner-Johnson leads the team with three interceptions.
-Darius “Big Play” Slay made two big plays on two big fourth downs on Sunday. With just under nine minutes to go in the game, Slay batted away a pass on fourth and two, and on the Panthers’ final offensive play, Slay knocked the ball away from Adam Thielen to close out the game. He also had six tackles.
Honorable Mention:
Zack Baun did Zack Baun type of things. He finished the game with 11 tackles, three TFLs, two QB hits, and 1.0 sack.
End of the Day:
The Eagles passing game looked out of sync. Jalen Hurts(14/21, 108 yards, three total touchdowns) was not great, but he was good enough. Barkley is a monster, and he continues to impress. The defense was just average, but they were good enough in the end.
The Eagles were not very good overall on Sunday, but a win is a win. However, in the future, questions about the passing game will be asked, which has to be better.
Can Hurts get the job done in the postseason? He did it in 2022 and fell short in 2023; we’ll see what 2024 looks like, but he has the talent around him to get the job, and again, we’ll wait and see.
What’s Next?
Eagles host the Pittsburgh Steelers(10-3) next Sunday.
One more thing…
Barkley’s 1,623 rushing yards are the most by an NFL player through the first 13 games of the season since Chris Johnson tallied 1,626 rushing yards during the 2009 season. In addition, Barkley(2,122) is on pace to break Eric Dickerson’s (2,105) single-season record for yards rushing.
The Eagles have started 11-2 or better through 13 games for just the fifth time in team history, having also done so in 2022 (12-1), 2017 (11-2), 2004 (12-1) and 1980 (11-2).
Nick Sirianni is just the second head coach in franchise history to direct three straight 11+ win campaigns, joining Andy Reid from 2000-04 (five).
