In a game that was one sided from the start, Mark Sanchez was able to pick up the win in his first full start in an Eagles uniform by a score of 45-21. The final score looked closer than it actually was though, as the Panthers scored 14 of their 21 in the last ten minutes of the game. It was complete domination by the Eagles, especially their defense.
The Panthers didn't have the strongest offensive line going into the game, but they looked like they weren't even there physically Monday night, as Cam Newton was sacked 9 times on the night and was hit or rushed many more times as well. Not all of the blame goes to the Carolina offensive line, however. The Eagles' pass rush was other worldly last night, especially Connor Barwin, who finished with 3.5 sacks. Barwin is currently tied for second in the NFL with 10.5 sacks in total, trailing only Kansas City's Justin Houston, whom has 12 sacks. Barwin wasn't only about sacks last night; he recorded 8 tackles and was a ball hawk all night long.
Brandon Graham has shown flashes of what made him the Eagles' first round pick back in 2010 this season, and he impressed last night with 1.5 sacks of his own. Coming into the season, Graham was a decent player, but didn't give you the type of production you would expect from a first round pick. However, he has played very well this season and has shown that he can play an important role in Bill Davis' defensive system.
On the other side of the ball, Jordan Matthews had one of his best games yet of his young career, scoring two touchdowns to go along with his 138 yards receiving. Sanchez looked extremely comfortable throwing to the rookie and we should expect more of this type of production moving forward. Brent Celek also had an impressive performance, recording 116 yards receiving on five catches. Sanchez looked most comfortable throwing to these two, and they combined for 254 of his 332 passing yards, and also accounted for both of his TD passes.
The only unit that wasn't clicking too well was the running game. Darren Sproles had a very impactful punt return touchdown early in the first quarter, but the Eagles finished with just 37 rushing yards, with only 19 coming from Shady. The Panthers didn't let much up on the ground, but they have a good front seven built to stop the rush. Look for the running game to rebound next week against Green Bay. The Packers have zero rushing defense outside of Clay Matthews, so Shady should be able to get back on track at Lambeau on Sunday.
With that win, the Eagles now sit at 7-2, and sit a half game up on the Cowboys, whom have their bye week this weekend. A win at Lambeau would put the Birds one game up on the Cowboys, with both head to head matchups still to be played. Winning both those games would pretty much decide the division. But in case the Eagles and Cowboys go 1-1 against each other, that 1 game lead going into the matchups would be a huge advantage.
By: Dan Goggin
Follow us on twitter @BroadStBeat
Brandon Graham has shown flashes of what made him the Eagles' first round pick back in 2010 this season, and he impressed last night with 1.5 sacks of his own. Coming into the season, Graham was a decent player, but didn't give you the type of production you would expect from a first round pick. However, he has played very well this season and has shown that he can play an important role in Bill Davis' defensive system.
On the other side of the ball, Jordan Matthews had one of his best games yet of his young career, scoring two touchdowns to go along with his 138 yards receiving. Sanchez looked extremely comfortable throwing to the rookie and we should expect more of this type of production moving forward. Brent Celek also had an impressive performance, recording 116 yards receiving on five catches. Sanchez looked most comfortable throwing to these two, and they combined for 254 of his 332 passing yards, and also accounted for both of his TD passes.
The only unit that wasn't clicking too well was the running game. Darren Sproles had a very impactful punt return touchdown early in the first quarter, but the Eagles finished with just 37 rushing yards, with only 19 coming from Shady. The Panthers didn't let much up on the ground, but they have a good front seven built to stop the rush. Look for the running game to rebound next week against Green Bay. The Packers have zero rushing defense outside of Clay Matthews, so Shady should be able to get back on track at Lambeau on Sunday.
With that win, the Eagles now sit at 7-2, and sit a half game up on the Cowboys, whom have their bye week this weekend. A win at Lambeau would put the Birds one game up on the Cowboys, with both head to head matchups still to be played. Winning both those games would pretty much decide the division. But in case the Eagles and Cowboys go 1-1 against each other, that 1 game lead going into the matchups would be a huge advantage.
By: Dan Goggin
Follow us on twitter @BroadStBeat
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