Eagles vs. Panthers predictions: Our writers make their picks for Week 14

The Eagles host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday afternoon. Here are our writers’ predictions for Week 14.

The 3-9 Panthers have dreadful overall numbers on both sides of the ball, but they’ve been competitive in their last four winning half the games. They beat the Saints and Giants before taking the Chiefs and Buccaneers down to the wire in the last two weeks. Quarterback Bryce Young’s improvement has factored significantly in Carolina’s improvement. He hasn’t looked as shaky in the pocket and the offense has scored more than 20 points, as a result, over a four-game span.

The Eagles’ top-ranked run offense faces the worst run offense in the league, which should have Saquon Barkley & Co. licking their chops. If Kellen Moore was unwilling to abandon the rush last week in Baltimore against the best run defense, it’s doubtful he will here. The Panthers aren’t intimidating up front, especially in the interior, and will be at a disadvantage in most matchups in the trenches. Barkley needs just 108 rushing yards to set the franchise’s single-season record. I’d say he might get it by the half if so many of his yards this season didn’t come after the break.

As lopsided as this meeting is on paper, the Panthers are capable of hanging around, especially if the Eagles have another slow start. Moore and Vic Fangio have been excellent at adjusting in-game, but if Young and his teammates gain confidence, maybe they can catch the Birds on an off day. I don’t think Nick Sirianni will allow his team to take them lightly, though, and see a fairly comfortable victory.

Prediction: Eagles 40, Panthers 20

Barkley may be closing in on the franchise’s single-season rushing record, but it’s the 10-2 Eagles against the 3-9 Panthers and oddsmakers have it as the only double-digit point spread of all the Week 14 games. In fact, it’s the only game where the favorite is giving more than a touchdown worth of points to the underdog.

The Eagles will have a lot of advantages all over the field Sunday afternoon, but their biggest advantage might be along both lines. Good football teams win the trenches, and the Eagles are on one side of the spectrum in win-loss record for a reason here. The Panthers are 32nd in run stop win rate, which makes sense considering they allow a league-worst 166.8 yards per game on the ground. They are 31st in pass rush win rate. They can’t stop the run and they don’t get after the quarterback.

Sure, there are a few scenarios where the game is tight. The Eagles could start slow again and pull away late. They could get a big lead and take their foot off the gas (like they did vs. Jacksonville). Or they could do what a team with Super Bowl aspirations is supposed to do to a team in the hunt for the first overall draft pick.

Make it nine in a row for the Eagles.

Prediction: Eagles 34, Panthers 13

Barkley is 607 rushing yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season record. He’s currently on pace to pass him by Week 18.

Truthfully, he might be able to backwards-hurdle Dickerson’s 1984 total of 2,105 yards sooner given the weakness of the Panthers’ run defense.

If history is any indication of how Sunday’s game might go, the Eagles should feel pretty good about their shot at a victory given the dominance of their rushing offense. Per Next Gen Stats, the Eagles are just the seventh No. 1-ranked rushing offense to play at home against the last-ranked defense in Week 14 or later since 1970.

Prediction: Eagles 31, Panthers 14

Despite scrappy wins against the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants, this Panthers team has been one of the worst in the league so far this season. They rank 31st in total yards allowed, 27th in rushing yards per attempt allowed and 29th in net passing yards per attempt conceded. They’re dead last in third-down stop rate and 29th in sacks.

More concisely put, the Eagles should be able to move the ball against this overmatched Panthers defense at will, especially with DeVonta Smith returning to the lineup after two weeks sidelined with a hamstring injury.

On the other side of the ball, even a resurgent version of Young doesn’t match the likes of Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, or Matthew Stafford, all of whom struggled against this Eagles defense with superior supporting casts. The Eagles have matchup advantages in the secondary against Carolina’s receiving corps led by rookie Xavier Legette; if they’re able to take away Young’s options downfield, it could get ugly for the former No. 1 pick.

Prediction: Eagles 31, Panthers 13

The Eagles host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday afternoon. Here are our writers’ predictions for Week 14.

The 3-9 Panthers have dreadful overall numbers on both sides of the ball, but they’ve been competitive in their last four winning half the games. They beat the Saints and Giants before taking the Chiefs and Buccaneers down to the wire in the last two weeks. Quarterback Bryce Young’s improvement has factored significantly in Carolina’s improvement. He hasn’t looked as shaky in the pocket and the offense has scored more than 20 points, as a result, over a four-game span.

Young was benched earlier in the season for good reason and there are still long-term concerns about his size and mechanics. He struggles without throwing lanes and gets happy feet when his first reads aren’t open. The book on unproven, young quarterbacks says to blitz them to high heaven, but Vic Fangio doesn’t like to send extra rushers. In fact, no other team in the NFL rushes only four as much as the Eagles. But he may need to send more if Young consistently gets the ball out in coach Dave Canales’ quick-pass offense.

Canales is typically balanced in his play-calling. He has good reason to run the ball with running back Chuba Hubbard and a stout offensive line. Hubbard is a slasher who is dangerous on the perimeter. The Eagles’ edge setters — ends Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt – will be tested. If Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and the interior of the line can bottle up Hubbard, like they eventually did last week with Derrick Henry, Young will have longer third downs to manage and that could get ugly for the former No. 1 overall pick.

» READ MORE: Panthers QB Bryce Young reflects on ‘the mark’ Eagles’ Jalen Hurts left on Alabama’s program

The Eagles’ top-ranked run offense faces the worst run offense in the league, which should have Saquon Barkley & Co. licking their chops. If Kellen Moore was unwilling to abandon the rush last week in Baltimore against the best run defense, it’s doubtful he will here. The Panthers aren’t intimidating up front, especially in the interior, and will be at a disadvantage in most matchups in the trenches. Barkley needs just 108 rushing yards to reach the franchise’s single-season record. I’d say he might get it by the half if so many of his yards this season didn’t come after the break.

Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero is a Fangio disciple and worked under him with the 49ers and Broncos. There are obvious similarities in their schemes, but Evero has to call it differently because he’s lacking in talent. He leans on Cover 3 in zone and will blitz a fair amount — 28 percent on dropbacks. Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense have handled the blitz much better this season. Hurts gets receiver DeVonta Smith back from injury to pair with A.J. Brown, but he loses tight end Dallas Goedert. Those three have played together in only four games this season. Nevertheless, unless Carolina edge rushers D.J. Wonnum and Jadeveon Clowney find a way to dominate two of the best tackles in the league — Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata — Hurts should have ample time in the pocket.

As lopsided as this meeting is on paper, the Panthers are capable of hanging around, especially if the Eagles have another slow start. Moore and Fangio have been excellent at adjusting in-game, but if Young and his teammates gain confidence, maybe they can catch the Birds on an off day. I don’t think Nick Sirianni will allow his team to take them lightly, though, and see a fairly comfortable victory.

Prediction: Eagles 40, Panthers 20

A 1 p.m. kickoff. What are those?

The Eagles haven’t had one since their Week 8 win in Cincinnati. This time of year, the 1 p.m. slot is reserved for the games that, well, don’t have a lot of juice. This one doesn’t, at least not nationally.

Barkley may be closing in on the franchise’s single-season rushing record, but it’s the 10-2 Eagles against the 3-9 Panthers and oddsmakers have it as the only double-digit point spread of all the Week 14 games. In fact, it’s the only game where the favorite is giving more than a touchdown worth of points to the underdog.

The Eagles will have a lot of advantages all over the field Sunday afternoon, but their biggest advantage might be along both lines. Good football teams win the trenches, and the Eagles are on one side of the spectrum in win-loss record for a reason here. The Panthers are 32nd in run stop win rate, which makes sense considering they allow a league-worst 166.8 yards per game on the ground. They are 31st in pass rush win rate. They can’t stop the run and they don’t get after the quarterback.

It’s hard to imagine the Eagles having trouble doing the things they do well, and it’s hard to imagine Barkley walks off the field Sunday without making Eagles history.

» READ MORE: How two framed Saquon Barkley photos ended up near the Eagles offensive linemen’s lockers

Maybe these aren’t the Carolina Panthers of October, when they closed the month on a five-game losing streak to fall to 1-7. Young is playing like a much different quarterback than the one who was benched earlier in the season. But they’re still the Carolina Panthers.

“But it’s a trap game!” exclaims the contrarian. Sure, a home game vs. the Steelers — at 4:25 p.m. next Sunday, for those keeping tabs on the kickoff times — awaits. But the Eagles are chasing the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye and have plenty of incentive to keep on winning.

Sure, there are a few scenarios where the game is tight. The Eagles could start slow again and pull away late. They could get a big lead and take their foot off the gas (like they did vs. Jacksonville). Or they could do what a team with Super Bowl aspirations is supposed to do to a team in the hunt for the first overall draft pick.

Make it nine in a row for the Eagles.

Prediction: Eagles 34, Panthers 13

Barkley is 607 rushing yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season record. He’s currently on pace to pass him by Week 18.

Truthfully, he might be able to backwards-hurdle Dickerson’s 1984 total of 2,105 yards sooner given the weakness of the Panthers’ run defense.

This is not a group that inspires fear on the ground. The Panthers rank last in rushing attempts against (414) and rushing yards against (2,002) this season, and are fairly close to the bottom in rushing touchdowns (18; No. 30) and yards per attempt (4.8; No. 27).

According to Next Gen Stats, the Panthers have conceded the most yards after contact per carry (4.4) and the fourth-highest explosive play rate (18.5%) in their two games since their bye week. This game comes at a good time for the Eagles, seeing as Barkley has generated career highs in explosive play rate (13%) and yards after contact per carry (3.7) this year.

If history is any indication of how Sunday’s game might go, the Eagles should feel pretty good about their shot at a victory given the dominance of their rushing offense. Per Next Gen Stats, the Eagles are just the seventh No. 1-ranked rushing offense to play at home against the last-ranked defense in Week 14 or later since 1970. Those previous six teams went 6-0 in those games and averaged 226.3 rushing yards.

Still, this Panthers team is playing better as a collective in recent weeks, losing its last two games on walk-off field goals. At the center of that improvement is Young. He thrived in the short passing game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, completing 21 of 25 attempts for a season-high 185 yards on passes under 10 air yards. He has also performed better under pressure since re-assuming the starting role in Week 8.

» READ MORE: Jalen Carter might not be getting holding calls, but the Eagles defense has ‘prospered’ with his presence

He was also much better last week against zone coverage (23-of-32 for a season-high 242 yards) than he was against man coverage (3-of-14 for 56 yards). Fangio could benefit from mixing up looks in an effort to throw Young off as he attempts to diagnose the coverage.

As long as the Eagles defense can limit Hubbard on the ground and shut down Young’s favorite target in Xavier Legette, they should be able to help extend their win streak to nine games.

Prediction: Eagles 31, Panthers 14

When asked about the Carolina Panthers over the last few days, Eagles players and coaches have unsurprisingly chosen to point out the positives surrounding the heavy underdogs set to visit the Linc this Sunday rather than the advantages they have on paper.

The Panthers are 2-2 in their last four and Young seems to have finally turned the corner after a mid-season benching. Carolina defensive coordinator Evero was a trendy hire two offseasons ago and first-year head coach Canales may be hitting his stride late in the year.

All that can be true, and this game should still be a comfortable victory for the Eagles. Despite scrappy wins against the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants, this Panthers team has been one of the worst in the league so far this season. They rank 31st in total yards allowed, 27th in rushing yards per attempt allowed and 29th in net passing yards per attempt conceded. They’re dead last in third-down stop rate and 29th in sacks.

More concisely put, the Eagles should be able to move the ball against this overmatched Panthers defense at will, especially with Smith returning to the lineup after two weeks sidelined with a hamstring injury.

» READ MORE: With Dallas Goedert sidelined, Eagles solidify their depth at both tight end and fullback

On the other side of the ball, even a resurgent version of Young doesn’t match the likes of Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, or Matthew Stafford, all of whom struggled against this Eagles defense with superior supporting casts. The Eagles have matchup advantages in the secondary against Carolina’s receiving corps led by rookie Legette; if they’re able to take away Young’s options downfield, it could get ugly for the former No. 1 pick.

Prediction: Eagles 31, Panthers 13

Eagles play in Week 14 against the Carolina Panthers. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.