Carolina shouldn’t be slept on, though.
Winners of eight straight games to advance to 10-2, the Philadelphia Eagles are flying high right now.
They’re heavily expected to pick up their ninth straight win in Week 14. The Eagles opened as 12.5-point home favorites against the Carolina Panthers, according to FanDuel.
Pretty big number. But the Eagles should have no trouble covering, right?
Well, I don’t know.
On one hand, you like Vic Fangio’s chances of shutting down Bryce Young. Saquon Barkley seems primed to take advantage of a Panthers defense that’s allowing the second-most rushing yards per game in the NFL.
On the other hand, the Panthers been frisky lately. Their last four games (with a Week 11 bye sandwiched in):
- Week 9: 23 to 22 home win vs. New Orleans Saints
- Week 10: 20 to 17 neutral field win vs. New York Giants (overtime)
- Week 12: 30 to 27 home loss vs. Kansas City Chiefs
- Week 13: 26 to 23 home loss vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (overtime)
During this stretch, the aforementioned Young has produced seven total touchdowns to three turnovers. He’s playing the best football of his career. That’s not really saying much … but the No. 1 overall pick from the 2023 NFL Draft might be turning the corner?
Of course, Young is still in search of his first career road win. He’s 4-9 in 13 home games and 0-12 away. The Philly native (Wynnewood, PA) will not find his hometown so welcoming.
I’m guessing there will be no shortage of “trap game?!” talk this week. I think that’s silly. The Eagles have more than earned the benefit of the doubt by this point. The feeling here is that Barkley takes advantage of a Panthers run defense that ranks 31st in EPA and 32nd in success rate and the Eagles win relatively comfortably.
What say you?
