The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off a massive win against the Baltimore Ravens. Despite the significant win, the Philadelphia Eagles have seen their chance of earning the bye week and number one seed in the conference diminish. That is due to the Detroit Lions narrowly escaping the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football. The Lions will now have to lose two of their last four games, while the Eagles would have to win out. The team has a tough road ahead, but the number two seed is pretty good, too. Now, the team looks towards facing a Carolina Panthers team that has been playing much better football lately.
Las Vegas still lists the spread at 13 points, which shows how good the Eagles are. However, Carolina is on the upswing and is gearing up for a big offseason where they have cap space and their first-round pick. This year is not the one for the Panthers, despite them showing promise in the last few weeks. Jalen Hurts can get back on track with DeVonta Smith returning from injury. Carolina is giving up the third most points per game in the NFL and the fifth most passing yards.
The MVP:
While this game favors Jalen Hurts, it favors Saquon Barkley even more. The Carolina Panthers allow the most rushing yards per game in the NFL. Barkley is chasing history, and he has a chance to put a hefty dent into that chase on Sunday. With five games left, Barkley is 606 yards away from Eric Dickerson’s record of 2,105 rushing yards. Barkley will likely break Lesean McCoy’s franchise record this weekend, needing only 109 rushing yards to claim the record.
Since general manager Howie Roseman signed him in the offseason, the running back has been everything. Barkley is second in MVP odds and has a significant claim to be the most valuable player in football. He would be the first non-quarterback to win the award since Adrian Peterson in 2012. While I am looking ahead to future awards and record-breaking, the team must maintain focus. Last season is a distant memory for fans, but everyone remembers the collapse after being 10-2. That kind of season is unlikely to happen again, considering the signs were there for the team. This iteration of the Eagles has a significantly different vibe surrounding it and for the better. Even though the one seed is now likely out of reach, they must stay focused and keep the vibes high into two probable home games at Lincoln Financial Field.
Don’t look ahead:
Usually, there are two keys to the game, plus a prediction. This week, there’s only one. Last year around this time, the Eagles had the same record and were heading into a gigantic home game against the San Francisco 49ers. It was a rematch of the NFC championship game the year before. Everyone knows how that game ended with the Eagles getting blown out and starting their slump where they lost to everyone they played, not named the New York Giants for the rest of the season, and an embarrassing loss in the NFC wild-card round to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The feeling around this team is entirely different, thanks to the latest draft class, new coordinators, and all of the key contributors signed by Howie Roseman.
Roseman had quite the offseason. Saquon Barkley is competing for the MVP as a running back. Zack Baun is playing like an all-pro at linebacker. Mekhi Becton has delivered quality guard play. Bryce Huff looked like he was starting to turn the corner at edge rusher before his injury. And C.J. Gardner-Johnson had had his moments in the secondary.
Roseman should be a lock for executive of the year and is one of the main reasons this team has turned around. He is almost a lock for the award without mentioning the draft he had drafting Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Roseman has helped right the ship so that what happened last year will not happen again. Even with the team being 13.5-point favorites, they can not afford to overlook any team in front of them. This season is Super Bowl or bust for the franchise, with the Eagles currently holding the second-highest odds of lifting the Lombardi trophy.
Quinyon Mitchell x Cooper DeJean
Rookie phenoms locking it down in Philly 🦅 pic.twitter.com/w95trhNAuc
— PFF (@PFF) December 7, 2024
Prediction:
The Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers enter the week having the largest spread of any matchup this week with the 13.5 points spread. Pittsburgh and Cleveland have the second largest, with the Steelers favored by 6.5 points. The Pittsburgh Steelers will have their section next week as they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles in what should be a highly contested game.
I believe this week should be easy for the Eagles. They are the number one team in defensive DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) since their bye back in week five. I do not see them slowing down this week. Adam Thielen played great against the Buccaneers but will have to play against a better pass defense this week. There is no need to spend much time on the prediction. The Panthers should be happy with how their franchise is heading, but the gap between these two teams is relatively large.
Final score: Philadelphia Eagles 34, Carolina Panthers 13
