For the second week in a row, the Eagles kick off in primetime.
This time, they are in Charlotte, North Carolina, for a matchup with Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers.
Our expects offer their predictions:
Reuben Frank (3-3)
I am committing the cardinal sin of going against my initial instincts on this one. I wonder how many times Sam Bradford will turn the ball over against this Panthers defense. I wonder if the Eagles are going to be able to slow down Newton, who is playing some of the best football of his career. I wonder whether the Eagles can run against Luke Kuechly and that Panthers front. I wonder if the Eagles can slow down an offense that runs the football more than any other team.
But after a few days of wondering about all that, I came to the conclusion that if the Eagles can beat the Saints by 22 points and the Giants by 20 points, they should be able to beat the Panthers by at least one point. I don't think the Panthers are a 6-0 type of team, and I do think the Eagles are a better than .500 team.
If the Eagles can score 66 points the last two weeks with Bradford throwing five interceptions, what happens if he doesn't throw any? Bradford can't keep throwing this many INTs because he's never been that kind of quarterback. He was fourth-best in NFL history protecting the ball before this year started. So all that said, I've got Bradford with an efficient game, Ryan Mathews and DeMarco Murray piling up some more healthy rushing yards, and the Eagles gutting out a tough defensive battle in Charlotte.
Eagles 20, Panthers 17
NFL
Derrick Gunn (2-4)
No doubt Carolina's defense is rugged, but offensively the Panthers don't have many weapons other than Cam Newton and tight end Greg Olsen. The Panthers' third-ranked running attack is led by Jonathan Stewart but their second-leading rusher is the quarterback.
The Eagles' run game has been getting better each week and will test the Panthers' stout defensive interior. Wide receiver Nelson Agholor will sit this game out but Sam Bradford still has enough weapons to move the ball effectively.
The Eagles cannot afford to turn the ball over because Carolina is tied for first in the league with a plus-six turnover margin.
The Panthers have had a nice run but I think they fall from the ranks of the unbeaten in what should be a physical affair.
Eagles 21, Carolina 17
Ray Didinger (2-4)
The Panthers are undefeated and coming off a huge win in Seattle. They have Luke Kuechly back in the lineup and Cam Newton is playing like an MVP candidate. All the hard evidence points to a big Panthers home win. But Carolina has only one reliable weapon in the passing game, tight end Greg Olsen, and the Eagles can cover him with safeties Malcolm Jenkins and Walter Thurmond. The Panthers run the ball more than any team in the league, but the Eagles' front seven has been solid all year.
Clearly, if Sam Bradford keeps throwing interceptions the Eagles will be in trouble. The Panthers are better than either the Saints or the Giants. But I just have a feeling the Eagles will find a way to win a tough, low scoring game and go into the bye at 4-3,
Eagles 20, Panthers 17
John Gonzalez (3-3)
Seth Joyner likes the Eagles this weekend. He said he thinks Carolina will be overconfident coming off a pretty big win against the Seahawks in Seattle. The term “trap game” was used. Seth Joyner is a large man who used to play football, and I’m reluctant to cross him. And yet I can’t help myself. Also, I said a few weeks ago that I was going to keep picking the Eagles all season that way I’d have the same record. I lied.
Panthers 28, Eagles 21
Corey Seidman (3-3)
I've picked the Eagles to win each game, not because I believe they should be 6-0 at this point but because of the way each matchup has looked heading into the game and the desperation they've been playing with. Had they beaten the Cowboys, I probably would not have picked the Eagles to beat the Jets the next week because they wouldn't have bottomed out and been subject to a must-win game.
That said, I'm going with my gut here and making it seven weeks in a row. The Panthers are coming off the emotional high of beating the Seahawks in Seattle, and the last 14 teams to face the Seahawks are 3-11 in their next game. That's hard to ignore.
From a matchup standpoint, the Eagles' top-notch run defense should be able to stifle Jonathan Stewart, so it really comes down to defending Greg Olsen and limiting the Panthers to field goals in the red zone.
I don't think this will be an impressive game from the Birds' offense, but I see them doing just enough to win.
Eagles 23, Panthers 16
Andrew Kulp (3-3)
Very difficult game to predict. The Panthers are undefeated, but haven't played a lot of top-tier competition and have only squeaked by at times. Then again, the Eagles haven't beaten any great quality opponents — in fact they've given one or two away — and are traveling to Charlotte on a short week.
This game is going to come down to turnovers, as games so often do, but particularly as they pertain to Sam Bradford and the Eagles' offense. The Panthers don't give the ball away a whole lot. The Eagles have, and if they don't clean up their self-inflicted wounds against a tough Carolina defense, it's going to make things easy.
Call me crazy, but I see Bradford getting a hold of himself and protecting the football this week.
Eagles 23, Panthers 21
Andy Schwartz (3-3)
The Eagles have made progress the past two weeks in wins over the Saints and Giants.
But those were the Saints and Giants.
Now we'll see how much progress they've actually made.
This is the proverbial measuring stick game, and the Panthers are coming off a come-from-behind victory in Seattle of all places. I see Corey's stat above and pause, then think ... these aren't the same Seahawks.
Would I be stunned if the Eagles win? Not at all. The Panthers will lose sometime, but I don't have enough confidence in the Eagles just yet to say it will happen this week.
The Birds' D will bend and bend and keep it close, but after being on the field for 2,018 minutes, will finally break.
Panthers 24, Eagles 20
Dave Zangaro (2-0)
The Eagles have some momentum finally. They've won two straight games and their defense seems like the real deal.
And they actually match up really well with the Panthers. Carolina runs the ball a lot and well and that's the strength of the Eagles' defense. And Greg Olsen has been very good and the Eagles have been good against tight ends.
But — you knew it was coming — I think the Panthers are simply the better team. And Cam Newton has elevated his game this year. Last year, the Eagles faced a gimpy version of Newton. This year, he's healthy and dangerous. And I think he leads the Panthers to a win in a defensive battle.
Panthers 20, Eagles 13