Carolina Panthers at Philadelphia Eagles Preview

Every game is a must win…uh yeah, that is the position the Carolina Panthers find themselves in. The urgency would have been nicer a week ago instead of the run up to the Philadelphia game. Now the Panthers are sitting at 3-5-1, behind the New Orleans Saints in the division. The Saints lost to the 49ers yesterday in overtime. What a great time for Panthers vs Eagles.

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What has changed for the Panthers in a week? Well there are claims the line is getting healthier. The team has been off more days than normal due that Thursday night game with the Saints. Still the fundamental problems, poor line play, are still there and must be corrected to beat the Eagles.

Date: November 10
Time: 8:25 PM
TV: ESPN
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field

Nov 2, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly and tight end Brent Celek (87) during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Opponent: Philadelphia Eagles (6-2)

The key thing to understand about the Eagles is that they are coached by former Oregon coach Chip Kelly. Kelly has brought his spread quick moving system to the NFL. It was working well enough to win the NFC East last year and be tied with Dallas this year.

The Kelly system is designed to find a weakness in the defense and then exploit it over and over again. First the spread alignment forces the defense to honor those threats. That means either creating mismatches or using smaller personnel groups. If the defense gives you a mismatch, hit it and then run up to the ball and hit it again. If the defense goes small, then it is time to run it at them. To claim that Kelly does not have power running system misses the point.

Running back LeSean McCoy is not matching his pace from last year with only 622 yards, but he is still dangerous as a piece in the offense. The always effective Darren Sproles is back with his dual-threat capabilities, and Chris Polk had a good game against the Texans.

Nov 2, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez (3) throws a touchdown pass during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. The Eagles defeated the Texans 31-21. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Eagles have a new quarterback in the shape of the Sanchize, former Jets QB Mark Sanchez. Sanchez was efficient against the Texans, and this is the kind of offense where he can excel. He does not really have to do much more than manage the system with all of its weapons and tight ends.

The Kelly system demands high conditioning from players, but particularly the defense. The Eagles defense should be on the field more often than most defenses. The Eagles will not have inside linebacker DeMeco Ryans available. There will still be Casey Matthews and the veteran rusher Trent Cole to attack the Panthers offensive line.

Oct 26, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Trent Cole (58), linebacker Brandon Graham (55) and linebacker Trent Cole (58) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Eagles 24-20. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Eagles will be a challenge for the Carolina Panther defense, because the only way to beat the Eagles is to force them into three and outs and then keep the ball away from them. The Eagles 3-4 defense offers an opportunity for the Panthers running game if it can get on track.