11/26/12
The Eagles and Panthers are two of the worst teams in the
NFC. One had a 3-7 record and the other was 2-8. This is the marquee matchup
that ESPN broadcasted on Monday Night Football. Last night’s game was the third
worst matchup in the history of Monday Night Football. The second worst matchup
was in 1994 when the 3-7 New York Giants faced off against the 1-9 Houston
Oilers. The worst matchup in Monday Night Football history was in 1975 when the
1-11 San Diego Chargers played against the 3-9 New York Jets. Last week the
Eagles were clobbered by the Washington Redskins and mustered only two field
goals. Could they score more than six points this time? The Panthers have had
trouble with closing out games this year. They have blown leads in three games
this season including last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Could the
Panthers close a game out if they have the lead late in the game?
In the first quarter, the Panthers looked like the exciting
team that they were last year. Cam Newton found backup tight end Gary Barnidge
and wide receiver Brandon LaFell in the endzone to make it a 14-3 game. The
Eagles got a 36 yard field goal by Alex Henery and they had a chance to score a
touchdown on their first drive, but yet again failed to execute in getting to
the endzone.
In the second quarter, the Eagles had a solid quarter and
took a 15-14 lead at halftime. Henery kicked two more field goals. One of his
field goals was from 41 yards and the other from 45 yards. The big score for
the Eagles was a 65 yard touchdown run from rookie running back Bryce Brown.
In the third quarter, Newton
started with a methodical 95 yard drive that resulted in him getting a one yard
rushing touchdown and did his superman celebration in the endzone. That made
the game 21-15. The big play of that drive was a 55 yard reception by Louis
Murphy. Even though he caught the ball, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie got flagged
for a pass interference penalty because he was not looking for the ball when he
made contact with Murphy. After that touchdown, the Eagles committed their
first turnover of the game. This time it was a fumble by Brown, who was already
having a career game in his first start. Thankfully, the Panthers did not score
points off of Brown’s turnover. On the Eagles next drive, they scored a
touchdown to reclaim the lead 22-21. Brown scored another rushing touchdown,
this time from five yards. The big play was a pass interference penalty on the
Panthers for making contact with Jeremy Maclin when going for the interception.
In my view, I thought that was a weak call because one of the Panthers
defenders made very little contact with Maclin when going for the ball. In the
last minute of the quarter, when the Eagles had good field position to start
another drive, another fumble happened. The second fumble of the game was from
who else, but Bryce Brown.
The Panthers started the fourth quarter with a 23 yard field
goal by Graham Gano to put the Panthers back on top at 24-22. The Eagles then
turned the ball over on downs when Brown couldn’t run for a first down on
fourth-and-one on the Panthers 40 yard line. This led to another Panthers
touchdown on a 2 yard rush by Newton
to make it 30-22. It could have been 31-22, but Gano missed the extra point to
keep the Eagles in the game. The big play on that drive was a 31 yard pass from
Newton to Steve
Smith. Another critical miscue on the Eagles were two consecutive offsides penalties
that they committed in their own territory. The Eagles had one more chance to
make a comeback, but that fell short when Brandon Boykins returned a kickoff to
his own 44 yard line, but he fumbled the ball and gave the Panthers possession
at the Eagles 47 yard line. The Panthers ran out the clock and the game was
over and they won 30-22.
Overall, Brown had a solid starting debut game. The only
problem I had with him were the two fumbles he committed. In order for him to
be a better running back, he has to not turn the ball over. Nick Foles didn’t
dazzle that much in his second start, but he was not terrible. The offensive
line was not as horrible as it’s been this season. They contributed with
Brown’s big game. The defense looked confused again, and didn’t know how to
play solid defense against a terrible team. The Panthers looked like everything
was clicking when it mattered most. Cam Newton played like he did last year. At
least for them, they held on to a lead late in the game and closed the game out
on top.
Should Bryce Brown
start for the remainder of the season? Sound off and stay tuned next week when
the Eagles go to Dallas and take on the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night
Football.
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