What a lucky schedule break for the Panthers.
Fresh off their bye week, they’ll draw an Eagles team coming off a transatlantic trip that’s running out of healthy bodies and answers on offense.
Spirits are in low places for Philadelphia, which is amid a three-game skid after its crushing last-second defeat to Jacksonville last week.
And oh yeah, they’ll be without Jalen Hurts under center, too.
Panthers vs. Eagles prediction, best bet
Nonetheless, let’s put it this way: the last four times a team returned from an international game to face an opponent coming off its bye, the traveling team went 0-4 outright and 0-3-1 against the spread.
The Eagles will turn to Tanner McKee at quarterback, a 2023 draft pick from Stanford that has two NFL starts under his belt. McKee’s sample size isn’t large enough to evaluate how he’ll pick up the slack, but it’s fair to say the odds are against him; he’s taking the keys to an offense that ranks 29th in EPA per play and dead last in success rate.
The Eagles haven’t scored more than 24 points in a game this season, and their second-half production has been particularly dreadful, totaling just three points over their last three contests.
Offense has been no issue for the Panthers. Carolina, which is keeping pace atop the tepid NFC South, is hanging 30 points per game. The Panthers are by no means a standard, though it’s been encouraging to see Bryce Young take steps toward becoming a franchise quarterback.
The Panthers ride the high of upsetting Dan Campbell’s relentless Lions before their break. Young threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns in the Panthers’ 32-26 upset, while Tetairoa McMillan torched Detroit for 192 receiving yards and two scores on 14 receptions.
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And Chuba Hubbard added 122 rushing yards and two touchdowns, so the balance is there.
Jalen Carter and the Eagles defense showed some improvement generating pressure in London last week, but it still ranks 24th in opponent EPA per play.
The Eagles — and more specifically Nick Sirianni — are growing desperate. The marker isn’t convinced, flip-flopping the Birds from a 1.5-favorite to a 3.5-point underdog, and neither am I.
With or without Hurts, the Eagles are at too many disadvantages.
THE PLAY: Panthers -3.5 (-102, DraftKings)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Sean Treppedi handicaps the NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. He primarily focuses on picks that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.
