What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 6 vs. the Panthers

Jordan Mailata called the last seven days, which brought Lane Johnson’s retirement and Cam Jurgens’ trade, the “week from hell.”

The two weeks that preceded them weren’t much better for the Eagles.

Following their 19-17, last-second loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, the Eagles have dropped three straight games, falling below .500 for the first time since 2021.

Second halves of games continue to be nightmares for the Eagles offense. This season, they’ve amassed just 495 scrimmage yards in the final two quarters, which was the league low among teams that had played four games going into Monday night. The next closest team is the Minnesota Vikings at 694.

Their 3.59 yards per play also ranks last in the league, nearly a full yard per play less than the next worst team, the Arizona Cardinals (4.52).

They’ve scored two touchdowns in the second half, also a league low. The next closest teams are the Vikings and the Indianapolis Colts, who have double the Eagles’ total.

And now, the Eagles return home to face a 2-2 Carolina Panthers team coming off a bye week, with a passing offense that is firing on all cylinders.

Here’s what we know (and what we don’t) about the Eagles going into Week 6:

Over the last three weeks, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni took accountability for making poor game-management decisions that have contributed to two of the team’s losses. Most recently, he lamented the decision to not kick the ball out of the end zone in the waning seconds of the loss to the Jaguars.

After the loss to the Bears in Week 3, Sirianni took a similar tone when he decided to punt from fourth-and-1 on the Eagles’ 49-yard line, with the Eagles down 13 points late in the third quarter.

The Eagles’ woes don’t fall solely on Sirianni. Sean Mannion’s offense is still sputtering in the second half. The run game, which is supposed to be at the foundation of Mannion’s offense, dropped to a new low on Sunday by amassing just 22 yards in 18 attempts through four quarters.

In the last two weeks in particular, the team has been banged up, lacking top weapons DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Saquon Barkley (hamstring), among other important players.

Week 5 starting running back Will Shipley (foot) joined the injury parade in Sunday’s loss.

Still, after suffering back-to-back heartbreaking losses, the Eagles were just a couple of plays away from going 4-1 to start the season. No, that wouldn’t solve the underlying offensive issues that have characterized the first quarter of the season, but they could have stolen a far better start after arguably the toughest three-game stretch of the schedule.

And yet, the Eagles aren’t anywhere close to being out of contention in the NFC East. They’re tied for second with the same record as the Dallas Cowboys, the Eagles’ Monday Night Football opponent in Week 7.

In an almost impressive feat, none of the four teams in the division won their Week 5 games. Two of those teams — the 1-3-1 Washington Commanders and the 3-1-1 New York Giants — played each other.

» READ MORE: The Eagles defense is back and the O-line is competent; Giants and Commanders join Sirianni in NFC East incompetence

Commanders coach Dan Quinn out-dueled Sirianni in the category of bad game management. The Commanders were nearly in position to kick a game-winning field goal in overtime, but Jayden Daniels either didn’t know the Commanders were out of timeouts or he didn’t know that time was dwindling. Regardless, the 25-year-old quarterback was tackled before he could stop the clock, and the game ended in a 27-27 tie.

The Cowboys, meanwhile, collapsed in the third quarter on Thursday night, conceding 17 points coming out of halftime in their 24-16 loss to the Baker Mayfield-less Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Christian Parker’s defense is among the worst in the league against the pass (7.8 net yards per attempt against; 31st) and only slightly better against the run (5.1 yards per attempt against; 29th).

The Eagles are down, but they’re not out, especially if they can get healthy and begin to demonstrate some offensive competency.

Speaking of offensive competency, how about those Panthers?

Fourth-year starting quarterback Bryce Young entered the 2026 season at an inflection point in his career. After Young had an inconsistent season in 2025, the Panthers picked up his fifth-year option to keep him under contract through 2027, but they didn’t sign him to an extension.

Through four games, the 2023 first overall pick out of Alabama is making his case for a hefty payday.

Going into Week 5, Young led the league with 1,268 passing yards. Even though most of the starting quarterbacks around the NFL now have a game in hand on the Panthers, Young still ranks eighth among them with his passing total. His 317 yards per game leads the NFL, with the next closest quarterback averaging 297.3 (Matthew Stafford).

He was stellar in the Panthers’ 32-26 win over the Detroit Lions before their bye. Young completed 29 of 41 passes for 329 yards and two touchdowns. He was pressured on 40% of his dropbacks, according to Next Gen Stats, which was actually an improvement after he faced rates over 50% in each of their last two games.

Still, while under pressure against the Lions, Young went 7-for-15 for 103 yards and a touchdown. Following Week 4, he led the league with 411 passing yards under pressure and was tied for the lead with four touchdowns.

The Eagles defense gave up 306 passing yards to the Jaguars, 3 yards shy of their season high against the Rams, but the group has still seemingly made strides since the start of the season. They made big plays on Sunday, especially Jalen Carter’s two strip-sacks, a Zack Baun fourth-down stop before halftime, and a Quinyon Mitchell interception, but they ultimately gave up some big plays, too.

They’ll need their best effort yet to limit Young, especially if the Panthers get one of their top pass catchers in Jalen Coker back after he missed the last two weeks with a quadriceps injury.

As the Eagles offense looks to find some semblance of identity, they could try to exploit a thin Panthers cornerbacks corps.

Starting cornerbacks Jaycee Horn (quadriceps) and Mike Jackson (groin) went on injured reserve following the Panthers’ loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 3. In their absence, they’ve turned to Will Lee, the rookie fourth-rounder out of Texas A&M, and Akayleb Evans, who has primarily been a special teams ace the last few years.

In the Panthers’ Week 4 win over the Lions, Lee held up well enough in his first NFL start, giving up four receptions on seven targets for 47 yards, according to Next Gen Stats. Evans also made a fourth-down stop on Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa to end the game.

But Evans struggled in his first start since 2024. He conceded 12 catches on 16 targets for 208 yards and a touchdown from tight end Sam LaPorta, the Lions’ only receiving touchdown of the night.

With the week of preparation just beginning, the Panthers haven’t yet indicated if they’re planning on making a change at cornerback. But if they roll with the same starting duo on the outside, Jalen Hurts could have his opportunities in the passing game, especially if Smith returns to action.

Listen to the latest episode

For over two decades, one of the guiding personnel principles of the Philadelphia Eagles organization has been to prioritize the offensive line. Through four games, and this past week in particular, the group has undergone dramatic turnover. Hall of Fame-caliber tackle Lane Johnson retired. Cam Jurgens was shipped to Baltimore in a trade. Their respective replacements have potential, but, compared to how general manager Howie Roseman has stockpiled talent on the line in the past, the options now seem less optimal. Did Roseman and the Eagles stray from a long-held philosophy? The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane retraces key decisions that brought the team to this point. Listen here.

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