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Eagles-Panthers: Michael Irvin on the ‘Wentz wagon,’ Brian Dawkins gets a ring

"He can put up about 30 points a game and when he does that, Philly is hard to beat."

Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz is back to MVP form, according to the NFL Network's Michael Irvin.
Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz is back to MVP form, according to the NFL Network's Michael Irvin.Read moreTIM TAI / Staff Photographer, AP File Photo

Michael Irvin is firmly onboard the "Wentz wagon."

Irvin, the Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys receiver who works these days as an analyst on the NFL Network, praised Wentz last week following his performance against the New York Giants. Now Irvin is doubling-down on the young quarterback as the team hopes to continue to rebound against the Carolina Panthers Sunday afternoon.

"He can put up about 30 points a game and when he does that, Philly is hard to beat. They're back to Super Bowl form," Irvin said on NFL Gameday Sunday morning.

Irvin said that one of the strengths of the Cowboys during their Super Bowl runs during the 1990s was their ability to get a lead and just feed the ball to Hall of Fame Running back Emmitt Smith, a dynamic he thinks Wentz is duplicating this season due to the team's injury-depleted backfield.

"The run game comes in now more as a finishing product to the game as opposed to the primary product of the game," Irvin said.

Former San Francisco 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci agreed with Irvin, pointing out that despite the team's injuries and slow start, he thinks Wentz is throwing the ball better this season.

"He's actually having a better year right now statistically than his MVP year last year before he got hurt," Mariucci said.

Irvin's sudden love of Wentz and the Eagles is well-timed, as the entire NFL Gameday crew – including Rich Eisen and Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner – will be calling next week's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on CBS.

We'll just forget Irvin went all-in on Giants quarterback Eli Manning a couple of weeks ago.

Brian Dawkins gets a ring

Eagles legend Brian Dawkins never got a Super Bowl ring during his 16 seasons in Philadelphia and with the Denver Broncos. But this afternoon at the Linc, the beloved former safety will finally get his Hall of Fame ring.

Prior to the start of the Eagles game, David Baker, the president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, explained to Dawkins that the ring itself will last 40,000 years, because "our goal is to keep your legacy inside the Hall of Fame forever.

The ring also features Dawkins' Hall of Fame bust, which is why it's being presented to the former safety now rather than during his induction ceremony back in August.

NFL Network reporter had a rough morning

NFL Network reporter Melissa Stark had a rough morning during her live sport on NFL Gameday early Sunday morning.

Stark, probably best know for her three-year stint as a sideline reporter on Monday Night Football, was hit twice by errant footballs during her brief two minute segment at Wembley Field ahead of today's matchup between the Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Chargers, a first in her nearly 20 years covering the NFL.

At least Stark is in good company. Her colleague, NFL insider Ian Rapoport, was also hit with an errant football during a sideline report back in 2012.

The last time the Eagles played the Panthers…

Last year, when the Eagles defeated the Panthers 28-23 on Thursday Night Football, the Eagles social media team previewed the match-up by creating their own classic 90's sitcom intro.

It's still a great video, but what's amazing is just one season later, how many players from the Eagles' Super Bowl squad are either injured or no longer with the team. At least Jordan Hicks is back.