The NFL schedule makers likely envisioned the Eagles as the undefeated team when slotting their matchup with Carolina in primetime. The Panthers’ five wins have come against teams with a collective 9-20 record while going 4-1 ATS. They have a shot at the first 6-0 start in franchise history and must slow down a team that’s won two straight convincingly.
ODDS
Carolina opened as a 3.5-point favorite with a total of 47. The line dropped to -3 while the total was also wagered down to 46. The under is 3-0 in Philly’s road games this year and 5-1 overall.
KEY INJURIES
Riley Cooper – Injured his knee in Monday’s game and was held out of practice this week. His status for Sunday is uncertain at this point. Nelson Agholar missed the Monday night game but has been upgraded to doubtful with a shin injury. The Eagles used running back Darren Sproles in the slot as part of their multi-receiver sets against the Giants.
DeMeco Ryans – Left Monday’s game with a hamstring injury and didn’t return. His absence left Jordan Hicks and Najee Goode as the two available inside linebackers.
Shaq Thompson – Has been ruled out for Sunday night’s game with a sprained left knee. Carolina’s starting outside linebacker suffered the injury making a tackle on a kickoff last week at Seattle. A.J. Klein will likely be inserted into the starting lineup.
KEY MISMATCH
The loss of star receiver and close friend Kelvin Benjamin forced Panthers’ quarterback Cam Newton to grow, and he’s become a better player because of it. With the loss, Newton has done a better job of going through his progressions and making better decisions in the pocket. The results are noticeable. There were questions about how Newton and the offense would fare without the big target, who caught 73 passes for 1,003 yards and nine touchdowns last season. Ten different receivers have caught five or more passes from Newton this season. With an unheralded group, Newton is excelling. He’s relied heavily on tight end Greg Olsen, who leads the team with 374 yards on 24 receptions. He has a QBR of 83.2, the highest mark of his career and the Panthers are undefeated. Newton has evolved into a complete quarterback. He can still beat teams with his legs, but he understands coverages better and is throwing the football with a purpose. Newton has 27 career games in which he has at least one touchdown rushing and passing. Only Steve Young, with 31, has more.
KEY STAT
16 – Philadelphia’s takeaways this season, the second-highest total in the NFL. The Eagles forced three Giants’ turnovers in Monday night’s win. Carolina has turned the ball over only five times this season and has a plus-six in margin.
BETTING ANGLE
There’s been a noticeable change in the Eagles defense this year and they’ve climbed out of a 0-2 hole to lead the NFC East. And it’s been because of the defense. Philly’s defense looked like the 2014 version when it allowed Kirk Cousins to march 90 yards for a touchdown on the final drive in a 23-20 loss to Washington. Since then, Philadelphia pretty much dominated Drew Brees and the Saints, and Eli Manning and the Giants. Next up is Cam Newton and the undefeated Panthers. The Eagles have improved to 15th overall in total defense. They are first in the league in three-and-outs with 24, second in fumble recoveries with eight, tied for second in takeaways with 16 and ninth in negative runs with 15. Carolina has taken advantage of a soft schedule beating five teams with a combined record of 9-20.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Philadelphia finally seems to realize that the key to its offensive success comes from DeMarco Murray and not Sam Bradford. Murray’s impact the past two weeks has propelled the Eagles to a pair of wins and the top spot in the watered-down NFC East. Bradford’s struggles have been masked by Murray’s emergence as the featured back and strong defensive play. Bradford tossed three more picks last week and has nine in six games this season. It’s a rather puzzling stat since he hadn’t thrown more than 15 in a season. Even with those three picks, the Eagles were able to shut down the Giants and escape with a 27-7 win. That tells us a lot about this team. Look for Bradford to cut down on the mistakes and Philly’s D to contain Newton.
Philadelphia 29, Carolina 20
BookMaker sent out the NFL betting odds for this Sunday game at Panthers -3.5 with a total of 47. Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time odds and player props during the game. Live betting is open during every commercial break!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers game is scheduled for Sunday, October 25, 2015, at 8:30 p.m. ET at Bank of America Stadium. The game will be broadcast nationally on NBC.
