PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Carolina Panthers had already been installed as road betting favorites as they prepare to visit Philadelphia and face a banged-up Eagles team riding a three-game losing streak.
Then came a shocker: Eagles quarterback and former Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts will miss Sunday's game because of a blood clot in his calf.
Tanner McKee, a fourth-year backup with two career starts, is now tasked with trying to salvage a season that has already turned into an injury-riddled disaster.
The Eagles can only hope that running back Saquon Barkley and wide receiver DeVonta Smith can return from injuries that sidelined them during losses that sunk morale among Philly fans just two seasons removed from a Super Bowl championship.
“You’ll never get me making any excuse for anything,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “Our job is to find ways to win regardless and that’s what we’re working on doing. That what we’re trying to do. Obviously, at this point, we’ve lost more than we’ve won, so we haven’t done a good enough job.”
The 26-year-old McKee's only starts have come in Week 18 in each of the past two seasons, when the Eagles had clinched playoff berths and decided to rest Hurts. He has completed 54 of 88 passes for 597 yards with five touchdowns and one interception.
That almost sounds like a single-game stat line for Carolina's Bryce Young. He's on pace to throw for 5,389 yards and 38 touchdowns, which would shatter franchise records.
“A guy whose career started off, I would say slow, watching it from afar and with time has become a good, solid quarterback,” Sirianni said of Young.
The Eagles would surely settle for a good, solid performance from McKee.
The Panthers, at least publicly, have downplayed the idea that their game plan just became a bit less complicated in trying to shut down McKee rather than a dangerous dual threat in Hurts.
“Since I have been in the league they have been to two Super Bowls and won one, so this is a team that knows how to win,” Panthers linebacker Devin Lloyd said.
The defending NFC South champion Panthers (2-2) are coming off an early bye and lead their division.
Some Carolina players might have wanted to test themselves against Hurts. The rest will surely take what should be a nice edge, and the oddsmakers agree. The Panthers moved from 1 1/2-point favorites to 3 1/2-point favorites after Hurts' medical issue was revealed Thursday.
“I wish he wasn’t out,” Panthers linebacker Jaelan Phillips said. “I like competing against great players. And Tanner is a great player, too, but I was excited to play against Jalen.”
Carolina (2-2) at Philadelphia (2-3).
When/where to watch: Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS.
Latest odds: Panthers by 3 1/2.
Against the spread: Panthers 2-2, Eagles 1-4.
Last week: Panthers had a bye after beating the Lions 32-26 in Week 4. Eagles lost to the Jaguars 19-17 in London.
Last meeting: Eagles beat Panthers 22-16 on Dec. 8, 2024, in Philadelphia.
Series record: Eagles lead 9-4.
Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan vs. Eagles secondary. McMillan is coming off a mammoth game against the Lions before the bye with 14 catches on 16 targets for 192 yards and two touchdowns in a 32-26 Carolina win. He was the focal point of the Panthers' offense with wide receivers Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette out with injuries. Coker is expected to return this week, so look for Young to spread the ball around more. The Eagles come into the game ranked 26th in the league in pass defense, allowing 238.8 yards per game.
-- The Panthers (2-2) came out of the bye week alone in first place in the NFC South after the Falcons (2-3) lost to the Ravens.
-- The teams met once in the postseason in the 2003 NFC championship game, when the Panthers won 14-3 at Lincoln Financial Field to advance to their first Super Bowl.
-- Carolina has scored 30-plus points in three of its first four games for the first time in team history. Heading into Week 6, the Panthers rank fourth in the league with 30.3 points per game. Carolina has scored in 14 of 16 quarters.
-- Young leads the NFL in yards passing per game (317.0) and ranks third in 25-plus yard completions (13). He is also tied for fourth in passing touchdowns per game (2.25). Young has passed for at least 280 yards and a touchdown in all four games this season.
-- Young needs 173 passing attempts to pass Steve Beuerlein (1,723) for the third-most attempts by a quarterback in team history. He also trails Cam Newton (4,106) and Jake Delhomme (2,669).
— Panthers RT Taylor Moton is expected to start after missing the first four games while dealing with blood clots in his right lung.
— The Eagles are 6-1 against AFC South teams since 2021.
— Including playoffs, the Eagles have the third-best home winning percentage (.700, 31-15) in the league and the third-highest winning percentage overall (.670, 67-33) under Sirianni.
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AP Sports Writer Steve Reed in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report.
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