Jonathan Stewart rushed for 125 yards and Cam Newton ran for one touchdown and threw for another as the Carolina Panthers stayed undefeated with a 27-16 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday night.
Eagles vs. Panthers 2015 final score: Three things we learned from Carolina’s 27-16 victory
Carolina’s rushing game overpowers Philadelphia’s defense as Panthers go to 6-0 for the first time.
Carolina rushed for 204 yards against a Philadelphia defense that came in ranked third in the NFL against the rush, helping them overcome three Newton interceptions.
The Eagles forced Carolina to punt with 3:18 to play, still trailing by just eight points, but turned the ball over on downs at their own 16. Graham Gano clinched the game with a short field goal with 18 seconds left.
The Panthers are now 6-0 for the first time in franchise history, while the Eagles drop to 3-4, a game behind the first-place New York Giants in the NFC East.
Carolina got off to a quick start, hitting back-to-back chunk plays - a 36-yard run from Jonathan Stewart and a 25-yard pass from Newton to Corey Brown - to score on just its fourth play from scrimmage.
The Eagles kicked a field goal, but the Panthers came back with a scoring drive that saw Newton suffer an instant fatality, but recover well enough to dive over from the 2 on the next play. The Eagles took advantage of a Newton interception to kick another field goal, but still trailed 14-6 at the half.
The teams traded touchdowns on their first drives of the third quarter, including a 63-yard sprint by Ryan Mathews, but Newton's third interception gave the Eagles the ball inside the Carolina 20. Philadelphia, though, stalled again, and Caleb Sturgis' third field goal cut the Panthers lead to 21-16.
Sturgis, though, missed a 50-yarder in the fourth quarter, and Newton gained 16 yards on a draw to help set up a Gano field goal that gave Carolina a 24-16 advantage.
Three things we learned
1) No one knows what is a catch in the NFL
If you are reading this, you are probably an NFL fan and have a pretty good idea about the rule book, so watch this play and make your own call
Easy, right? Ted Ginn Jr. catches the pass, he is tackled and the ball is ripped away after he’s on the ground, so he’s down by contact. First down, Carolina.
Well done. You have used common sense and an understanding of football rules to reach the decision that makes sense to every football fan.
And, of course, you are wrong. According to the NFL, that’s an interception. They ruled that Ginn never finished the process of the catch, so even though he was on the ground, the ball was still alive, and Nolan Carroll was allowed to rip it out.
So if that’s a running play, it is Carolina’s ball. Since it was a passing play, it is Philadelphia’s. This is the NFL in 2015.
2) Losing Jason Peters is devastating for Philadelphia
For the past decade, Jason Peters has been the gold standard at offensive tackle, first with Buffalo and then with the Eagles. He’s been named All-Pro six times, including two First Team choices, and he’s been to seven Pro Bowls. In three of the last four years, he’s been selected by his peers as one of the league’s 100 best players - only missing the 2013 list after an Achilles’ tendon injury cost him the entire 2012 season.
So when he had to be carted off the field after suffering lower-back spasms in the first half, the concern on the faces of his teammates was about both their friend and one of the best players on their team.
3) The Panthers’ defense has no respect for THE Ohio State University
Ever since Eddie George started the tradition of emphasizing that he went to “THE Ohio State University” in intro videos, it became as much of a tradition as former Miami players saying “The U”.
Other players have mocked the Buckeyes - Tom Brady has been known to pull out a "THE University of Michigan", but the Panthers' defense took it to a new level on Sunday night.
With four Buckeyes starting for the Panthers, this was clearly a planned gag by a few players to give some of their teammates some good-natured abuse.
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