Tanner McKee can’t spark stagnant Eagles offense, 25-14 loss to Panthers extends skid to four games
Since a 2-0 start, the Birds have lost four straight for the first time since 2020.
Different quarterback, same results.
In the absence of Jalen Hurts, the Tanner McKee-led Eagles mustered 222 net yards of offense — their second-lowest total of the season — falling 25-14 to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles’ losing streak extended to four games, their longest under head coach Nick Sirianni and the franchise’s first four-game skid since 2020.
The Eagles’ 874 total yards in their losing streak are their fewest in a four-game span in a season since 1999 (Weeks 2-5 of the first season under Andy Reid), according to Next Gen Stats.
McKee, the 2023 sixth-rounder out of Stanford, had an inconsistent outing, going 26-for-45 for 215 yards and a touchdown (77.5 quarterback rating). He was sacked three times.
Sirianni said after the game that “everything’s on the table” as the offense looks for a scoring spark.
Here’s our instant analysis from the Eagles’ loss to the Panthers:
McKee in the spotlight
With Hurts on injured reserve because of a superficial blood clot in his calf, McKee made his first start in a non-Week 18 game of his four-year Eagles career.
It didn’t begin well for McKee. On the first play of the Eagles’ opening possession, he attempted to run a play-action bootleg, but he was quickly sacked by Panthers inside linebacker Bobby Okereke. His next pass attempt, intended for Makai Lemon, deflected off the rookie receiver’s hands and nearly into the arms of Okereke.
The Eagles punted on five straight possessions from the start of the first quarter until late in the second, going three-and-out on three occasions. After the game, McKee took the blame for some of the miscommunications that stalled drives, emphasizing that he needed to do a better job of settling down faster.
But the Eagles offense wasn’t a total lost cause, especially against an inconsistent, occasionally undisciplined Panthers defense. It was a penalty-laden game, with the Eagles incurring 11 penalties for 84 yards and the Panthers getting called for 13 penalties for a franchise-record 149 yards.
» READ MORE: Eagles grades vs. Panthers: Offense remains disjointed, run defense and special teams struggle in 25-14 loss
On the Eagles’ final possession of the first half, the group took advantage of the officials’ penchants for calling penalties. Dallas Goedert drew a defensive pass interference call against Panthers cornerback Will Lee III in the end zone on first-and-10 from the Panthers’ 25-yard line.
It only took the Eagles two tries, starting at the Panthers’ 3, to punch the ball in on a 2-yard rushing touchdown from running back Dameon Pierce. His first touchdown since the 2024 season capped off a 10-play, 61-yard scoring drive and pulled the Eagles within three, 10-7, with 2 minutes, 47 seconds remaining in the first half.
McKee moved the ball on that series on his own accord, too. He excelled against simulated pressures, connecting with Goedert and DeVonta Smith deep over the middle on passes of 15 and 16 yards, respectively, against those exotic looks.
But the second half brought more of the same listlessness demonstrated for most of the first half, as the offense punted twice and combined for 16 yards on eight plays. McKee mustered another 10-play drive in the fourth quarter, leading to a 19-yard Smith touchdown catch. The Eagles trailed 19-14 after that touchdown, but they never scored another point.
Overall, McKee was shaky against the blitz, completing eight of 18 attempts for 73 passing yards, his fewest across three starts, according to Next Gen Stats. The Panthers had 12 pressures and three sacks for a season-high 57.1% pressure rate when blitzing.
“My team needs me to be better. I need to be better,” McKee said. “I am so much better. And I’m looking forward to learning everything and becoming the player that I know I am. The player that I can prove that I am.”
Strength on strength
The marquee matchup going into the game was Bryce Young and the Panthers’ red-hot passing offense going up against Vic Fangio’s defense.
The Eagles’ pass rush and coverage was sound in the first half. Riq Woolen broke up a deep pass intended for Panthers tight end Darren Waller with his helmet on third-and-12 from the Panthers’ 39 in the first quarter, forcing them to punt. Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis batted passes at the line of scrimmage in the first half.
Both sides had some self-inflicted wounds. On their fourth possession in the second quarter, the Panthers couldn’t overcome an illegal man downfield penalty on second-and-5 from the Eagles’ 40, eventually leading to a punt. On the following possession, which began at the Eagles’ 35, Davis was called for a roughing-the-passer penalty on second-and-17 from the Eagles’ 38, giving the Panthers a fresh set of downs.
The Panthers capitalized on the ensuing play when Young connected with tight end Tommy Tremble on a 12-yard touchdown pass to pull them ahead, 10-0.
The Eagles defense began to show cracks late in the third quarter. Beginning at their own 8-yard line, the Panthers marched 94 yards down the field on 14 plays, capping the drive with a 1-yard Chuba Hubbard rushing touchdown to put the Panthers up, 19-7. Young helped generate explosives as a passer, hitting wide receiver Jalen Coker with an 8-yard pass over the middle with Zack Baun in coverage, which Coker turned into a 32-yarder with his legs.
Two plays later, Young hit former Eagles receiver John Metchie over the middle on a 15-yarder with Woolen trailing after him. Young was also dynamic as a runner, scrambling for eight yards on third-and-9 from the Eagles’ 11. Moro Ojomo was flagged for encroachment on the following fourth-and-1 play, giving the Panthers a fresh set of downs and setting up Hubbard’s score.
» READ MORE: Tanner McKee-DeVonta Smith connection sizzles as Jalen Hurts sits coming off five rough starts
The defense rebounded, forcing the Panthers to go three-and-out on their following possession, but the Eagles offense didn’t do much with the solid field position at their own 48. The drive got off to a poor start when a bad Jake Majors snap resulted in a 12-yard loss that put the Birds behind the sticks.
The Eagles went three-and-out, and Braden Mann’s punt was blocked by Panthers practice squad running back Anthony Tyus III, giving the Panthers strong field position at the Eagles’ 48. The Panthers capitalized, as Tremble slipped past Cooper DeJean and was wide-open when he caught a 19-yard touchdown pass, going up, 25-14.
After the game, DeJean chalked up the breakdown in coverage to a “miscommunication.”
“I feel like our details slipped in that second half a little bit,” DeJean said. “Gave up that long touchdown. … Missed a couple plays that we should be able to make.”
Smith returns to action
Smith, the 27-year-old receiver, made his return to game action after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury.
He didn’t get on the field until the Eagles’ third possession in the first quarter. On that drive, he drew a defensive pass interference call against Lee on a deep pass down the left sideline.
McKee had just 13 completions on 23 attempts in the first half for 94 yards, and Smith accounted for two of them on four targets for 22 yards.
Smith had an injury scare early in the fourth quarter when he went down hard on his back on an incompletion down the right sideline. But he missed one play and returned to action after Dontayvion Wicks suffered an injury of his own.
The offense then began to show some signs of life, in large part thanks to Smith. He had receptions of eight and nine yards on their third possession of the second half, then hauled in a 19-yard touchdown pass on a perfectly placed ball from McKee in the end zone, despite tight coverage from Lee.
Smith’s first touchdown since Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans pulled the Eagles within five, 19-14, with 10:42 remaining in the game.
Late in the fourth, McKee lobbed it up for Smith down the right sideline on fourth-and-17 from the Panthers’ 49 in a last-ditch effort. Panthers safety Zakee Wheatley broke up the pass, and in turn, broke up the Eagles’ hopes of a comeback.
Smith finished the game with a team-high seven receptions for 75 yards and the touchdown. After the game, Smith lamented the team’s inability to stay on schedule. But he expressed a sense of optimism about the offense going forward, having the full week to prepare with McKee.
“Kind of was on the fly this week,” Smith said. “Game plan was kind of in. … So trying to bunch everything in, make sure we’re on the same page. Making sure that we get certain things that we like to do and things like that. Should look a lot better now knowing that he’s going to be the quarterback probably going forward.”
Injury report
Carson Steele exited the game with a shoulder injury early in the first quarter. He returned to action in the second, but he appeared to aggravate the injury again later in the same frame on a kickoff. He was ruled out in the third quarter.
Nolan Smith Jr. suffered a concussion in the second quarter, ruling him out for the game.
Wicks was tackled by the right ankle in the fourth quarter on a 17-yard catch-and-run reception and went down in pain.
Davis was injured late in the fourth quarter on a Hubbard run, grabbing his right leg. He was ruled out.
