Eagles somehow eke out 21-18 win vs. Panthers despite uninspiring play
When you're the Philadelphia Eagles and your level of play has hovered somewhere between mediocre and bad this season, your best hope for a win is to face a team that's playing at or below that level.
The Eagles faced one such team on Sunday, defeating the Carolina Panthers 21-18 in a game that had fans of both teams raving about how irredeemably bad it was.
Eagles vs. Panthers might be the worst football game I’ve ever witnessed.
— Brandon Kiley (@BKSportsTalk) October 10, 2021
This Panthers Eagles game might be the worst thing to ever happen in sports
— 🎃Noah Terranova🎃 Spooky SZN👻 (@TerranovaNoah) October 10, 2021
This is one of the worst games I've ever seen 🤣 I thought the Panthers were good?!
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) October 10, 2021
This might be one of the worst played and coached games I’ve seen involving the Eagles and the opponent in a long time. https://t.co/pxyGMSDPZ1
— TonyD (@Whotony) October 10, 2021
This is one of the worst Eagles games of my lifetime and they still might win
— Mike (@85mf) October 10, 2021
And not just the game. Fans had issues with everything.
This is the worst offensive outing we've seen by the Panthers so far this season.
— Carolina Blitz (@KeepBlitzin) October 10, 2021
The Panthers might be the worst team in the NFL.
— David Esser (@DavidEsser_) October 10, 2021
The Panthers should be winning this game by 20. This Eagles team might be the worst in all of football 😂
— FaZe 2Pac (@x2Pac_ThuGLorD) October 10, 2021
Eagles offensive game plan is one of the worst in recent memory.
— Honest NFL (@TheHonestNFL) October 10, 2021
There is def potential that this could be the worst Eagles team to have ever touched a field in my lifetime.
— Ron Schiltz (@RonSchiltz) October 10, 2021
Chip Kelly: I'm the worst coach in Eagles History
Nick: Hold my Beer— Ronn Daignault (@RonnDaignault) October 10, 2021
That's a lot of hyperbole, but it's not entirely unwarranted. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was awful to start the game, and ended 22-for-37 on completions with 198 yards and one interception. Panthers QB Sam Darnold wasn't any better: 21-for-37, 177 yards, one touchdown and three (!!) interceptions.
One Eagles play from the second quarter pretty much sums up the game, but especially the Eagles' offense.
The Philadelphia Eagles are one of the worst teams in the NFL.
(via @Panthers) pic.twitter.com/s5Zr4r7bVz— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) October 10, 2021
The only positive thing about that ridiculous play is that it was a safety instead of a Panthers TD, so the Eagles didn't get the full force of the universe laughing in their face.
The Panthers led 15-6 at halftime, with the Eagles looking lost and the Panthers unable to capitalize on the numerous mistakes the Eagles kept laying at their feet. It didn't get better in the second half, with the third quarter looking like an absolute mess. The Panthers started with the ball, and here's how it went: punt, fumble, punt, interception, interception, punt, punt, Eagles TD, Panthers field goal. It's no wonder that fans were saying this was one of the worst NFL games they'd ever seen.
And despite all that, the Eagles managed to pull it off. In the waning minutes of the game, they managed to push through and get the touchdown they needed to move ahead, and Hurts ran in the ball for a two-point conversion. Darnold's third interception of the day sealed the win, but is either team really a winner in this case? It's the NFL, so one team had to win, but the Eagles shouldn't do too much celebrating considering how they played. And the Panthers get to spend the next week wondering how they managed to lose to the Eagles.