The Philadelphia Eagles went into their Week 6 game against the Carolina Panthers already trying to steady a three-game losing streak, and the situation got tougher when A.J. Epenesa and Jalyx Hunt were both ruled out. With Jalen Hurts already sidelined indefinitely and Tanner McKee set to start, the Eagles were forced to patch together both sides of the ball against Bryce Young and Carolina.
The latest setback underlined how thin the margin has become for Philadelphia. Before last week’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Eagles and Hurts discovered a blood clot in his leg, and on Saturday the club placed him on injured reserve after consultations with numerous doctors and experts. That left the offense without its starting quarterback, and on Sunday the defence was hit by the absence of two edge rushers who were expected to matter in the pass rush.
Jeff McLane: the Eagles’ inactives were a long list
Jeff McLane reported that Drew Kendall was active for the Panthers game, but the list of inactives still included Hollywood Brown, Joe Milton as the third quarterback, Saquon Barkley with a hamstring issue, Michael Carter II with an abdomen injury, and both A.J. Epenesa and Jalyx Hunt. For a team trying to halt a skid, that is a significant collection of missing pieces.
Epenesa’s absence is particularly notable because he has been one of the more productive players in Philadelphia’s rotation. The edge rusher entered the game with 15 tackles, four quarterback hits, two pass deflections and a tackle for loss, and he has also been a 6.5-sack player. Losing that level of production against an opponent with a mobile quarterback changes the feel of the contest immediately.
Why Jalyx Hunt matters so much
Hunt’s absence also carried weight because the article describes him as last year’s team leader in both sacks and interceptions. Zach Berman has previously made clear why the Eagles are so encouraged by his trajectory, saying he is “really impressive,” before adding: “He has the frame. He has the athleticism. I think the tools are matching up to that right now. He’s just at the point in your career where you’re seeing it all come together. He’s been an absolute menace in terms of rushing the quarterback … now, can he go from a 6.5-sack player to a double-digit sack player? I think the talent’s there for him to do that.”
That is the key issue for Philadelphia. If you are already starting Tanner McKee because Jalen Hurts is unavailable, then the defence has to help carry more of the load. But without Epenesa and Hunt, the Eagles were missing two players who could have helped them attack Bryce Young and force Carolina backwards.
The broader concern is not simply one Sunday game. The Eagles have been managing injuries, adjusting their quarterback plan, and trying to stop a losing run at the same time. Against the Panthers, that meant asking a shorthanded roster to do a lot of heavy lifting.
What happens next will depend on how quickly Philadelphia can get healthier and whether the defence can still create enough pressure when the rotation is stripped back. For now, the Eagles Vs Panthers matchup was another reminder that the margin for error has become very small.
