Between Saquon Barkley and wild Eagles fans, Panthers know the tall task ahead of them
He’s played against him many times, but there was one year when A’Shawn Robinson — the Carolina Panthers’ veteran defensive lineman — didn’t have to tackle one of the most elusive men in football.
That year was 2023.
That man? Saquon Barkley.
Of course, that 2023 season, Barkley and Robinson had their faceoffs. But they were mostly confined to New York Giants training camp. They’d also played each other in previous seasons and reminisced on those times — games that featured one of the game’s best rushers in Barkley and one of the league’s more underrated run-stoppers in Robinson.
On Sunday, the two will meet again.
And Barkley will be at the peak of his powers.
“I love a challenge baby!” Robinson told reporters on Wednesday.
The challenge Robinson is referring to deals with Barkley, sure. After all the No. 2 selection in the 2018 draft is having his best year in an already illustrious career. After signing with the Eagles this offseason, Barkley has notched 1,499 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns through 12 games. He’s carried the ball 246 times, which is most in the NFL. The league’s rushing-yard leaders go as follows: Barkley, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs — and then Barkley in the second half of contests (982 yards, which is more than No. 4 Jahmyr Gibbs’ 973 season yards).
Robinson’s challenge only gets worse when you consider the task of dealing with the Eagles’ year-after-year great offensive line — and that’s particularly true when you’re the Panthers. Carolina ranks 32nd out of 32 teams in the following categories: opponent rushes per game (34.5), opponent rush yards per game (166.8) and opponent third-down conversion rate (46.84%).
So is Robinson excited to see him?
Yes, but ...
“It’s always great to see him,” Robinson said, who added Barkley is a selfless competitor and great teammate. “He’s a top back in the league. And one of a kind. One of a generation, I’d say. To have that ability to stop, cut, spin, power, explode, speed — put it all in one person. To be able to have that is great to see. To go against that, and to have that task, it’s an honor.”
He’s not alone. Other Panthers defenders had similar things to say. Shy Tuttle, Carolina’s nose tackle, said it was remarkable that someone in the NFL is somehow staying on pace to contend with Eric Dickerson’s 2,105-yard season in 1984 — a record he set in 16 games.
Head coach Dave Canales agreed. And when talking about Barkley’s greatness he also referred to the other weapons the Eagles have. That includes quarterback Jalen Hurts, who has already thrown for 2,494 yards and 14 scores (and has run for 12 touchdowns — more than Barkley, somehow). That includes Hurts’ weapons: AJ Brown (44 receptions for 793 yards), Devonta Smith (41 receptions for 516 yards) and tight end Dallas Goedert (38 receptions for 441 yards).
It includes everyone, which has this Eagles offense humming to Top 10s in pretty much every offensive category: points per game (26.7, seventh in the NFL), yards per game (377.7, fourth) and third-down conversion (42.33%, ninth). Their one light spot is their red-zone touchdown scoring percentage — 56.52%, 13th in the league — but the Panthers’ defense dwells in the bottom-third in red-zone defense.
“The Eagles are committed to the run game,” Canales said. “Saquon, right off the bat. Really good offensive line. And the quarterback can do so many things with zone-reads and the RPO (run-pass option) game. It’s a big task, and we have to make sure that we’re looking at it, we’re attacking it in practice, and make sure we have a good plan for that.”
Robert Hunt knows how passionate Philadelphia Eagles fans can be
Walk around the locker room, and you’ll hear similar stories about how tough the Eagles are to prepare against. You’ll hear how the defense needs to force third-and-longs, how they need the offense to score early and force Hurts into passing situations.
But stop by the locker of Robert Hunt — the team’s joyful and candid right guard — and you’ll hear another thing the Panthers need to be ready for:
Philly fans.
Hunt visited Lincoln Financial Field last year when he was with the Miami Dolphins. His story starts there:
“It’s a fun city,” Hunt began. “You know, they got some characters there. Some people who just don’t really give a damn. I think last year, a guy got pretty close to getting on our bus, just to trash talk us a little bit.”
A fan?
“A fan, yes. Random guy. Have no idea who he was. He was confident. And that’s what kind of makes them, them. It’ll be a good game. It’ll be a fun experience, and we’re excited for the challenge.”
On ... your bus?
“Hell nah. He ain’t make it on the bus. We would’ve stomped (him) out. But he tried. He was talking his noise. Good for him. You like it. I don’t wanna say you want a fan base like that, but you want a fan base that cares about the game, that cares about the team. So it’s all fun.”
Bryce Young still needs to learn how to slide
According to PFF stats, second-year quarterback Bryce Young has scrambled 18 times this season for 113 yards and two touchdowns. It’s a wonderful part of his game when he’s at his best — which he has been these past two weeks: he’s been creative, has limited his mistakes, has thrown the ball with an average depth of over 10 yards for the first time in his career (per PFF, again).
But even though he’s running more this year — “Just wanting to do whatever it is that is best for the team,” he said — there’s one thing Young needs to improve on in the run game. And that’s sliding.
“I feel like I’ve had some OK attempts,” Young said, chuckling when asked about how his progress in sliding technique has come. “I’ve had some not great attempts. Hopefully one day I just get it right magically. We’ll see.”
Quarterback sliding, after all, hit the spotlight this week after Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was suspended three games by the NFL after his hit to the head of Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence this past weekend. Canales said he hasn’t had a discussion with his team about the hit.
Chuba Hubbard, Young’s friend and running back, said he gets excited when Young escapes the pocket and that people downplay Young’s elusiveness. Hubbard added that he’d love if Young could slide more, but also: “Fall in the endzone, and you don’t need to slide.”
Former Panthers receiver Diontae Johnson suspended by Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens stated in a release that they suspended Diontae Johnson “for our upcoming game against the New York Giants for conduct detrimental to the team.” The suspension stems from “refusing to enter our game against the Philadelphia Eagles.”
The Panthers traded away Johnson with a sixth-round pick for a fifth-round pick to Baltimore in October. Johnson, who in Carolina was the team’s top receiver, has only notched one catch for six yards with his new team.
Sam Franklin apologizes to Carolina Panthers for Bucs incident
Sam Franklin, a Panthers safety and team captain, told reporters he apologized to the team for his actions on Sunday after the overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Bucs — the game in which he was recorded screaming in the tunnel right outside the visiting locker room, in part: “Tell 33 I’m gonna see his a--!”
The Panthers’ normally joyful defensive back added that he needed to control his emotions and that his behavior Sunday was unacceptable.
“There’s really nothing to talk about after the game,” Franklin said. “We’re all professional athletes, and that kind of stuff isn’t accepted in the NFL. Regardless of what happened on the field, we gotta keep those things in-between the lines. ... So I’d just like to apologize to the organization, my teammates and the owners. That’s not how we want to be viewed as professional athletes. So that’s all I have to say about that situation. It’s a learning experience for me, something I’m going to move forward and do better about.”
Franklin, when asked, said it “didn’t matter” what happened on the field that spawned the incident postgame. He also added that neither the team nor the league has levied any suspension to him but that he’s “willing to accept anything that comes with it.”
Panthers injury report
The Panthers’ injury report is relatively light in comparison to other weeks.
Only one player did not participate in Wednesday’s practice, and that was OLB Jadeveon Clowney (rest/knee).
Limited Wednesday was CB Caleb Farley (shoulder/no-contact jersey), ILB Josey Jewell (hamstring), TE Ja’Tavion Sanders (neck/no-contact jersey) and OLB DJ Wonnum (knee).
Jalen Coker (quad) and Nick Scott (hamstring) were full-gos on Wednesday. Canales said he’s hopeful that his two rookie pass-catchers — Coker and JT Sanders — will return to action this week against Philadelphia.
This story was originally published December 4, 2024 at 5:33 PM.
