PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryce Young threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns to Tommy Tremble, and Chuba Hubbard ran for 120 yards and a score to lead the Carolina Panthers past the injury-riddled Philadelphia Eagles 25-14 on Sunday.
The Panthers (3-2) had little trouble in the second half picking apart the Eagles (2-4), who were missing quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley.
Hurts is on injured reserve and will miss at least four games
with a blood clot in his calf. Barkley missed his second straight game with a hamstring injury and Will Shipley and Tank Bigsby, his two backups, were also sidelined by injuries.
The quarterback showdown between Young and Eagles backup Tanner McKee seemed like a mismatch entering the day. McKee, in his fourth season, made his third career start and first one without the Eagles having already clinched a playoff berth.
McKee was sacked for an 11-yard loss on the Eagles’ first play from scrimmage and he nearly had a pass intercepted on second down. The 26-year-old’s outing never got much better, and he finished 26 of 45 for 215 yards and a touchdown. He hit DeVonta Smith — who missed the last two games with a hamstring injury — for a 19-yard TD that pulled the Eagles within 19-14 early in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles forced a three-and-out and then wasted their drive when McKee lost 12 yards on a fumble.
Young sealed the win with his second TD pass to Tremble, a 19-yarder for a 25-14 lead.
Young — who threw a 12-yard TD pass to Tremble in the second quarter — bailed out the Panthers late in the third on third-and-8 at their own 10 when he connected with Jalen Coker for a 32-yard gain. Young extended the drive with a 15-yard completion, and the Panthers converted a fourth-and-1 when Hubbard found a hole for a 19-yard run.
Hubbard finished the drive in the fourth with a 2-yard touchdown run for a 19-7 lead. Carolina’s 2-point attempt failed.
A week after the Eagles lost by a field goal on the final play against Jacksonville in London, Ryan Fitzgerald made kicks of 47 and 52 yards for the Panthers. The latter made it 13-7 and was his 11th straight successful attempt to open the season. He did miss an extra point.
The Eagles are in a world of hurt without Hurts and were forced to turn to McKee, who had lost his grip on the No. 2 spot in training camp. He regained the backup job after the Eagles cut Andy Dalton, but he looked out of place all game. Offensive coordinator Sean Mannion did him no favors by calling a series of failed screen and swing passes.
McKee threw a third-and-14 sideline pass for Smith in the third quarter that sailed out of bounds against one of the worst defenses in the NFL and was greeted by boos.
The struggling offense isn’t all on McKee. The Eagles were shut out in the third quarter and have scored only six points in that quarter all season. Philadelphia had only 37 total yards in the first quarter and punted on its first five drives.
Dameon Pierce scored on a 2-yard run to cut Carolina’s lead to 10-7 at halftime.
Panthers: OLB Jaelan Phillips aggravated a hamstring injury. ... OLB Thomas Incoom suffered a calf injury.
Eagles: Edge rusher Nolan Smith left in the first half with a concussion after he absorbed helmet-to-helmet contact with Hubbard. ... RB Carson Steele suffered a shoulder injury. ... DT Jordan Davis injured an ankle.
Panthers: Host Tampa Bay next Sunday.
Eagles: Host Dallas on Monday, Oct. 26.
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