Can Eagles slow down Panthers duo?
Philadelphia at Carolina: The Panthers are built around a power running game led by perhaps the best 1-2 punch in the league, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. The challenge for Carolina is to run against an Eagles defensive front that should be improved if everyone plays up to his potential. The weight of stopping the run falls mainly on the two interior tackles, Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson. Middle linebacker Stewart Bradley is out for the season, putting even more pressure on the Eagles to play coordinated run defense to control down and distance and therefore limit the ability of Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith to use play-action passing. The Eagles’ coverage in the secondary should be improved with the addition of Ellis Hobbs. Let’s remember that the focal point of Carolina’s passing game will always be Smith. The question in Carolina for the past few seasons has been the offside receiver — that hasn’t changed, whether it’s Muhsin Muhammad or Dwayne Jarrett. Peters For
