The Eagles’ defense bent vs. Panthers, but Darius Slay and C.J. Gardner-Johnson were there to save the day
It wasn't the prettiest day for the Eagles' top-ranked defense, but veterans Slay and Gardner-Johnson made big plays in a win over the Panthers.
Darius Slay has a long history with Adam Thielen. The Eagles cornerback and Carolina Panthers wide receiver were once divisional rivals with their previous teams. Sunday marked the 10th time they lined up on the field together, and Slay was well aware of the things Thielen does best.
“We’ve been at it for a long, long time,” the 33-year-old Slay said.
So Slay knows how good Thielen is when his quarterback is scrambling — the way he works toward the football and helps provide an outlet for the passer. It was fourth-and-9 from the Eagles’ 37-yard line, Slay’s team clinging to a 22-16 lead with 37 seconds on the clock. The Eagles were in man coverage. “Just get on your man and try to win your down,” Slay said of the call.
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The Eagles sent five after Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and that front did its job. Jalen Carter and Moro Ojomo burst through the interior and Josh Sweat applied pressure on the edge. But there was Young, on the move again, not long after extending a potential game-tying drive with his legs from his own end zone. Young escaped to his left to flee Ojomo and Sweat, and as his eyes moved down the field, he spotted Thielen, who was running across the field having started the play on the right side of the formation with nine catches and 102 yards and Slay in charge of covering him.
Young, on the run, threw toward Thielen. Slay closed late and got his arm in to break it up and preserve the Eagles’ ninth consecutive victory.
“If he throws this ball, I’m finna make this play over here,” Slay said later when asked about the sequence. He was still catching his breath in the locker room, he said. It hasn’t been the healthiest season for Slay, who was in the concussion protocol earlier this week and has also dealt with injuries to his ankle, knee, and groin. He was battling the oxygen machine Sunday, he said, but reached deep into his lungs to make the game-saving play.
“It’s about who’s going to make the plays the most, and who’s going to be the toughest the longest, and I was the toughest the longest,” Slay said.
It was that kind of day for the Eagles. The offense, the passing game especially, slogged through four quarters. The defense bent quite a few times, but broke only a few times.
Sunday marked just the fifth time in 13 games the Eagles allowed 300 net yards of offense. The Panthers finished the game with just one healthy running back, Chuba Hubbard, and only ran for 3.5 yards per carry. Young threw for 191 yards and a touchdown (plus the interception) while completing 19 of his 34 passes.
“That’s one of those games where you can’t underestimate those types of teams,” safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson said.
Did the Eagles underestimate their opponent?
“No, it’s a good team,” Gardner-Johnson said. “They’re in the NFL, too.”
The Eagles were missing starting safety Reed Blankenship, who has been a steadying presence. They periodically lost Gardner-Johnson, who was evaluated for a concussion in the first half, leaving the Eagles with Tristin McCollum and Avonte Maddox as the last line of defense. Gardner-Johnson had set the tone on the first series with a clean crunch of rookie receiver Xavier Legette in the middle of the field on third down.
He later picked Young off on the first play after the two-minute warning in the second quarter, a turnover that led to a go-ahead Eagles touchdown before halftime. But he was also injured late in the game swarming to Hubbard on a rush attempt. Zack Baun, who made the tackle, ran into Gardner-Johnson’s backside.
Gardner-Johnson briefly left the field but later returned, though he looked hobbled. At one point, safeties coach Joe Kasper appeared to motion for Gardner-Johnson to come off the field on Carolina’s final drive.
“He was trying to take me out,” Gardner-Johnson said. “I’m not coming off the field. You got to kill me.
“I want to win. I know I let my teammates down when they see me go down. I just don’t want to give them no signs of weakness. That ain’t no rah-rah speech. I just don’t like being out a down.”
Gardner-Johnson wanted Kasper to trust him in the same way Nick Sirianni put his trust in his defense. The Eagles elected to punt and pin Carolina deep in its own end instead of attempting a 55-yard field goal.
The Eagles entered Sunday with the league’s best defense. They have learned a lot since their early-season woes, Gardner-Johnson said. He referenced Kirk Cousins leading Atlanta to a late-game win in Week 2.
“Put your trust in us,” Gardner-Johnson said. “It don’t matter what situation in the game. We learned from Week 2 all the way to now, just continue to play football and understand who we are and uphold the identity.”
The trust was tested. Two plays before Slay’s game-clinching pass breakup, Legette, the same player Gardner-Johnson clocked on the first drive, burned Slay and got behind Gardner-Johnson for what would have been an easy, game-tying touchdown if he had held onto the ball.
“I misjudged the ball,” Gardner-Johnson said. “If I would’ve jumped, I pick it. But, shoutout to the ref. I truthfully thought he caught the ball. … I can’t tell you what if he catches the ball. He dropped it. The ball hit the ground. Onto the next week.”