It was not the defeat many expected, but the… Philadelphia Eagles still took care of business at home on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers in a 22-16 victory.
And it was Saquon Barkleyan MVP candidate this season, helping matters with another milestone in his inaugural Eagles campaign.
Barkley set a record this season with nine games of 100 or more yards, totaling 124 yards on 20 carries.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley runs past Carolina Panthers linebacker Trevin Wallace at Lincoln Financial Field. (Eric Hartline-Imagn images)
But even though Barkley added triple digits in yards, he couldn’t find the end zone. Instead, it was Jalen Hurts who was pushed off the one-yard line to score the first touchdown of the game.
However, Hurts would get the other touchdowns with his arm, finding DeVonta Smith for his first score in over a month, while Grant Calcaterra, who is getting a lot more playing time with Dallas Goedert on injured reserve, scores his first career. landing.
KENTUCKY BETTOR PLACES $3.1 MILLION BET ON EAGLES TO BEAT IMPROVING PANTHERS
However, this game came down to the final seconds as Bryce Young and the Panthers offense had a chance to win the game after a perfect punt by the Eagles put them on their own three yard line.
But Young quickly got out of the hole and found Xavier Legette 31 yards out after scrambling through his end zone and nearly getting sacked for good measure.
Then, a few plays later, Young saw it Adam Thielenwho had a team-high 102 yards on nine catches, on fourth-and-seven for 13 yards to keep the drive going.
On 2nd-and-4 from the Philadelphia 32-yard line, an absolutely crucial drop came at the hands of Legette, as Young got C.J. Gardner-Johnson to bite, leaving the rookie receiver wide open near the end zone.
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith and quarterback Jalen Hurts celebrate their touchdown connection against the Carolina Panthers at Lincoln Financial Field. (PROPOSE)
Legette appeared to reel the ball in and roll into the end zone for the tying touchdown. However, the officials quickly called it incomplete and the replay showed that the ball hit the turf during the roll.
So instead of an extra point attempt to take the lead, Young found himself running for his life on fourth-and-9 with no timeouts remaining. He tried to find Thielen back on the field to convert, but Darius Slay batted it away, bringing the Eagles’ win streak to nine straight games.
In sports betting, an anonymous gambler in Kentucky placed a $3.1 million bet on the Eagles, a huge favorite, to beat the Panthers. It was sweatier than they wanted, especially on that Legette game, but the bet returned over $400,000 in profit.
Looking at the box score, Hurts was 14 of 21 for 108 yards and his two passing touchdowns while rushing for 61 yards on eight carries.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley runs with the ball against the Carolina Panthers at Lincoln Financial Field. (Bill Streicher-Imagn images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
For the Panthers, Chuba Hubbard found the end zone on one of his 26 carries for 92 yards on the day.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports reporting on Xand subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
