Recap: Carolina Panthers @ Philadelphia Eagles (Week 2, Preseason)

The Carolina Panthers (1-1) lost 24-13 to the Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) on Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field in Philly, PA.  And it was probably the weirdest game I have ever seen. 

First of all, there was a storm delay.  A lightning storm descended on the stadium with about five minutes left in the first quarter and didn't let up for about thirty minutes.  Half an hour after that, play continued. 

After the game resumed, late in the first quarter the Eagles tried to fool the Panthers with a fake field goal attempt.  As the Eagles holder tried to make a shovel pass to the intended receiver, Panthers cornerback Richard Marshall blazed through the middle of the play, intercepted the pass, and returned it 78 yards for a touchdown.  It was absolutely hilarious, and the facial expression of Eagles coach Andy Reid was priceless.

Now let's get back to business. 

The Panthers offense didn't look nearly as prolific as it did against the Colts.

The offensive line didn't open up many holes, much less any big ones, and starting running back DeAngelo Williams only broke one big run—a 23-yarder down to the Eagles' 22-yard line early in the second quarter.  Overall Williams ran for 32 yards on eight carries.

Starting quarterback Jake Delhomme did okay, going 9-of-14 for 54 yards and an interception.  However, the one pick he threw was the result of a wet football getting away from him.  The intended receiver had created excellent separation from his man—Delhomme didn't make a bad decision.  The ball simply slipped, and it landed in CB Lito Sheppard's hands.

The Panthers defensive starters were decent at best.  They didn't play nearly as well last night as they performed against the Colts. 

The defensive line, especially Julius Peppers, hardly got any pressure on Eagles field general Donovan McNabb.  McNabb, who went 11-of-24 with 98 yards, often got the ball out to his receivers quickly all night, though he wasn't exactly accurate the entire time. 

The linebackers did play well, though, helping the defensive line limit Eagles starting running back Brian Westbrook to 14 yards on five carries.

The secondary was utterly torched.  Eagles receivers were open for much of the night, and McNabb hit them easily for much of the first half.  The wet ball was the only thing that slowed him down. 

Even Eagles backup QB Kevin Kolb threw for 155 yards and one touchdown.  He also threw a pass that was intercepted by Panthers cornerback Dante Wesley after being tipped by at least one another defender.

Philadelphia backup RB Lorenzo Booker was better than Westbrook, and he looked great in general—he rushed for 25 yards on six carries and put together some nice runs.

Panthers quarterback Matt Moore threw for 85 yards on 11-of-19 passing.  He also tossed an interception that was tipped once by another Eagles defender before linebacker Justin Roland picked off the pass and returned it 74 yards for a touchdown. 

Weird coincidence: Panthers backup running back Nick Goings ran for 27 yards on seven carries—those are the same numbers he had last week against the Colts.           

Panthers first round draft pick Jonathan Stewart made his NFL debut.  Playing behind the second-team offensive line, Stewart picked up three yards on four carries.  While Stewart's debut wasn't successful by any means, he will probably be much better when he's running behind the first-team offensive line.  No back could do anything behind a crappy offensive line.  

Second-team defensive backs Ricardo Colclough and Nate Salley led the team in tackles, with six and five, respectively.

But otherwise, the reserve defensive units were just as unimpressive as they were against the Colts.

This game certainly dealt the Panthers a cold reality check after the too-good-to-be-true Colts game, and it took everyone down a peg.  By now we know that our reserve defensive units coin the term "reserves", and that we have to get our players ready for the regular season. 

As bad as our whole team—even the first-team—was last night, it was a really bizarre preseason game, and multiple starters (as well as some top backups) didn't play. 

I guess this game is a great example of why they call it the preseason.