7 Keys to Victory in Philadelphia Eagles' Week 6 Matchup

The red-hot Philadelphia Eagles get their first chance under the lights in a Thursday Night Football clash with the Carolina Panthers, which may shape up as the most enticing matchup of Week 6.

Philly is riding high after an absolute decimation of the Arizona Cardinals at home, prevailing 34-7 over a strong NFC foe with a convincing display in all three phases of the game.

However, they receive even tougher in-conference competition on a short week, facing a Panthers squad fresh off two impressive road wins in New England and Detroit.

We're still in the opening half of the season, but the respective seasons for both the Eagles and the Panthers are shaping up to a point where it's realistic to presume they could meet again in January.

With each side sitting at 4-1 and atop its division, this bout could eventually decide which team hosts said rematch if both teams continue their upward trends.

For now, that's still a stretch. Thursday night is all the Eagles are focused on, and they'll need to hone in on these key areas of the game to improve to 5-1.

Cornerbacks Playing Big

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Despite a few sobering moments, the Eagles secondary has risen above serious attrition to play solid football in 2017. But Thursday presents the biggest matchup thus far.

The Panthers' twin towers of Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess could be a matchup nightmare for an Eagles cornerback crew that isn't severely undersized but doesn't necessarily possess a lot of length.

Benjamin's 6'5", 243-pound frame and the 6'5", 236-pound stature of Funchess pop off the screen, and both are developing the route-running and separation ability necessary to become consistent threats.

Both players hauled in scores last week against a Lions pass defense that had only given up five scores in its first four games. Not only have the Eagles already given up eight passing touchdowns, their 1,416 aerial yards conceded ranks third-last in the league.

A portion of those numbers are due to the Eagles consistently having a lead, but it's no secret the secondary has been burned in recent week on long plays against the Chargers and Giants. The likes of Jalen Mills, Patrick Robinson and Rasul Douglas will be tested time and again.

The unit played lights out against a Cardinals offense with a lot of perimeter weapons, but the Panthers boast a different type of weapon. The Eagles' corners will need to be physical at the point of attack to make up for the size differential.

Torment Cam Newton

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Life in the pocket has been way too easy for Carolina quarterback Cam Newton in his last two games, and the resulting stats are eye-popping.

Newton completed 26 of his 33 passes Sunday against Detroit for 355 yards and three scores, and he preceded that with a dominating 22-for-29 performance for 315 yards and four total touchdowns against the Patriots. He threw just one pick combined in the two games, after tossing four in his first three outings.

However, Newton's unique threat has always been his mobility, and the Eagles aren't losing sight of that despite the gaudy aerial numbers, as linebacker Jordan Hicks said, per Zach Berman of Philly.com:

"Hopefully our pass rush can contain him. Our guys are disciplined enough to keep him in the pocket and force him to have to beat us throwing the ball."

The former MVP has only rushed for 90 yards so far this season, but his well-documented ability to change games with his legs and put defenses on their heels should command the Eagles' attention.

If the defense does its job stifling one dimension of Newton's game, it will make stopping the other dimension much easier. 

Do More with Less at RB

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A resurgent run game has been the most noticeable difference for the Eagles amid their three-game winning streak, but the going is getting tougher with injuries taking a toll.

Just a few weeks after the unit lost Darren Sproles for the season, Wendell Smallwood suffered a knee injury in the win over the Chargers and hasn't practiced since. He missed Sunday's win over Arizona and didn't practice on Monday or Tuesday, per the team's injury report. 

The team didn't miss Smallwood much in the dominating win, but things will be different Thursday against a physical Panthers front. The second-year pro's change of pace could thrive in the matchup, but instead the onus will fall on LeGarrette Blount, Corey Clement and Kenjon Barner.

Blount has been a wrecking ball with 277 yards in his last three games, but he'll need to be fresh on a short week and ready to barrel through the Panthers' second level of Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis. 

With 30 carries in his last two games, though, Blount won't be as fresh coming off a short week. Expect the Eagles to feature Barner some more, after he had five impressive carries for 23 yards in the Arizona win.

The rediscovered run game has turned the Eagles offense into a machine in recent weeks, but the Panthers will be intent on shutting down the ground attack and putting pressure on Wentz. The offensive line and the three Eagles backs can't allow that to happen.

Continue to Take Shots

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The Eagles finally got Torrey Smith going over the weekend. Or should we say, Torrey Smith finally got going for the Eagles?

Smith dropped a plethora of chances in the opening weeks, but he made up for them with a 59-yard score that transformed the Eagles' game against the Cardinals into a rout. With one big catch, he might have put his early-season troubles behind him and gained some vital confidence along with it.

The veteran deep threat isn't the only receiver stretching defenses for Philly, as Nelson Agholor has caught a couple of home-run balls, one of which also came Sunday over Arizona.

Agholor has been a revelation this season, catching three touchdowns and becoming a consistent weapon for the first time in his career.

With the attention commanded by tight end Zach Ertz and No. 1 wideout Alshon Jeffery, the duo of Agholor and Smith are constantly getting one-on-one opportunities deep down the field.

The Panthers only have one interception as a unit through five games, which should make Carson Wentz more apt to taking chances deep down the field.

The Panthers are stout in the middle of the defense, which will go a long way toward limiting Ertz. In return, the Eagles should test the Panthers deep early on. 

Give Help to Inexperienced RT

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Unscathed by injuries through the opening quarter of the season, the Eagles offensive line took a considerable hit in the Arizona win once star right tackle Lane Johnson exited the game with a head injury.

Johnson entered the concussion protocol after failing to return in Sunday's game, and he enters Wednesday still in it after not practicing thus far in the week. With the short week heading into Thursday, all expectations are that Halapoulivaati Vaitai will start in his place.

Of course, Vaitai filled in during Johnson's 10-game suspension last season, and the Eagles went 2-8 without him. While that wasn't solely on the absence of the 27-year-old, his absence significantly increased the pressure on Wentz.

The then-rookie performed well enough to stay in games, but the drop-off is considerable between an inexperienced Vaitai and one of the league's best tackles.

The Eagles employ three reliable tight ends, and they should utilize special packages to give extra help to the right side with Vaitai in the game. It wouldn't be a bad idea to give Brent Celek a lot of snaps, or to put an extra back in the game to help cover any exotic packages run by the Carolina defense.

Simply put, the Eagles don't have many holes on offense right now, but Johnson's absence creates one. Philly will need to overcompensate at times to keep Vaitai from getting exposed.

Win the Turnover Battle

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Limiting turnovers has been a critical component of the Eagles' growth on offense, but that can unravel at any moment against a physical and opportunistic defense such as Carolina's.

A primary area for improvement for Wentz over the offseason centered on taking better care of the ball, after a 14-interception rookie season. He threw picks in his opening two games, before following them up with two turnover-free games. However, Wentz started to trend in the wrong direction again, with a bad red-zone interception against the Cardinals.

The Eagles led 21-7 at the time, and Wentz proved to be lucky his defense didn't allow Carson Palmer to turn that play into a momentum swing. In a closer contest, like the one in Carolina may prove to be, a red-zone turnover might become the difference in the game.

On the other end, ball-hawking play may prove to be a difference for the Eagles defense. In the Panthers' lone loss, Newton threw three interceptions and that came against a Saints defense heralded as one of the league's worst units.

Win the First Quarter

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Any stadium in a prime-time national television spotlight will be a little extra raucous, but the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., on a Thursday night cheering on a 4-1 Panthers squad will be electric.

Getting off to a hot start would obviously go a long way toward shushing the crowd and getting the Eagles' young players comfortable, but it won't come as easy as it did at home against Arizona.

Philly needs to have a picture-perfect game plan on both sides of the ball to get a quick stop on defense and a methodical score on offense in their opening drives.

The Eagles have only played two true road games this season, after the L.A. trip evolved into a west-coast home game. They got off to a strong start in Washington and won 30-17. They then posted a three-point first half in Kansas City before losing 27-20.

Carolina seems to ride off emotion as much as any team in the league, and the Eagles could face an impossible task if Newton marches down the field early on and ignites the crowd.

However, Wentz doing the same early on may put some butts in seats and allow the Eagles to find their comfort zone.