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After a Week 5 bye, the Carolina Panthers traveled to face the Philadelphia Eagles and emerged with a 25-14 victory. Carolina controlled the contest from start to finish, never trailing and building a lead of up to 12 points.
The matchup appeared to be a potential trap for the Panthers. The Eagles were dealing with significant offensive injuries: quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley were both out, the offensive line was severely depleted, and right tackle Lane Johnson had announced his retirement. Despite the typical letdown risk, Carolina took care of business on Sunday afternoon against a team starting a backup quarterback and featuring multiple injured offensive linemen.
With the win, the Panthers move to 3-2 on the season. Here are three major takeaways from the victory.
Carolina Will Have a New Offensive Coordinator in 2027
The Panthers' offense started quietly but ultimately delivered a phenomenal performance. Carolina racked up 399 total yards, nearly reaching 400 before Bryce Young took a knee to end the game. The team has yet to record fewer than 340 total yards in a game this season and now has three games with over 395 total yards. Brad Idzik, in his first year as an NFL play-caller, has started the season on fire. At this pace, Idzik will warrant consideration for head coaching vacancies across the league.
Chuba Hubbard Returns to 2024 Form
After an adversity-filled 2025 season, real questions emerged about whether Chuba Hubbard could once again be a bell-cow back. So far, he has passed that test with flying colors. Hubbard was a key part of Sunday's win, logging 28 carries for 120 rushing yards and a touchdown. This marks his second straight game with 120+ rushing yards and at least one touchdown. In a game where Bryce Young played well but was less efficient, Hubbard kept Carolina's offense on the field, fighting for yards after contact and finding gaps to run through.
Panthers Run Defense Impresses Again
Normally, against a depleted offense, the run defense wouldn't receive too much credit, but this is now two consecutive games of improvement in that department. Carolina surrendered just 35 rushing yards total. The defensive line did its job by stopping inside runs, and linebackers like Devin Lloyd and Bobby Okereke made excellent tackles throughout the game, combining for 4 tackles for loss. This performance follows Week 4, when the Panthers held Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs to just 46 yards on 15 carries. What was seen as this team's weak point after Week 1 is building momentum as the season progresses.