CHARLOTTE — Whatever you thought this Week 6 game would look like before the season began, it likely wasn'tgoing to be this. The Panthers (2-2) are coming off a bye week, which they started with a huge prime time win over the Detroit Lions.

Bryce Young is playing arguably the best ball of his career thus far, quarterbacking an offense that is third in the league in yards per game. Meanwhile, the Eagles (2-3) will, presumably, be fielding just three of their 11 offensive starters from their Week 1 win on this upcoming Sunday, all while coming off a three-game losing streak.

But a desperate team is a dangerous team, and team captain Derrick Brown knows Carolina can't be complacent with news out of Philadelphia that multiple starters could be out.

"I think there's a stigma that they're not a very good team right now, but it's not the truth," preached Brown this week."Watching them on tape, they do a lot of good things. They got a lot of moving pieces.

"This isn't an easy game, no matter what the situation is, and I mean, they're going to be coming out there looking to avenge what's been happening to them the last few weeks. So we've got to be ready for that."

All week, game-changing news shaped and reshaped how each team would game plan for Sunday's matchup.

Now, with around 24 hours to kickoff, a much clearer picture has emerged of who will be available, who will be out, and what it could mean for each team. With that in mind, here are five things to watch as the Panthers travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles.

Nothing is certain with Eagles' offense

The Eagles offense was thrown into flux last week and hasn't settled since.

After a surprise retirement (tackle Lane Johnson), a trade (center Cam Jurgens), and a starter still on injured reserve (guard Landon Dickerson), the offensive line has been forced to scramble and put together a new unit, the effects of which have rippled throughout the rest of the offense.

The Eagles' offense has allowed pressure on 45.9 percent of their dropbacks this season, the highest rate in the NFL. They allowed a 38.7 percent pressure rate with Lane Johnson at right tackle in Weeks 1-3, compared to 56.0 percent in Weeks 4-5 without him.

As if an uncertain offensive line wasn't enough to worry Eagles fans, the club will also be without Saquon Barkley again this week. The former offensive player of the year raises the Eagles' rushing attack by 2.5 yards per carry overall when he's on the field. But the Eagles ruled Barkley out for Sunday and, due to other injuries, will be down to their fourth-string running back, Dameon Pierce.

For years, Philly has leaned on quarterback Jalen Hurts to supplement the run game. But Hurts will not be on the field Sunday, as he takes time to address a blood clot in his calf. That means the Eagles are turning to Tanner McKee, a four-year veteran out of Stanford.

"I'm going to do a lot of studying tonight, to say the least," Brown laughed on Thursday about the crash course the Panthers defense was about to run on McKee.

"Guys aren't in the NFL for no reason, so I mean he's got to be somebody they trust to handle that offense."

McKee, whom teammates call "the Mormon Missile," has appeared in six games for Philly over the years, starting two; both starts came in Week 18 of seasons when the Eagles' postseason fate was already decided.

In those six games, he's gone 54-88 (61.4 percent) for 597 yards, five touchdowns, one interception, and five sacks. He lost the backup job this offseason to former Panthers QB Andy Dalton, but after the Eagles parted ways with Dalton last week, they promoted McKee. Now, he'll start.

The Eagles also signed quarterback Joe Milton off the Cowboys practice squad on Friday, though no word yet on whether he'll be available for Sunday's game.

It's an opportunity for a Panthers' pass rush unit, which has found pressure packages that work but has been unable to convert at a high level to sacks, to get home more against a passer playing his first snaps of the season.

The Eagles are familiar with Panthers outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips, since he played for Vic Fangio's defense last season, so they'll likely focus on stopping him. Phillips (hamstring) is officially listed as questionable for Sunday, but if he's on the field, Philly is likely to shift coverage his way. This leaves open lanes for Princely Umanmielen, who's been double-teamed just once on 79 pass rushes this season, tied for the league's lowest mark.

Umanmielen has generated pressure on 21.5 percent of his pass rushes this season, the third-highest rate among edge rushers, and quick pressure on 11.4 percent, the second-highest.

Can Chuba keep rolling?

Chuba Hubbard has been steady all season, as is his usual mode. But in Week 4, Hubbard really opened things up, rushing for 122 yards on 20 carries, averaging 6.1 yards a clip, and scoring two touchdowns. This season, he has 61 rushes for 306 yards, three rushing scores, and two through the air.

He has posted a 47.5 percent success rate this season, the fourth-highest among running backs, and has been stuffed on just 9.8 percent of his carries, the second-lowest rate in the league. He's doing all this despite facing a stacked box (eight-plus defenders) on 31.0 percent of designed runs this season, which is the highest rate any team has faced in the NFL through five weeks.

The Eagles' defensive front is built around big maulers, with a 6-6, 336 monster at the center of it all: Jordan Davis. At linebacker, Zack Baun (second on the team with 36 tackles) has recorded eight run stuffs this season, the most in the NFL.

"I mean, from top down, they're a great team," said Hubbard this week, giving the Eagles their flowers. "Defensive line's really good, obviously. The linebackers are really good as well. DB, likewise, they fly around.

"They're a physical team. Obviously played these guys two years ago and obviously, some stuff's changed then, but same group overall and same mentality, so it's going to be a great challenge. Always hard to play in Philly, so it'll be fun.

The Eagles have used a light box (six or fewer defenders) on 67.2 percent of opponent-designed runs, the highest in the NFL.

The run game has been productive, but what coach Dave Canales wants to see next is for it to be efficient, starting in the first half.

"What we're looking for is this balanced offense, and when you take a look at the run game, our first-half stats, we haven't been consistent in our averages," explained Canales. "It's not that we necessarily need to run the ball more; we just need to be more efficient with the opportunities because when you flip it in the second half of games, that's when our run game is really, really efficient and we're starting to get more yards and block things right.

"We got to come out that way from the beginning so we have this balanced attack with the pass game and then all of a sudden you really have an attacking and explosive type of offense."

How does the Panthers' secondary fare against the Eagles' passing game?

If the Eagles are unable to run the ball effectively with a decimated running game, one would assume they will then pass it more, because, well, that's the only other option. That will pit McKee and his receiving corps against a young Panthers secondary looking to bounce back from a Lions game, especially on the edges.

The Eagles did not put a game designation on receiver DeVonta Smith for Sunday's game, indicating he will play against the Panthers.

The Panthers are challenging Akayleb Evans to learn from the plays given up against the Lions; theoretically, the secondary can also use Chau Smith-Wade in certain packages, who has spent most of his time in Carolina at nickel but also has years of history as a boundary corner.

"The one thing about that position for Akayleb, and really for anybody, is — and it's the nature of the beast, obviously, we know that, but — you can play 65 really good snaps and then five or so snaps can really define the game," said defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.

"I want to lean into the snaps that he did a heck of a job on, because there were so many good plays out there, in coverage and in run support and things of that nature. There's things that obviously he needs to correct, and I'm excited to see what he does with that.

"I have a lot of confidence that he will, and they're very correctable things. So we don't expect anybody to go out there and play perfect, and we expect everybody to get better every week, and Akayleb and everybody else will try to get that done."

While Smith will be back on the field after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury, keep an eye on second-year UDFA Darius Cooper. He has been a touchdown magnet with four touchdowns (on just seven receptions), all on downfield targets (10-plus air yards) this season, tied for the most in the NFL.

In their only game without Jaycee Horn this season, the Panthers allowed 262 yards on downfield passes to the Lions in Week 4, the fifth-most by a defense in a game this season.

How do Bryce and receiving corps face off against strong secondary?

The secret is out on Bryce Young and the Panthers' 2026 receiving corps. The group has put up big numbers through four games and ranks second in the NFL in passing yards per game (301.3 ypg).

One area where Young and this corps have found success is near the boundary. Young has targeted receivers within three yards of the sideline on 12.3 percent of his pass attempts this season, the highest rate among qualified quarterbacks, completing 10 of 20 such attempts for a league-high 202 yards.

On those throws, Tetairoa McMillan has drawn a team-high eight targets for 73 yards, the second-most among receivers, trailing only Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith (85). Right behind McMillan is Jalen Coker, returning from an injury that has kept him out since Week 3, but he has still caught four of five sideline targets for 70 yards, the third-most among receivers.

Coker did not have a game designation on Friday's injury report, indicating he will be good to go for Sunday's game. His plus-minus helps the Carolina offense come alive, since his presence alone demands attention, opening things up for McMillan, the rookie of the year.

"That's the hope, for Bryce to continue to find the opportunities to guys," said coach Dave Canales this week. "And while we try to feature TMac and we try to feature different guys in the pass game, all of the other routes have to come alive for us. And it's good to get Coker back out there this week, and that'll be another good element for us there."

The Panthers offense is averaging a 44.6 percent passing success rate with Coker on the field this season; without him, it drops to 43.0 percent. With him on the field, their 9.0 yards per attempt would rank second in the NFL; however, the 6.5 yards per attempt with Coker off the field would rank 23rd in the league.

Now, the Panthers' passing game gets a great litmus test against the Eagles' secondary.

"Super physical in the back end," said Young of the Philly secondary. "They do a great job of communicating, a great job of being sticky in coverage. They've come up with some really big plays back there, so we have a ton of respect for that unit, for them as a team. We know the hostile environment we're going to go into."

Philly's defense is 26th in passing defense, allowing 238.8 yards per game through the air; that ranking is ahead of both the Falcons and Lions, whom the Panthers beat, and well below the Bears (12th) and Browns (13th), both of whom Carolina lost to but put up huge numbers through the air on, well over the season average of each.

Regardless of current numbers, though, this is a secondary led by Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell, and one that has allowed opposing quarterbacks to target open receivers on just 36.0 percent of their pass attempts this season, the lowest rate in the NFL.

The team also signed former Seahawks starter Riq Woolen this offseason. DeJean leads the team with four passes defensed, but has also allowed the most yardage, and is tied with Woolen for most touchdowns allowed (2). Against the run, DeJean has missed seven tackles, tied for the second-most among all defensive backs and two more than any other cornerback.

The Eagles' cornerbacks have mostly stuck to the sides of the field rather than pure shadow coverage this season, with Quinyon Mitchell aligning at right outside cornerback on 95.0 percent, meaning the Panthers should be able to move receivers around to get a favorable matchup on Mitchell. However, Mitchell has allowed an open receiver on just 11.5 percent of his targets, the lowest rate among cornerbacks.

Of course, throwing at all against the Eagles means getting the ball out before Jalen Carter or Jon Greenard (who has no game designation with an ankle injury and could return Sunday) gets to the passer.

Carter, in particular, can wreck a game, something for which the Panthers have accounted.

"He's been dominated at every level," Young said this week of Carter. "He's an elite, elite player, you know, elite. We all have a ton of respect for him, and we're excited for the challenge. It's going to take everything; again, the entire defense, they play really, really well together up front in the box, super stout.

"You definitely account for where he's at. You definitely have to have a plan…So throughout the week we have to make sure we're working to give ourselves the best chance to go and compete, and then we're happy for the opportunity."

How do Panthers come out after a bye?

The Panthers have not won coming off a bye week since 2023. The last two seasons under Dave Canales have also seen Carolina win going into the bye week, before dropping that game after the break. Facing an Eagles team that has lost three in a row gives the Panthers a chance to take advantage in a way they haven't in the previous two years. It will mean coming out fast, and not sluggish, against a team that can take advantage.

Canales saw the response and energy from his team in practice this week, giving him faith this will happen.

"My job is to make sure that we have championship processes," said Canales. "The way that we meet the timeliness of people coming out to things, the urgency, the efficiency and flow of a practice; running on and off the field, breaking the huddle with efficiency, immediate communication, signaling our personnel in and out, everything has to — we're practicing for the game, and so everything should feel that way. Everything should have that sense.

"I was able to double down on that coming out of the Detroit win and to show the guys great process leads to this. We can't worry about anything else but handling our process. That's all we have in our control. The guys did it again this week.

"What's special for me and my dream is that they would lead and drive that, and I'm just a reminder, and I'm just coming alongside and nipping at them at times when it's starting to stray a little bit. But I didn't have to do that a lot this week.

"This is a group that's really focused, that wants to kind of engage in that process. And sitting out there today on a Friday practice, the moments of just the urgency and the communication and all that, and I'm sitting back there with my whistle, and I'm like, they're doing it. And that's what we need to go where we want to go and find a consistent play."

It's also an opportunity to string together important NFC wins. The Panthers have oscillated between wins and losses both this season and last. They haven't had back-to-back wins since the Week 5 through Week 7 stretch last season.

The Eagles are returning from an International game in London with no bye week. However, over the last three seasons, there have been 34 teams that played international games (accounting for some clubs more than once, every time they played an international game, i.e., the Jaguars, who play multiple London games a season, count as two teams): 16 of those instances were followed by bye weeks. In three cases (the Jaguars and Vikings), teams stayed in Europe to play a second international game.

Those who returned to the States and did not have bye weeks went 8-7. Furthermore, a non-stop flight from London to Philadelphia is only about two to three hours longer than a flight from Los Angeles.

In other words, there is no guarantee a lack of a bye after an international game will result in a team being sluggish.

However, teams coming off an international game without a bye and facing teams who are coming off a bye are 0-4.