Panthers vs. Eagles: Tommy Tremble Goes Full Rocky in Philly as Carolina Wins 25-14 in Week 6

Tommy Tremble has a photo of himself and his dad doing the Rocky fist pump on the famous steps in Philadelphia. On Sunday he got to make a sequel, live, in the end zone at Lincoln Financial Field, with Jalen Coker playing the role of the guy who gets knocked out.

"We just kind of made that up, like 10 minutes before the game," Coker said of the bit. It played better than most scripted content. Bryce Young threw for 281 yards and both of his touchdown passes went to Tremble, Chuba Hubbard ground out 120 yards on 28 carries, and the Carolina Panthers beat the short-handed Philadelphia Eagles 25-14. Carolina moved to 3-2. Philadelphia, two seasons removed from a Super Bowl title according to the AP, dropped to 2-4 with its fourth straight loss, its first such skid since 2020.

Twelve Rounds, Most of Them Ugly

This was not a pretty fight. The Eagles, without Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley, punted on their first five possessions and managed 37 yards in the opening quarter, per the AP. Ryan Fitzgerald opened the scoring with a 47-yard field goal, and long snapper JJ Jansen's snap on that kick put him in the record book: his 282nd game broke a tie with Trey Junkin for the most ever by a long snapper, according to the Panthers.

After a 23-yard Eagles punt gave Carolina the ball at the Philadelphia 35, Young found Tremble for a 12-yard touchdown and the Rocky routine. Philadelphia answered with a 10-play, 78-yard drive that ended in Dameon Pierce's 2-yard plunge, and a pass interference flag on rookie corner Will Lee III helped set it up. That was a theme: the Panthers were flagged eight times for 105 yards in the first half alone. Halftime: 10-7.

Fitzgerald's 52-yarder on the opening drive of the third quarter made it 13-7, his 11th straight make to begin the season. Then came the drive that broke Philadelphia. Pinned at their own 8, the Panthers faced third-and-8 from the 10 when Young hit Coker for 32 yards. On fourth-and-1, Tremble lined up at fullback and led Hubbard through a hole for 19 yards. Later, facing fourth-and-1 at the 3, Young's hard count drew the Eagles into an encroachment penalty, and Hubbard plunged in from the 1 two snaps later. The two-point try failed, but the 14-play, 92-yard march ate 7:43 and made it 19-7.

Tanner McKee did respond, hitting DeVonta Smith for a 19-yard touchdown that cut it to 19-14 early in the fourth. After forcing a Carolina three-and-out, Philadelphia's next series went sideways: an aborted snap cost 12 yards and Braden Mann's punt traveled all of 8. Carolina pounced. Cooper DeJean was flagged for unnecessary roughness on the drive, and on the very next snap Young fired a 19-yard touchdown to a wide-open Tremble for a 25-14 lead with 6:33 left. Zakee Wheatley broke up a fourth-down deep shot to Smith, and Carolina ran out the final 4:26, mostly on Hubbard's legs, while the Eagles burned all three timeouts.

Young Steady, Hubbard Heavy, Tremble Everywhere

Young finished 20 of 39 for 281 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and he was at his best when the Panthers were in trouble. Coker caught six passes for 97 yards and Tetairoa McMillan added six for 86. Young was quick to credit his tight end's invisible work. "He does so much of the dirty work that maybe doesn't show up on the box score," Young said.

Hubbard was the hammer. He averaged 3.0 yards per carry in the first half and 4.8 in the second, per the Panthers, which is what wearing down a defense looks like on paper. Hubbard's scouting report on his best friend and lead blocker was simple: "he's an animal. He gets after it no matter where we put him."

Defensively, Carolina held Philadelphia to 222 total yards and 35 on the ground, sacked McKee three times and got eight tackles, a sack and three tackles for loss from Bobby Okereke.

Gloves Off, Flags Out

Here's the twist in this Rocky movie: Carolina nearly lost a fight to itself. The Panthers were penalized 13 times for 149 yards, including Tremble's own taunt after his second touchdown, which pushed the extra point back 15 yards and helped turn it into a miss. Dave Canales called the penalty total "outrageous," but also offered a defense of his guys.

"A lot of times these are effort penalties, and guys are trying too hard in different situations," Canales said.

Tremble owned his. "I shouldn't have retaliated. That wasn't cool for me to do," he said. Fair enough. Still, the decisive moments were Carolina's: two fourth-and-1s cashed on one drive, while Philadelphia's own fourth-down try died on Wheatley's breakup.

Stats That Matter

• 222: Total yards for the Eagles. They were shut out in the third quarter and, per the AP, have scored only six third-quarter points all season.
• 13 for 149: Carolina's penalty line, and the Panthers still won by 11.
• 92: Yards on the 14-play, 7:43 drive that turned a 13-7 game into 19-7.
• 28 for 120: Hubbard's workload. The last nine Panthers plays were basically a clock-killing montage.

A Contender in Carolina, a Crisis in Philly

Carolina is 3-2 and 2-1 on the road, and has now won games in very different ways. The Panthers host Tampa Bay next Sunday with a run game that finally looks like an identity.

Philadelphia is in genuine trouble. The Eagles started 2-0 and have dropped four straight, including a 19-17 loss to Jacksonville in London a week earlier. Hurts is on injured reserve, Barkley missed his second straight game, and McKee, making his third career start, went 26 of 45 for 215 yards and was sacked three times. "Whether it was guys in the wrong spot, I've got to get them fixed or a missed call, I've got to get it fixed," McKee said. Dallas comes to town on Monday, Oct. 26.

Going the Distance

By the end, according to the AP, a small group of Panthers fans were about the only people left in the stands, and they were chanting "MVP!" at Young. "All the Panthers fans being able to be out here all the way in Philly and feeling the support," Young said. Rocky lost his first fight with Apollo on the scorecards. Carolina won this one on points, penalties and all. Somewhere atop those museum steps, Tremble's old photo just got a worthy sequel.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Postgame quotes as reported by the Associated Press and the Carolina Panthers (panthers.com).