5 ways Panthers QB Sam Darnold can shine vs. the Eagles in Week 5
By Dean Jones
Sam Darnold must continue running momentum
While he’s no Cam Newton and never will be, Sam Darnold has demonstrated some sneaky athleticism over his first four games with the Carolina Panthers. He leads the entire NFL in rushing touchdowns and gained notable yardage when things haven’t developed as expected for good measure.
This is all very promising and unexpected. Even though Darnold did show signs he could make a difference in this particular area on the New York Jets.
Credit must also go to Joe Brady for scheming things up efficiently. The run-pass option seemed to work well, especially in the red zone, so it might be worth this continuing in Week 5 against a Philadelphia Eagles defense that’s giving up 150.2 yards-per-game on the ground – the highest in the league.
If Christian McCaffrey is back and Chuba Hubbard continues developing, there might not be much of a need for Carolina to utilize Darnold in the run game. But it is a nice option to have all the same.
The Panthers have to worry about an extremely mobile quarterback this weekend in Jalen Hurts. However, the same might apply to Philadelphia judging by what we’ve seen from Darnold of late.
He’ll be much more of a threat throwing the football, but Darnold also has the wheels to make things happen should the right opportunity arise.