Tanner McKee Throws 45 Times in a 25-14 Loss as Bryce Young and the Panthers Bury the Eagles

The Carolina Panthers beat the Philadelphia Eagles 25-14 at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, and the first game of the post-Jalen Hurts stretch looked every bit as difficult as Philadelphia feared. Tanner McKee, starting with Hurts on injured reserve because of a blood clot in his calf, finished 26 of 45 for 215 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions while taking three sacks. Bryce Young threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, and Chuba Hubbard ground out 120 rushing yards and a score on 28 carries.

The loss dropped the Eagles to 2-4 and extended their losing streak to four games, their longest skid since 2020. Carolina moved to 3-2 coming out of its Week 5 bye and now owns a road win over the franchise that was supposed to set the pace in the NFC.

How the Game Turned

Carolina led 10-7 at halftime, then controlled the second half. Philadelphia's offense managed only 35 rushing yards, and every one of them belonged to Dameon Pierce, who carried 12 times for 35 yards and a touchdown. McKee's lone scoring throw was a 19-yard strike to DeVonta Smith early in the fourth quarter that cut the deficit to 19-14, but the Panthers answered and the Eagles never threatened again.

Young spread the ball around without forcing it. Jalen Coker caught six passes for 97 yards, Tetairoa McMillan added six for 86, and tight end Tommy Tremble turned four catches into 46 yards and both Carolina touchdowns. Hubbard's volume did the rest, wearing down a defense that lost starters during the game.

The injury list kept growing for Philadelphia. Running back Carson Steele left with a shoulder injury, and defensive starters Nolan Smith (concussion) and Jordan Davis (ankle) also exited. That came on top of a pregame inactive list that already included Hurts, Saquon Barkley (hamstring) and Will Shipley (foot).

The Box Score That Matters for Fantasy

Eagles Fantasy Fallout: Volume Without Efficiency

Tanner McKee threw 45 times, and that is the most useful takeaway for anyone weighing him in superflex leagues. The Eagles were willing to put the game in his hands, but 4.8 yards per attempt and three sacks show how little the offense is generating downfield. He avoided turnovers, which keeps him playable as a low-ceiling QB2 in two-quarterback formats, but he is not a streaming option in one-QB leagues.

DeVonta Smith is the clear winner on the Philadelphia side. With A.J. Brown traded to New England in June, Smith is the top target in this offense, and Sunday confirmed it: 14 targets, seven catches, 75 yards and the touchdown in his return from hamstring and toe issues. Fourteen looks is WR1-level volume even if the efficiency is not, and Smith stays a weekly starter while McKee is under center.

Dallas Goedert saw eight targets and caught six for 61 yards. Tight ends become a quarterback's safety valve when the pocket collapses, and McKee leaned on Goedert in exactly that way. He remains a TE1 on volume alone in a thin position.

The backfield is the messiest piece. Barkley's hamstring kept him out, Shipley is sidelined, and Steele got hurt during the game. Pierce scored and added four receptions, but 35 yards on 12 carries behind this line is not a recipe for repeat production. Barkley managers should watch practice reports closely this week; if he returns, he reclaims the job immediately, and Pierce becomes a handcuff. If Barkley sits again, Pierce is a touchdown-dependent flex and nothing more.

Panthers Fantasy Winners

Bryce Young has now produced the kind of road performance that changes how fantasy managers view him. Two touchdowns, zero interceptions and 281 yards against a defense with Philadelphia's talent level makes him a credible streamer, especially next week at home.

Chuba Hubbard is the headline for season-long managers. Twenty-eight carries is a bell-cow workload, and he turned it into 120 yards and a touchdown. As long as Carolina plays with a lead, Hubbard's floor is among the safest at the position.

The receiver room split cleanly between Jalen Coker and Tetairoa McMillan, each with six catches. Coker's 97 yards make him a strong waiver priority in leagues where he is still available, and McMillan remains an every-week starter. Tommy Tremble scored twice, but four catches is a modest share, so treat him as a touchdown-or-bust streamer rather than a new weekly starter.

The Betting Lens and Verdexed Angle

This result is a case study in how much the market and the model should move on a quarterback change. Philadelphia's offense with McKee was conservative, sack-prone and unable to run, and the defense is now dealing with in-game injuries on top of an already thin roster. Those are the inputs Verdexed's model weighs most heavily: quarterback continuity, the health of skill players and starters on defense, and how a team's offense performs without its top creator.

For Carolina, the inputs point the other way. A rested team coming off a bye beat a wounded opponent on the road, and the formula (a heavy run game, a turnover-free quarterback and a defense that kept Philadelphia under 4 yards a carry) is repeatable. For how the model views both teams heading into Week 7, see Verdexed's NFL predictions page at /nfl/predictions, and check /blog/nfl-week-7-picks-2026 when the weekly slate posts. Anyone placing wagers should be of legal betting age in your jurisdiction.

What's Next in Week 7

Carolina hosts Tampa Bay on Sunday, Oct. 25 at Bank of America Stadium in a divisional game that could put the Panthers firmly in the NFC South conversation. The Buccaneers fell to 1-5 with an overtime loss to Pittsburgh, and Baker Mayfield's thumb injury leaves their quarterback situation unsettled.

Philadelphia is scheduled to host Dallas on Monday night, Oct. 26. Hurts must miss at least four games on IR, which keeps him out through the Cowboys, Commanders and Giants games and the bye that follows, and the team has not set a return timeline. That means McKee is the starter for the foreseeable future.

The takeaway: Start DeVonta Smith and Chuba Hubbard with confidence in Week 7, put in a waiver claim for Jalen Coker, consider Bryce Young as a home streamer against Tampa Bay, and keep Tanner McKee confined to superflex lineups until the Eagles show they can run the ball without Barkley.