The Panthers will take on the NFC-East leading Eagles without one of their most important defenders.
The Carolina Panthers have played like a competent football team since reinstating Bryce Young as the starting quarterback. Young’s remarkable resurgence has led the Panthers to a 2-3 record since his return in Week 8. Despite Carolina’s current two game losing streak, the team has been competitive, forcing overtime against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday and pushing the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs to the brink in Week 12.
In Week 14, the Panthers will face another major challenge as the team travels to Philadelphia to take on the NFC East-leading Eagles. And Carolina will do so down an important defender.
Veteran linebacker Jadeveon Clowney won’t play in Week 14’s game against the Eagles, according to NFL insider Adam Schefter on X. The team downgraded him to out on Saturday.
Clowney leads the Panthers in sacks this season. And while he’s only tallied a mediocre 3.5 sacks in 10 games, 2.5 have come in the last two contests as Carolina asserts itself as a team on the rise.
The Panthers’ sack leader won’t suit up Sunday against the Eagles
Clowney was selected first overall by the Houston Texans in the 2014 draft after a standout college career at South Carolina. He spent five seasons with the Texans before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2019. After that, Clowney bounced around the league on short term deals as injuries limited his tantalizing ceiling.
However, Clowney landed with the Baltimore Ravens on a one-year deal in 2023 and had one of the better seasons of his career. The 11-year veteran tied his personal-best sack mark with 9.5, adding 43 total tackles, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and five passes defended with the Ravens.
After getting his career back on track, Clowney signed a two-year, $20 million deal with the Panthers ahead of the 2024 season, turning down offers from Baltimore and the New York Jets for the security of a two-year pact offered by Carolina. Although his 2024 stats don’t jump off the page, he’s been an important defensive presence for the Panthers this season, one the team will surely miss when facing the Eagles' league-leading rushing offense.
After a 2-2 start to the season, Philadelphia figured things out. The team has won eight straight games to improve to 10-2. The turnaround has been impressive as the Eagles now boast the third best offense in the league as well as the NFL’s top defense.
The Panthers look to improve to 4-9 on the season with hopes of escaping the NFC South’s basement. Unfortunately, the task becomes that much more difficult without Clowney pressuring Jalen Hurts and the Eagles' offense on Sunday.
