One month ago, the Philadelphia Eagles could have been forgiven for looking at their schedule and breathing a sigh of relief when they saw the Carolina Panthers in Week 14 — in a home game for the Eagles, no less.
Now, with the Eagles on an 8-game winning streak, things are much different for them and, somehow, for the suddenly feisty Panthers.
Despite being 3-9, the Panthers have turned into a (gasp!) competitive team, going 2-2 over the last 4 games since the return of quarterback and 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young from his benching. That includes 2 consecutive losses by less than one score to the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with the latter coming in overtime in Week 13.
Along with Young’s bounce back, the return of wide receiver Adam Thielen from a hamstring injury that saw him miss 7 games has helped lift the Panthers’ offense. ESPN singled out Thielen’s matchup with Eagles’ rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean as one of the keys for Week 14.
From ESPN: “… Thielen has emerged from a hamstring injury as their most reliable target. He recorded 156 receiving yards over the past two weeks, including 99 in an overtime loss to the Buccaneers. Thielen will have a tough challenge this Sunday against the Eagles’ secondary. He also plays slot 70% of the time, meaning he should face Cooper DeJean (who covers the slot 82% of the time). The rookie cornerback is allowing 1.0 yards per coverage snap and minus-12 EPA as the nearest defender — both better than average for a slot corner, per NFL Next Gen Stats. Young might have to look elsewhere.”
Thielen One of NFL’s Best WRs With Vikings
Thielen’s rise to one of the NFL’s best wide receivers is a remarkable story.
The Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, native starred at NCAA Division II Minnesota State before going undrafted in 2013. He spent all of that year on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad before making the team’s 53-man roster in 2014 and starred on special teams for 2 seasons.
In 2016, Thielen led the Vikings with 967 receiving yards then earned NFL All-Pro honors in 2017 with 1,276 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns and made back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2017 and 2018.
Thielen cashed out with a 4-year, $64 million contract extension with the Vikings in April 2019 but never cracked 1,000 receiving yards in his final 4 seasons in Minnesota, although he did have a career high 14 touchdowns in 2020.
Thielen signed a 3-year, $25 million free agent contract with the Panthers in March 2023.
DeJean Called ‘Biggest Steal’ of 2024 NFL Draft
DeJean was projected as a first round pick out of Iowa headed into the 2024 NFL draft after being named an All-American and Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year, but fell to the Eagles in the second round (No. 40 overall).
The 33rd Team’s Jeff Diamond put DeJean on his list of the “Biggest Steals” from the 2024 NFL draft on November 27 after he took over as the Eagles’ starting nickel back
“DeJean is one of the big contributors (along with first-round corner Quinyon Mitchell) to the massive improvement in Philadelphia’s pass defense that is ranked third after falling to 31st last season when they were a major cause of the team’s late-season collapse,” Diamond wrote.
