The Carolina Panthers are coming out of the bye week with a tough task on the road going up against the Philadelphia Eagles, a team looking to put an end to their three-game losing streak.

The Eagles are far from a team for the Panthers to overlook going into Sunday’s game, even with all of the issues and injuries surrounding the team. However, breaking news out of Philadelphia just completely flipped the expectations for the game, at least when it comes to the Panthers’ defense.

Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers

The Philadelphia Eagles announced on Thursday that quarterback Jalen Hurts will not play on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers due to a superficial blood clot in his calf.

“On Thursday, October 8th, Jalen visited the training room after practice requesting treatment for his calf. He informed the medical staff he had been cleated during the Rams game on October 4th. This was his first treatment session for the calf injury following the game, after having practiced in full both Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, Jalen received treatment, practiced in full, and was added to the practice report,” the team said in a statement.

“Out of an abundance of caution, an ultrasound was performed on Saturday following the team’s flight to London and walkthrough. The ultrasound revealed a superficial blood clot. Our medical staff and doctors in London reviewed the results and concluded that activity and mobility were important and that Jalen could safely play. Doctors recommended a follow-up ultrasound within 72 hours of the game and the return flight to Philadelphia.

“Jalen played without limitation in the game Sunday, received treatment on Monday and Tuesday, and practiced in full on Wednesday, as reflected in the practice report. Throughout our time in London and this week, we have remained in communication with the league office regarding the matter.

“On Wednesday night, a follow-up ultrasound revealed movement in the small blood clot. Jalen will be out for Sunday’s game vs. the Panthers as we determine the appropriate course of treatment. His health and safety are our highest priority.”

Jalen Hurts’ absence changes the gameplan for Ejiro Evero’s defense

Hurts is one of the top quarterbacks in the league, so this is a massive blow on short-notice to Philadelphia’s offense. To make matters worse, running back Saquon Barkley and wide receiver DeVonta Smith did not practice on Wednesday. So, the Eagles might be without three of their top offensive players against the Panthers.

In Hurts’ place, the Eagles will have to turn to Tanner McKee as the starting quarterback after the team released Andy Dalton earlier this season. At running back, the Eagles are expected to turn to Dameon Pierce if Barkley doesn’t play, not to mention Will Shipley is also dealing with an injury and didn’t practice yesterday.

That changes the equation a lot for the kind of offense the Panthers need to be prepared to face on Sunday.

“The blocking scheme doesn’t seem to vary much, so we’ll start from that standpoint,” Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero said. “Obviously Saquon and Pierce are two different style of runners. Saquon is one of the best in the league, Pierce does a good job of running physical and downhill. We have to play the blocks up-front and we understand the scheme they’re trying to run. . .

“You always prepare for – I don’t want to say best-case or worse-case – but you prepare for (Barkley) to play. He’s a great player and we certainly don’t want to be caught off-guard if he plays. We have to have that mindset and adapt either way.”

The biggest difference between Hurts and McKee is the mobility aspect. Hurts is a dangerous dual-threat quarterback who has the ability to hurt you with his legs. McKee is a more of a drop-back pocket passer. That difference is key against a Panthers defense that has struggled containing mobile quarterbacks this season.

“The rush plan differs week-to-week,” Evero explained. “Obviously, when you play a guy like Caleb Williams, the rush plan is very important to keep him in the pocket. When you rush four people only, sometimes you can do everything right and it’s still hard to keep him in there. That’s the challenge those type of players present is that you have to commit more resources to handle them. You play a guy like Jared Goff, he doesn’t have the same mobility as those other guys, but he can really beat you down the field.”

We saw that in the Panthers’ last game when Goff threw for 412 yards on 52 attempts. Luckily, the Panthers’ offense showed up and put up enough points to come away with a win. The difference this week is that McKee isn’t the cerebral veteran that Goff is.

This news certainly changes the gameplan up on the Panthers in a major way defensively. And how they adjust to this news, and the rest of the Eagles’ injury situations, will be key to taking advantage of this offense.