October 19, 2026

Game ball, three stars, and snap count analysis: Week 6, Eagles vs. Panthers

The Eagles' defense is on the field a whole lot more than the offense.

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

Bill Streicher/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Eagles are going to have to be careful about wearing out Jalen Carter in a lost season.

In their Week 6 loss to the Carolina Panthers the Philadelphia Eagles played 64 snaps on offense and 79 on defense. Let's just get right to the snap counts, some notes, and some special recognition.

Quarterback

• 64 snaps: Tanner McKee

Notes: McKee finished 26 of 45 for 215 yards, 1 TD, and 0 INTs. He looked like a backup. But honestly, it could have been a lot worse, given that the Eagles had no run game, an offensive line with three inexperienced players, very little in the way of pass protection, a garbage scheme, and McKee was playing from behind all day. I'm curious to watch him some more.

Running back

• 61 snaps: Dameon Pierce

• 3 snaps: Carson Steele

Notes: The Eagles were without RB1 Saquon Barkley (hamstring), RB2 Tank Bigsby (IR), and RB3 Will Shipley (IR).

It seemed like the Eagles were going to get Steele involved in this game, but he quickly injured his arm/shoulder, and did not return. Once he was out, the Eagles were down their RB1, RB2, RB3, and RB5.

Pierce carried 12 times for 35 yards.

The Eagles have no run game.

Wide receiver

• 52 snaps: Makai Lemon

• 42 snaps: DeVonta Smith

• 40 snaps: Dontayvion Wicks

• 39 snaps: Darius Cooper

• 8 snaps: Elijah Moore

Notes: Smith made a nice contested catch for a touchdown.

Tanner McKee to DeVonta Smith for 6!

Eagles alive in the 4th quarter. pic.twitter.com/sbumWci2y4
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 18, 2026

That was also McKee's best throw of the day, by far.

Smith was clearly on a pitch count. He normally never leaves the field. I think it shows some level of desperation playing Smith ahead of three divisional games when he isn't 100 percent healthy.

Rookie receiving leaders:

Player	Rec	Yards	YPC	TD
Denzel Boston, Browns	17	345	20.3	3
Carnell Tate, Titans	29	344	11.9	1
Germie Bernard, Steelers	24	227	9.5	1
KC Concepcion, Browns	22	186	8.5	0
Ted Hurst, Buccaneers	11	168	15.3	1
Malachi Fields, Giants	12	165	13.8	1
Antonio Williams, Commanders	15	155	10.3	1
Dohnte Meyers, Bengals	13	141	10.8	0
Omar Cooper (2 games), Jets	7	133	19.0	1
Makai Lemon, Eagles	18	127	7.1	0

Not great.

Tight end

• 52 snaps: Dallas Goedert

• 19 snaps: Johnny Mundt

• 4 snaps: E.J. Jenkins

Notes: Goedert has played well this season. On Sunday he had six catches on eight targets for 61 yards. He also drew a pass interference call that set up the Eagles with a goal-to-go opportunity that led to a touchdown. (He also had his pants pulled down on the play.)

If I were some team in need of a good tight end for the stretch run, I'd think about seeing what it would take to get him.

Mundt won't go down as one of the Eagles' best all-time free agent signings. He was brought in to be a blocking tight end and he's been a terrible blocker. On Sunday he was flagged for a hold (his third of the season), and he gave up a sack when he missed his assignment.

Zach Ertz was not elevated for this game. He can't be thrilled winding down his career on a practice squad, not participating in games while guys like Mundt and Jenkins are active. To be clear, I'm not saying Ertz should be up, as he hasn't really done anything to positively contribute either, but this season has to be tough for him. His only real reason for sticking around is to chase Harold Carmichael's career receptions record, and it's not a certainty that he'll get there.

Offensive line

• 64 snaps each: Jordan Mailata, Willie Lampkin, Jake Majors, Tyler Steen, Markel Bell

Notes: Drew Kendall was active for this matchup, but he was only healthy enough to be an emergency guy. And so, Majors got the start, and he had one of the more critical errors of the game, when he snapped a ground ball back to McKee just when the Eagles had finally gotten some momentum going.

There's not much to say here, really. It's a skeleton crew offensive line, and they collectively couldn't get anything going in the run game. They also gave up a lot of pressure in the passing game. Some of the young guys like Kendall, Lampkin, and Bell will get some valuable experience, and the Eagles will be able to evaluate their play over a long season. But it's probably going to be ugly all year.

Edge defenders

• 72 snaps: Arnold Ebiketie

• 48 snaps: Keyshawn James-Newby

• 24 snaps: Jonathan Greenard

• 14 snaps: Nolan Smith

Notes: Jalyx Hunt and A.J. Epenesa missed this game due to injuries.

Smith left early with what is pretty clearly a concussion. He took a big head shot on a chip by Chuba Hubbard, and he didn't try to break his fall on his way down to the ground.

#NolanSmith @Eagles
For apparent head injury check pic.twitter.com/lUtgkBRRRi
— David J. Chao - ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) October 18, 2026

He then tried to get up, but his body wouldn't cooperate.

Smith has played well this season. On his 14 snaps on Sunday, he had three tackles and a sack. Like Goedert above, if I'm a team in need some edge rusher help for the stretch run, Smith would be on my radar.

Greenard has contributed nothing to this team through the first six games. This was the third game he has played in. He has one tackle, zero sacks. When I have watched him a bit on some pass rush opportunities, he has gotten absolutely no pressure whatsoever. The Eagles traded two third-round picks for Greenard and then gave him a four-year contract worth $98 million.

Greenard has dealt with injuries, and he is pretty clearly on a pitch count at the moment, but man, the Eagles would love a mulligan on that acquisition.

Interior defensive line

• 74 snaps: Jalen Carter

• 41 snaps: Jordan Davis

• 32 snaps each: Moro Ojomo, Byron Young

• 15 snaps: Ty Robinson

Notes: The Eagles' offensive and defensive snap count so far this season:

Opponent	Eagles snaps	Opponent snaps	Differential
Week 1: Commanders	55	70	-15
Week 2: Titans	76	53	+23
Week 3: Bears	50	72	-22
Week 4: Rams	61	84	-23
Week 5: Jaguars	62	72	-10
Week 6: Panthers	64	79	-15
TOTAL	368 (61.3/game)	430 (71.7/game)	-62

Over their last four games, the Eagles' defense is playing 76.8 snaps per game, largely because the Eagles' trash offense can't stay on the field. At some point the Eagles are going to have to be smart about wearing Carter out in a lost season.

Ojomo was playing through pain throughout this game. He'll likely be on the injury report this week, and we'll find out then what he was dealing with. For the second time this season, Ojomo jumped offsides in a situation in which the opposing offense probably wasn't even going to run a play.

Davis made some plays in the run game and even as a pass rusher in this game. I thought his roughing the passer penalty was a tough break, as he was trying to bat a pass and his hands came down on a very short quarterback's head. Still, for a guy making the money he makes, barely playing more then 50 percent of the snaps doesn't feel like a great use of that money.

Linebacker

• 79 snaps: Zack Baun

• 48 snaps: Jihaad Campbell

• 28 snaps: Jeremiah Trotter

Notes: Trotter subbed in a bit for Campbell. I think he has earned that. He had five tackles and a half sack on his 28 snaps. Campbell also had five tackles, on his 48 snaps.

Cornerback and safety

• 79 snaps each: Quinyon Mitchell, Andrew Mukuba

• 78 snaps: Cooper DeJean

• 77 snaps: Riq Woolen

• 48 snaps: Kenny Moore

• 1 snap: Jonathan Jones

Notes: As we noted in our 10 awards post, DeJean is simply not the same All-Pro caliber player this season that he was late in his rookie season in 2024 and in his second season in 2025. He has missed a lot of tackles and he has had communication issues with Woolen.