The Philadelphia Eagles‘ 25-14 loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 6 was not the performance they had hoped for.
Specifically, the offense looked rough, managing only 222 yards, but they at least protected the football with zero turnovers. Eight punts in the game, though, won’t help them.
One bright spot for the offense was the chemistry building between new starting quarterback Tanner McKee and wide receiver DeVonta Smith. McKee targeted Smith 14 times, catching 7 for 75 yards and connecting on a 19-yard touchdown. That showed encouraging signs that the two are on the verge of becoming a great combo, and Smith believes that.
DeVonta Smith on His Chemistry With Tanner McKee After Philadelphia Eagles Loss
Smith spoke with reporters after the game, where he talked about his connection with McKee. While it isn’t quite where they want it to be, Smith believes it will be solid after Week 6.
“It should look a lot better now knowing that he’s the quarterback probably going forward, and he’ll get those reps, be able to go over a lot of those things with a full week, ” Smith said via The Athletic’s Zach Berman.
McKee finished the game completing 26 of 45 passes for 215 yards and 1 touchdown. For the season, Smith has 26 receptions for 310 yards and 2 touchdowns.
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Smith is one of the NFL’s top wide receivers, so he and McKee should be able to make it work. The great thing about Smith’s game is that he can make all kinds of catches, so his catch radius is all over the place.
While building chemistry between the two is important, McKee has other concerns he needs to focus on. His offensive line struggled to protect him, and McKee was hit 11 times and sacked three times in the loss.
Smith and McKee can do so much together before the offensive line has to step up. It also doesn’t help that the rushing attack managed only 35 yards, leaving the Eagles’ offense one-dimensional for the moment.
The good news for the Eagles is that they face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 7 on Monday Night Football. Philly will get an extra day of rest and face a team that is also 2-4.
That will give McKee and Smith more time together to build the chemistry they seem to have. It will hopefully help the Eagles get some of their top talent back, like Saquon Barkley.
This will be a long week for the Eagles as they try to break their four-game losing streak. Their slim playoff chances are on the line against the Cowboys, and they need a win if they want any shot at the postseason.
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