CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Every great defense needs a leader. The Eagles got theirs back on Thursday and Fletcher Cox made a difference.
On a night when the Eagles further established their legitimacy as playoff contenders and quite possibly as one of the NFC’s elite teams, Cox showed once again why he’s a $100 million man. And he wasn’t even credited with a tackle.
The only numbers that ultimately mattered: Eagles 28, Panthers 23. But Cox and the Jim Schwartz-helmed defense confounded Carolina quarterback Cam Newton and his offense for 60 minutes.
Newton completed just 54 percent of his passes and averaged just 4.