The Eagles were unable to come back against Carolina on Sunday night, ultimately falling to the Panthers, 27-16. The loss came after a number of missed opportunities for the team including dropped passes and a missed field goal. The Eagles are now 3-4 on the season. Here are the top takeaways from Sunday night's game ….

Finding Success On The Ground

The offense showed encouraging signs in the running game throughout the night. On 27 carries, DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles combined for 171 yards. Murray saw the bulk of the action, carrying 18 times for 65 yards. Mathews tallied 97 yards on six carries, and Sproles ran three times for 9 yards.

The team's biggest run of the night came at the hands of Mathews with 9:43 left in the third quarter. Bradford handed the ball off to the running back, who found a huge hole in the middle of the line and cut up the field and into open space. He used his excellent top-end speed to blow by Carolina safety Kurt Coleman and separate from a couple trailing defenders, taking it 63 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-13. It was the longest run of Mathews' career.

Turnovers The Name Of The Game

At the 9:24 mark of the first quarter, the Eagles' offense was picked off by Colin Jones after a pass from quarterback Sam Bradford floated through the hands of Jordan Matthews. The Panthers took over at the Philadelphia 21-yard line. However, the Eagles' defense made a play on the very next snap to turn the momentum and prevent Carolina from extending its lead.

Quarterback Cam Newton threw the ball down left toward the end zone, and although the pass initially looked to be completed to Ted Ginn, Jr., cornerback Nolan Carroll stripped the ball from his hands. Carroll kept it from hitting the ground, giving his team the ball back at the 6-yard line and recording his second interception is as many weeks.

The turnovers continued on in Philadelphia's favor as the game progressed.

With 1:05 left in the second quarter, the Panthers set up for second-and-15 on their own 37-yard line. Newton rolled out to his right to avoid pressure up the middle from Vinny Curry, throwing a dart of a pass to an open receiver toward the near sideline. But Malcolm Jenkins, who's been one of Philadelphia's most consistent players on the defensive side of the ball this season, jumped in front and made a leaping interception to give the Eagles the ball on the Carolina 39-yard line. The Eagles were able to work the ball down to the 11-yard line, where they settled for a field goal to make it 14-6 going into halftime.

The Eagles were once again able to pick off Newton in the third quarter as cornerback Byron Maxwell came away with his first interception as an Eagle, making an athletic, diving grab to haul in a tipped ball off the hands of rookie receiver Devin Funchess. Philadelphia took over possession at the Carolina 18-yard line, but was only able to get a field goal out of the short-field opportunity, making it 21-16 with 5:51 left in the third.

Peters Leaves With Back Spasms

With 5:21 remaining in the first quarter, left tackle Jason Peters went down with a lower back injury. He remained immobilized for several minutes before a cart was brought out to take him into the locker room to undergo X-rays. During the third quarter the Eagles announced that Peters had suffered low back spasms and would miss the remainder of the game.

In light of the injury, Matt Tobin shifted to the left tackle position and Dennis Kelly entered the game at right guard.

Coach's Challenge

With 2:57 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Eagles' offense was pinned at its own 5-yard line. On a third-and-16, Bradford threw to Matthews up the middle, but the pass was short after the quarterback's arm was hit. Although the pass was incomplete, a flag was thrown on the field for pass interference against Carolina's Luke Kuechly. The call would give the Eagles a first down.

The flag was then picked up by officials after claiming the ball had been tipped. Head coach Chip Kelly challenged the ruling and after reviewing the play, the call on the field was reversed, awarding Philadelphia with the first down. On fourth-and-16 shortly thereafter, the Eagles were unable to convert after wide receiver Miles Austin failed to catch what would have been his sixth reception of the night for the first down. The Panthers received the ball at the Philadelphia 16-yard and kicked a field goal to solidify the victory.

Drops Plague Eagles Offense

In the first quarter, Matthews failed to haul in a pass from Bradford that bounced off his fingertips and into the hands of a Panthers defender for an interception. In the second quarter, the second-year wideout had another big drop, this time on a third-down play that would have extended the Eagles' drive around midfield. On Philadelphia's next drive, receiver Josh Huff, too, dropped a pass that would have resulted in a first down and also failed to catch a pass in the end zone later in the game. Throughout the entirety of the night, the Eagles' receivers struggled with catching the ball consistently.

Eagles Allow A 100-Yard Rusher

For the first time in 18 games, the Eagles' defense allowed a 100-yard rusher. Carolina's Jonathan Stewart totaled 125 yards on the ground during his 24 carries. His longest run of the night was for 36 yards on the Panthers' second play of the game. The team scored on that opening drive, taking only four plays and 2:36 to move the ball 72 yards down the field for a Mike Tolbert 2-yard touchdown run.

The Eagles were unable to make a comeback against Carolina Sunday night, ultimately falling to the Panthers, 27-16. The loss came after a number of missed opportunities for the team including dropped passes and a missed field goal. The Eagles are now 3-4 on the season. Here are the top takeaways from Sunday night's game ….

Finding Success On The Ground

The offense showed encouraging signs in the running game throughout the night. On 27 carries, DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews, and Darren Sproles combined for 171 yards. Murray saw the bulk of the action, carrying 18 times for 65 yards. Mathews tallied 97 yards on six carries, and Sproles ran three times for nine yards.

The team's biggest run of the night came at the hands of Mathews with 9:43 left in the third quarter. Bradford handed the ball off to the running back, who found a huge hole in the middle of the line and cut up the field and into open space. He used his excellent top-end speed to blow by Carolina safety Kurt Coleman and separate from a couple trailing defenders, taking it 63 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-13. It was the touchdown longest run of Mathews' career.

Turnovers The Name Of The Game

At the 9:24 mark of the first quarter, the Eagles' offense was picked off by Colin Jones after a pass from quarterback Sam Bradford floated through the hands of Jordan Matthews. The Panthers took over at the Philadelphia 21-yard line. However, the Eagles' defense made a play on the very next snap to turn the momentum and prevent Carolina from extending its lead.

Quarterback Cam Newton threw the ball down left toward the end zone, and although the pass initially looked to be completed to Tedd Ginn, Jr., Eagles cornerback Nolan Carroll stripped the ball from his hands. Carroll caught it from the ground, giving his team the ball back at the 6-yard line and recording his second interception is as many weeks.

The turnovers continued on in Philadelphia's favor as the game progressed.

With 1:05 left in the second quarter, the Panthers set up for 2nd-and-15 on their own 37-yard line. Newton rolled out to his right to avoid pressure up the middle from Vinny Curry, throwing a dart of a pass to an open receiver toward the near sideline. But Malcolm Jenkins, who's been one of Philadelphia's most consistent players on the defensive end of the ball this season, jumped in front and made a leaping interception to give the Eagles the ball on the Carolina 39. The Eagles were able to work the ball down to the 11-yard line, where they settled for a field goal to make it 14-6 going into halftime.

The Eagles were once again able to pick off Newton in the third quarter as cornerback Byron Maxwell came away with his first interception as an Eagle, making an athletic, diving grab to haul in a tipped ball. Philadelphia took over possession at the Carolina 18, but was only able to get a field goal out of the short-field opportunity, making it 21-16 with 5:51 left in the third.

Peters Leaves With Back Spasms

With 5:21 remaining in the first quarter, left tackle Jason Peters went down with a lower back injury. He remained immobilized for several minutes before a cart was brought out to take him into the locker room to undergo X-rays. During the third quarter the Eagles announced that Peters had suffered low back spasms and would miss the remainder of the game.

In light of the injury, Matt Tobin shifted to the left tackle position and Dennis Kelly entered the game at right guard.

Coach's Challenge

With 2:57 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Eagles offense was pinned at its own 5-yard line. On a third-and-16, Bradford threw to Matthews up the middle, but the pass was short after the quarterback's arm was hit. Although the pass was incomplete, a flag was thrown on the field for pass interference against Carolina's Luke Kuechly. The call would give the Eagles a first down.

The flag was then picked up by officials after claiming the ball had been tipped. Head coach Chip Kelly challenged the ruling and after reviewing the play, the call on the field was reversed, awarding Philadelphia with the first down. On fourth-and-16 shortly thereafter, the Eagles were unable to convert after Miles Austin failed to catch what would have been his sixth reception of the night for the first down. The Panthers received the ball at the Philadelphia 16 and kicked a field goal to solidify the victory.

Drops Plague Eagles Offense

In the first quarter, Matthews failed to haul in a pass from Bradford that bounced off his fingertips and into the hands of a Panthers defender for an interception. In the second quarter, the second-year wideout had another big drop, this time on a third-down play that would have extended the Eagles' drive around midfield. On Philadelphia's next drive, receiver Josh Huff, too, dropped a pass that would have resulted in a first down and also failed to catch a pass in the end zone later in the game. Throughout the entirety of the night, the Eagles receivers truly struggled with catching the ball consistently.

Eagles Allow 100-Yard Rusher

For the first time in 18 games, the Eagles defense allowed a single 100-yard rusher. Carolina's Jonathan Stewart totaled 125 yards on the ground during his 24 carries. His longest run of the night was for 36 yards on the Panthers' second play of the game. The team scored on that opening drive, taking only four plays and 2:36 to move the ball 72 yards down the field for a Mike Tolbert 2-yard touchdown run.