The first half of Sunday night's road meeting with the Panthers had a throwback feel to it, with both teams doing the majority of their damage on the ground instead of through the air. That continued in the third quarter, but after failing to get much going offensively in the game's opening 30 minutes a big play by Ryan Mathews early in the third helped get the Eagles back in the game as the Eagles trail 21-16 entering the fourth quarter.

Ryan Mathews' Runs Free

The Eagles entered the second half down 14-6 and in desperate need of a big play on the offensive side of the ball. With 9:43 left in the third quarter, Sam Bradford handed the ball off to Ryan Mathews, 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.

Maxwell Notches First Interception As An Eagle

In the third quarter, cornerback Byron Maxwell came away with his first interception as an Eagle, making an athletic, diving grab to haul in a tipped ball. The huge play came one drive after the former Seahawk had whiffed on a tackle that resulted in a Panthers touchdown. 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 Officially Out With Back Spasms

In the first quarter, left tackle Jason Peters planted awkwardly and immediately fell to the ground, where he remained immobilized for several minutes before a cart was brought out to take him into the locker room. It was later announced that it was his lower back that was injured and that he was undergoing X-rays. Initially, his status was listed as questionable, but during the third quarter the Eagles announced that Peters had suffered low back spasms and would miss the remainder of the game.