Sanchez, Eagles coast past Carolina, 45-21

Chip Kelly and Mark Sanchez chatted while the Eagles offense let the final seconds tick off the clock, surrounded by a departing Lincoln Financial Field crowd that continues to watch the Eagles establish themselves as one of the NFL's finest teams. Kelly turned to Sanchez at quarterback to start the second half of the Eagles' season, and it went well enough that Sanchez left the Eagles' 45-21 blowout of the Carolina Panthers on Monday with more than five minutes to spare.

"It was a good conversation," Sanchez said with a smile. "Exciting time."

In their first game without their starting quarterback and defensive leader, the Eagles played what could be their best game of the season. Sanchez did not turn the ball over and helped the Eagles to a lopsided victory.

The brilliance of Monday's victory was that it came from more than the offense. All three units scored touchdowns in a game for the second time this season. The offense totaled 365 yards, the defense forced five turnovers and totaled nine sacks, and special teams scored a touchdown.

"We've got a good team, and when you make a roster, you've got to have depth," running back LeSean McCoy said. "That's what we have. Everybody played well today. Defense played tremendous. So did the special teams. Offense, we just capitalized on a lot of the mistakes."

The evening served as further evidence that the Eagles are indeed among the NFL's heavyweights. Against an overmatched opponent, the dominance they displayed improved their record to 7-2 and put them in a category with only a few foes. One of the teams that can compare is the Green Bay Packers, whose 55-14 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday night was the only game in the Week 9 slate that seemed more lopsided. The Eagles visit the Packers on Sunday.

"Big win, something to celebrate," Sanchez said. "But we sure don't have a lot of time, because I saw Green Bay win big. . . . So we've got a ton of work to do in a short week."

Sanchez completed 20 of 37 passes for 332 yards and two touchdowns. His top receivers were rookie Jordan Matthews (seven catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns) and tight end Brent Celek (five catches for 116 yards). Connor Barwin led the defense with 31/2 sacks.

The turnovers started on the second play of the game, when linebacker Casey Matthews knocked the ball loose from DeAngelo Williams, and Cedric Thornton recovered at the Panthers' 22-yard line. Matthews started in place of DeMeco Ryans, the defensive leader who is sidelined for the season.

The Panthers held the Eagles to a field goal after Sanchez could not move the offense on his first drive, but he did not need to wait long to take the field again. Cary Williams intercepted Panthers quarterback Cam Newton on the first play of Carolina's ensuing drive, and the offense did not need to settle for three points.

"We created a lot of pressure early to start the game with those two turnovers," Kelly said, "and they obviously set the tone for the day."

Starting 43 yards away from the end zone, Sanchez passed the Eagles into the red zone before Darren Sproles found 8 yards of open grass for a touchdown run.

The Panthers responded with an 80-yard touchdown drive, their lone encounter with momentum all evening. The Eagles' 10-7 lead was fragile for only a few more minutes before a scoring explosion.

After both teams traded three-and-outs, Sproles showed why he was among the NFL's shrewdest offseason acquisitions when he returned a punt 65 yards for his second return touchdown this season.

Sanchez then led the Eagles on a 10-play, 91-yard drive with as rapid of a tempo as the Eagles have played with since Kelly arrived in Philadelphia. Sanchez connected with Matthews on four passes during the drive, including a 13-yard score to give the Eagles a 24-7 lead.

"I felt like I was Jeremy Maclin," Matthews said. "I have a bunch of great guys ahead of me who show me how to be a professional. If you take too much time looking at the stats and drinking the Kool-Aid, you lose your appetite. I just try to put it behind me and move forward."

The lead swelled to 31-7 when Bradley Fletcher intercepted a Newton pass and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown. The Eagles' fifth forced turnover came in the third quarter, when Barwin and Brandon Graham combined on a sack and forced a fumble at the Panthers' 30-yard line. The Eagles needed only two plays for LeSean McCoy to score his second touchdown of the season.

By that point, it was safe for the fans at Lincoln Financial Field to get a head start on the South Philadelphia traffic. Sanchez and Matthews connected for another touchdown. Newton and Panthers receiver Kelvin Benjamin inflated their fantasy football totals with a pair of scores. But the game had since been determined.

The Eagles went to their reserves late in the fourth quarter, readying for a short week with one of the few teams in the Eagles' class waiting on the other side.

The Eagles' two touchdown returns against Carolina gave them nine for the season. Here they are:

Sept. 7 vs. Jaguars

Fletcher Cox: 17-yard fumble return

Sept. 21 vs. Redskins

Chris Polk: 102-yard kickoff return

Sept. 28 at 49ers

Brad Smith: recovered blocked punt in end zone

Malcolm Jenkins: 53-yard interception return

Darren Sproles: 82-yard punt return

Oct. 5 vs. Rams

Chris Maragos: 10-yard blocked punt return

Cedric Thornton: fumble recovery in end zone

Monday vs. Panthers

Sproles: 65-yard punt return

Bradley Fletcher: 34-yard interception returnEndText

Here are the statistics for the Eagles' Mark Sanchez and the Panthers' Cam Newton on Monday night:

PLAYER   ATT   COMP   YDS   TD-INT   RTG.

Sanchez   37   20   332   2-0   102.5

Newton   40   25   306   2-3   71.5

Sanchez's 332 yards were the fourth-highest total of his career.

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