Eagles-Panthers: Making sense of Carson Wentz and other pregame stats that matter | Paul Domowitch

Eagles-Panthers kicks off at 1 p.m.

Some numbers to help you get ready.

• Carson Wentz has thrown at least one touchdown pass in a franchise-record 19 straight games. He's thrown two or more in 14 of those 19 games.

• In his last 13 starts dating back to Week 5 of last season, Wentz has thrown 35 touchdown passes and just six interceptions. He has averaged a TD pass every 12.9 attempts and an interception every 75.2 attempts in those 13 games.

• Wentz has a 123.4 third-down passer rating in his last 13 starts. He has averaged 8.96 yards per attempt with 14 TD passes and just two interceptions on third down in those 13 games.

• Wentz has four rushing first downs in his four starts since returning from knee surgery. He had 26 last year.

• Wentz completed five of seven passes in the red zone last week against the Giants, including three TDs. In his four starts, Wentz is 15-for-28 with seven TDs and no interceptions in the red zone. Wentz has thrown just one red zone interception in 33 career starts. That was in Week 14 of his rookie season against Washington.

• Wentz has attempted 16 passes of 20 yards or more in his four starts. He has completed seven of them for 268 yards and two touchdowns – a 56-yard score to Jordan Matthews against Tennessee and a 13-yard TD to Alshon Jeffery against the Giants (he caught it seven yards deep in the end zone). Twelve of Wentz's 16 attempts of 20-plus yards have been to Jeffery (7) and Nelson Agholor (5). They've caught just three of them.

• The Panthers converted just four of 16 third-down opportunities against the Eagles last season. Cam Newton threw three interceptions, all of them on third down.

• Newton completed just six of 13 third-down passes for 55 yards in that game. It wasn't an isolated case. Newton has not been very effective throwing the ball on third down most of his career. He has a 79.5 career third-down passer rating (53.5 completion percentage) and has been sacked or thrown an interception once every 7.4 third-down pass plays. This season, he's 27th in third-down passing with a 59.4 passer rating. He's averaging just 3.76 yards per attempt on third down.

• The Eagles are third in the league in third-down defense. Opponents have converted just 29.5 percent of their third-down opportunities against them. The only two defenses that have been better: Baltimore (26.5) and Minnesota (25.0).

• The defense has a 71.1 third-down opponent passer rating in the first six games. Opponents have a 56.9 completion percentage and have averaged just 5.5 yards per attempt against them on third down. Just 27.7 percent of their opponents' third-down pass attempts have resulted in first downs. That's even better than last year (30.8 percent).

• Carson Wentz, who led the NFL in third-down passing last season, was 13-for-14 for 167 yards and two touchdowns on third down last week against the Giants. In his first three starts, he was 12-for-27 for 148 yards with one touchdown and four sacks on third down.

• Zach Ertz has a team-high nine third-down receptions. Nelson Agholor is second with eight. Alshon Jeffery, who has played in just three games, has six.

• The Eagles haven't been nearly as effective on third-and-long as they were last year. They have converted just 3 of 29 third-downs of nine yards or more (just 10.3 percent) in the first six games. Last season, they converted 25 of 78 third-and-nine-pluses (32.0 percent).

• The Eagles are 14th in rushing (110.3 yards per game) and 18th in rush average (4.2 yards per carry). That's 21.9 yards per game and .3 of a yard per carry less than last season.

• Wendell Smallwood is averaging 4.7 yards per carry. In the last four games, he has averaged 6.1 yards per carry on first down.

• The Eagles are 16th in rushing attempts per game (26.0) and 21st in run-play percentage (37.6).

• Smallwood is averaging 5.4 yards per carry in 13 personnel (1 RB, 3 TE), 5.1 in 12 (1 RB, 2 TE) and 4.2 in 11 (1 RB, 1 TE). Corey Clement is averaging 3.4 yards per carry in 13, 5.4 in 12 and 3.4 in 11.

• The Eagles are averaging 4.72 yards per carry on first down. The only team with a better first-down rush average is the Saints (4.76).

• The Eagles have used multiple-tight end sets on 209 of their 415 offensive plays (50.4 percent) this season. That's a significant increase over last year when they used 12 (1 RB, 2 TE) and 13 (1 RB, 3 TE) personnel just 31.6 percent of the time.

• Even more interesting is that 60.8 percent of those plays with 12/13 personnel have been pass plays.

• In his four starts, Carson Wentz has a 113.1 passer rating with 12/13 personnel. Six of his eight touchdown passes have come out of multiple-tight end sets.

• Zach Ertz is second in the league in receptions with 48. Twenty-nine of those 48 catches have been in 12/13 personnel groupings.

• Ertz is on pace to catch 128 passes this season. That would be the fifth most in a single season in league history.

• The Eagles are tied for fifth in points allowed. They've held opponents to 19.5 points per game. That's just 1.1 points-per-game more than last season.

• Thanks largely to 50- and 46-yard runs by Saquon Barkley, the Giants gashed the Eagles for 121 yards on 11 first-down carries last week. That caused the Eagles' first-down opponent rush average to jump from 3.0 to 4.1.

• The defense sacked Eli Manning four times last week. All four came with four-man rushes. In fact, the Eagles blitzed Manning just once the entire game. So far this season, Jim Schwartz has blitzed on only 46 of 256 pass plays (18.0 percent).

• In last year's 28-23 win over Carolina, the Eagles blitzed Cam Newton on 11 of 54 pass plays, including eight times with six or more rushers. The blitzes were successful. Newton was 4-for-11 for 22 yards, one touchdown, one interception and no sacks when the Eagles blitzed.

• Seven of the defense's 16 sacks have come on second down. They've had four each on first and third downs and one on fourth down.

• The Eagles have run 415 offensive plays in their first six games. Three hundred thirty-one of them, or 79.7 percent, have been out of shotgun. That's a 10 percent jump over last year.

• The Eagles are averaging 4.2 yards per carry out of shotgun (106-441) and 4.4 from under center (50-221). They are averaging 6.9 yards per pass attempt out of shotgun and 6.4 from under center. They are averaging one sack allowed every 17.7 attempts from shotgun and one every 4.7 from under center.

• The Panthers' versatile running back, Christian McCaffrey, is averaging 117.4 rushing and receiving yards per game.

• Cam Newton has 20 rushing first downs in 45 carries this season. That's the most rushing first downs by a quarterback and the ninth most by a player at any position.

• Seventeen of Newton's 45 runs have been on first down. He's averaging 6.1 yards per carry on first down.

• The Eagles' average drive start this season is the 26.7 yard line. Their opponents' is the 29.1. In the last three games, however, the Eagles' average start has been the 30.1, their opponents the 25.5.

• Cameron Johnston is first in the league in punting (50.2 yard gross average) and third in net average (44.3). Both numbers would be franchise records. Ten of his 29 punts have traveled 55 yards or longer.

• Twenty-four of Jake Elliott's 29 kickoffs have resulted in touchbacks. His 82.8 touchback percentage is the second highest in the league. Ex-Eagle and current Bears kicker Cody Parkey is first in touchback percentage (86.7).

• The Eagles are tied for 26th in turnover differential (minus-3). They have just six takeaways (four interceptions, two fumbles). That's the sixth fewest in the league.

• The Eagles have been outscored, 26-21, in the first quarter. Last year, they had the league's best first-quarter point differential (plus-58).

• The Eagles have given up just one touchdown pass to a tight end or running back in the first six games (Bucs TE O.J. Howard in Week 2). Last year, they gave up nine.