Eagles vs. Panthers 2017 live updates: Scores, results, and highlights for 'TNF'

The Panthers had a chance at the end for a game-winning drive, but they came up short at midfield when Cam Newton’s fourth-down throw bounced on the ground. Newton threw three picks while Carson Wentz tossed three touchdowns. The Eagles improve to 5-1 and the Panthers fall to 4-2.

Here’s what you missed:

• 4 things we learned from the Eagles’ 28-23 win over the Panthers
• The Eagles’ latest group celebration was a spike from center Jason Kelce
• CBS drew a Tony Romo cartoon and it's delightful
• Luke Kuechly left the game to be evaluated for a concussion
• Tony Romo makes a corny dad joke
• Steve Smith thinks the best receiver on Thursday Night Football is Steve Smith
• Julius Peppers is only the fifth player to ever record 150 career sacks

Final score: Eagles 28, Panthers 23

Eagles 28, Panthers 23:

Cam Newton tosses a 1-yard touchdown to Christian McCaffrey.

Eagles 28, Panthers 16:

Carson Wentz throws a 24-yard touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor:

Third quarter: Panthers 10, Eagles 10

Eagles 18, Panthers 10: Carson Wentz hits tight end Zach Ertz for a 17-yard touchdown pass.

Eagles 18, Panthers 13: Graham Gano hits a 20-yard field go to cut into the Eagles’ lead.

Eagles 21, Panthers 13: Jake Elliott extends the Eagles’ lead with a 48-yard field goal.

Eagles 21, Panthers 16: Graham Gano hits a 46-yard field goal.

Second quarter: Panthers 10, Eagles 10

Panthers 10, Eagles 10: The Eagles regained possession of the ball after grabbing an interception on a screen play intended for Jonathan Stewart.

Afterward, Wentz connected with tight end Ertz for a touchdown. LeGarrette Blount then attempted a successful 2-point conversion.

Second quarter: Panthers 10, Eagles 10

Panthers 10, Eagles 10 It took a while, but the Eagles eventually scored off the turnover. Wentz hit Ertz in the end zone to tie up the game. To make matters worse for the Panthers, Luke Kuechly left the game with an injury.

Fletcher Cox is back. After missing two games with an injury, he made a game-changing play, tipping a Newton pass for an Eagles interception and drastically flipping field position.

Panthers 10, Eagles 3 Newton’s been playing great football most of the night and finally broke the game open early in the second quarter. He kept the ball on a read-option and fooled most of the defense, gliding in nearly untouched on a 16-yard touchdown run.

Disaster nearly struck for the Eagles when Kenjon Barner muffed a punt, but they were able to recover the ball.

First quarter: Eagles 3, Panthers 3

Eagles 3, Panthers 3 Neither team has found the end zone yet, but the game is lively and both quarterbacks are moving the ball fairly well, This time, Newton set up Graham Gano for a 39-yard field goal.

Eagles 3, Panthers 0 With the Panthers failing to take advantage of the early turnover, Wentz recovered and drove Philly into field goal range, with Jake Elliott putting his team on the board first.

The ageless Julius Peppers strip-sacked Wentz on the game’s first drive, getting his 150th career sack in the process. However, the Panthers couldn’t cash in and went three-and-out.

Before the game

This Week 6 Thursday Night Football matchup will pit two of the top NFC teams against each other in Charlotte, N.C. The Philadelphia Eagles are on the road against another 4-1 team, the Carolina Panthers, and the two teams face off at 8:25 p.m. ET on NFL Network/CBS (live stream).

Eagles’ QB Carson Wentz is coming off a career-high game, where he threw four touchdowns — three in the first quarter alone — and only one interception in the team’s Week 5 win over Arizona. Wentz continues to be a topic of hot debate, but one thing’s for sure: He’s exciting to watch. He also leads NFL QBs — including the almighty Tom Brady — in at least one category: Wentz is the only QB to record multiple games with a perfect passer rating on third down this season.

Big things were expected out of the team’s free agent receivers Torrey Smith and Alshon Jeffery, but the big question mark the past couple of seasons was WR Nelson Agholor. With former Eagles Jordan Matthews sidelined earlier in the year, Agholor moved into the slot during training camp, and things haven’t been the same since. The third-year player snagged a big 72-yard score last week — and honored DeSean Jackson in the process.

The Panthers offense, on the other hand, finally has QB Cam Newton back after missing most of OTAs and training camp with a shoulder injury. The veteran quarterback went 26-of-33 passing last weekend against the Lions for 355 yards and three scores. Despite a rocky start to the regular season, Newton and his offense have found a nice groove that finally has them looking like their 2015 selves.

Surrounded by two talented rookies, RB Christian McCaffrey and WR Curtis Samuel, Newton has yet to see the type of revitalization the team was hoping for with these young picks. While they work to up their games, wideout Devin Funchess has stepped up as the team’s aggressive third option behind TE Ed Dickson and WR Kelvin Benjamin. On the ground, the Panthers still boast RB Jonathan Stewart but haven’t had as much success as with the passing game or option plays.

Pregame reading

• This week’s power rankings have the Panthers back in the top 10 across most sites:

The Panthers have moved into the top 10 — and dare I say the playoffs discussion — after two solid road victories against the Patriots and Lions in back-to-back weeks. The Panthers have an opportunity to further prove they belong in the top tier of the league when they take on the Eagles Thursday night at home.

• The Eagles will have plenty of opportunities to win this week’s TNF matchup, and history is kind of on their side:

Three of the four road teams on Thursday night football (not including the season-opening game between) Kansas City and New England have won in 2017, bucking the numbers that say road teams win roughly 30 percent of the time in this in-season challenge.

• With Cam Newton getting healthier each week, the Panthers are likely to make use of the option more than they have the past few weeks:

Fortunately for the Panthers, when their traditional run game struggles, they have the luxury of turning to the option run game with Cam Newton, who is arguably the most dangerous option quarterback in the entire NFL. The Panthers have been very conservative with their use of the option so far this season, because they’ve wanted to prevent Cam Newton from taking extra hits.

• Carson Wentz is only in his second year as a starting QB but is playing like a veteran:

Wentz is clearly ahead of where he was at this time last year. He’s making that Year 1 to Year 2 leap that most NFL players make in their career. There’s progression and growth. His accuracy looks improved. He’s racking up all the Air Yards.