Spadaro: 6 takeaways from a historic day as the Eagles beat the ...

This one had major drama, a big-time stop at the very end by the guy who goes by, of course, "Big Play," a new name etched into the Eagles' record books, and, what's most important at the end of the day, a franchise-record-tying ninth straight win by the Philadelphia Eagles, who held off the plucky Carolina Panthers, 22-16, on Sunday at a sun-sparkled Lincoln Financial Field.

Philadelphia is now 11-2 and firmly atop the NFC East with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming to town on Sunday. Here are some takeaways from the victory over Carolina …

1. C.J. Gardner-Johnson sets the tone

In so many ways, the Eagles wanted C.J. Gardner-Johnson back for the 2024 season. As much of a big-play maker he was in the 2022 Super Bowl season, CJGJ was also an emotional sparkplug for the Eagles' defense and locker room. He played in Detroit last season and his void was felt in the defense. Gardner-Johnson has been a big part of the Philadelphia defense this season, and Sunday was no exception. His first-possession hit on Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette lit up the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field, and then his late-first-half interception of an overthrown Bryce Young pass – cornerback Cooper DeJean had tight coverage on wide receiver Adam Thielen – that CJGJ picked off at the Philadelphia 41-yard line and returned 15 yards to the Carolina 44, ignited the offense. Philadelphia put together a 7-play touchdown drive from there to take the lead at 14-10 after two quarters. Tip of the cap to C.J. Gardner-Johnson for his work to lift the Eagles' defense.

"We want to win and play hard for our guys. I think just going out there and showing them that I still have it in me regardless of how I'm feeling, it feeds off of everybody else," Gardner-Johnson said.

2. Grant Calcaterra again steps up

Dallas Goedert is on Injured Reserve and lost for at least 4 games, so the Eagles need players to step up and produce. Grant Calcaterra did it once again on Sunday. He caught a 4-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter – the first of his NFL career -- to give the Eagles a 20-16 lead (Saquon Barkley added the 2-point conversion), part of a strong day for Calcaterra. He had a total of 3 catches for 16 yards, but on this run-heavy day, Calcaterra helped block up front and the Eagles ran for more than 200 yards (209, to be exact) in the game. An early block after a DeVonta Smith catch helped Smith gain a couple of extra yards and get the Eagles into touchdown position.

"It feels good. That play, we've repped it a ton throughout the week, throughout the season. It's just a play that we're all comfortable with. That's what it is really – just running our plays, running what we're good at – let our 11 go against your 11 and I like our 11 every time," Calcaterra said.

3. A Big-Play Slay Day

Fourth quarter, Eagles leading 22-16. Carolina has a fourth-and-2 at the Eagles 28-yard line and has two receivers, Thielen and Legette lined up on the right side of the formation. Young took the snap and looked that way as Thielen ran a route to "rub" cornerback Darius "Big Play" Slay off of coverage. But both Slay and DeJean read the legal "pick" that Thielen (who caught 3 passes for 33 yards on third downs, had a big catch on a fourth down, and made 9 receptions for 102 yards on 11 targets in all) ran and Slay broke up the pass and with 8 minutes, 35 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Eagles held on to their 6-point lead.

And then … on the final snap of the game on a fourth-and-9 play in Eagles territory, Slay was in coverage against Thielen on a crossing route and broke up the pass and it was all over.

Whew.

"I love being in those situations," Slay said as he came off the field. "That's why I'm Big Play Slay."

4. A record-setting day for Saquon Barkley

The numbers say it was a routine day for Barkley, and maybe it was. But routine is really outstanding for every other running back. Barkley became the team's single-season rushing leader of all time, gaining 124 yards on 20 carries. He now has 1,623 rushing yards in 13 games and has surpassed LeSean McCoy in the record books.

"I think it's pretty cool, the most important thing was getting a win, and we got the win. Being a fan of Shady (LeSean McCoy) growing up and seeing the spectacular things he was able to do with the ball in his hands and to be able to mentioned with him definitely means a lot," Barkley said from his locker after the game. "Gotta give credit to the guys up front. They've made my job a lot easier so far this year. Hopefully, it will continue."

But the Panthers, to their credit, harnessed Barkley. He had a long run of 18 yards, which by his season's standards would be considered "grinding it out." The Eagles had 209 ground yards on 31 carries, with quarterback Jalen Hurts adding 59 yards on 8 carries and Kenneth Gainwell picking up 29 yards on 3 carries. It wasn't pretty, but it added up to a win as the Eagles moved to 11-2 for the season.

5. Defensive standouts stand out once again

Carolina did a lot of good things – gained 302 total net yards, converted 7 of 16 third downs, went 3 of 5 on fourth downs, and had the ball in Eagles' territory to end the game. But the Eagles stood tall because the defense allowed only 16 points and the outstanding players on this defense stood out again.

Defensive tackle Jalen Carter was a force with three tackles, two for yards lost, and three quarterback hits. Linebacker Zack Baun had 11 total tackles, a quarterback sack, 3 tackles for loss, and 2 quarterback hits. Linebacker Nakobe Dean had 12 total tackles, including 9 solo hits. CJGJ did his thing. Slay had the big stops. The defense stood tall at the end and the Eagles held on to the victory.

6. And what else? Not a dominating performance, but a win is a win

The Eagles have a lot of things to work on but that's the nature of the NFL. After playing so many highly emotional games, the Eagles came back just a bit, but still found a way to win.

And in this league, that's all that matters.