Eagles blow big 4th quarter lead to the Panthers after getting caught celebrating prematurely

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The Philadelphia Eagles thought they had the game wrapped up with a 17-0 lead over the Carolina Panthers heading into the fourth quarter, only to lose after giving up 21 unanswered points.

• The Philadelphia Eagles blew a 17-point fourth quarter lead on Sunday at home against the Carolina Panthers.
• The Eagles defense had been particularly dominant and was caught celebrating early, only to collapse in the final period.
• Cam Newton and the Carolina offense scored on three straight touchdown drive to win 21-17.

The Philadelphia Eagles collapsed on Sunday, giving up 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to the Carolina Panthers to blow a 17-0 lead at home.

The Eagles were dominant to start the game, with the Philadelphia defense playing up to expectations to shut down Cam Newton and the Panthers.

At halftime, the Eagles held a 10-0 lead and had all but bottled up Carolina, holding the Panthers to just 83 yards of offense and four first downs in the first half. After adding another touchdown to their lead, the Eagles entered the fourth quarter up 17-0 and feeling confident that they were 15 minutes away from another win.

The Philadelphia defense was rather public in their confidence, getting caught on camera dancing on the field together in celebration heading into the fourth quarter.

Their hubris would come back to bite them.

In the fourth quarter, Cam Newton and the Panthers offense would spring to life, scoring on two 80-yard touchdown drives to bring the Eagles lead down to a field goal. After forcing an Eagles three-and-out on the ensuing kickoff, Carolina had just over two minutes to drive and either tie or take the lead.

At one point, it looked as though the Eagles defense would hold, with the Panthers needing 10 yards to keep the game alive on fourth down, but Newton found former Eagle Torrey Smith for the crucial completion.

The Panthers would keep pounding, eventually reaching the goal line where Newton found tight end Greg Olsen in the end zone.

The Eagles would have a chance to come back and retake the lead but were stopped on a fourth down after quarterback Carson Wentz was caught in the backfield and fumbled the ball away. Panthers win, 21-17.

For Carolina, it was the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in franchise history. For the Eagles, it was their second loss of the season that swung on their defense's inability to get a stop on fourth and 10 or longer.

Chances are this is the last time you'll see the Eagles celebrate before the final whistle for some time.