The Tanner McKee era in Philadelphia got off to a rough start Sunday, with the Eagles falling to the Panthers 25-14 in Week 6 and dropping their fourth straight game.
McKee was thrust into the starting role after Jalen Hurts was ruled out and placed on IR with a blood clot from his calf injury before the game. In his first start of 2026, McKee finished 26 of 45 for 215 yards and a touchdown, while adding one rush for zero yards. The numbers were serviceable, but the performance never really took off.
His first half set the tone. McKee went 13 of 23 for 94 yards and took one sack before the break, and the passing game spent much of the afternoon feeling its way along. He did manage one clear highlight in the fourth quarter, when he found DeVonta Smith for a 19-yard touchdown on a well-placed throw to the back shoulder that Smith finished off with a strong catch.
Still, McKee’s comfort level was obvious. He leaned heavily on Smith and Dallas Goedert, and those two combined for 22 targets and 13 catches in the loss.
The Eagles spent a lot of the day in short-game mode, with running back swing passes and other quick throws showing up often. That approach made some sense with a new starter under center, but many of the concepts still didn’t do much to create separation.
The issues weren’t all on McKee, either. Offensive coordinator Sean Mannion had his own share of play-calling problems, and head coach Nick Sirianni has to share in that.
The offensive line didn’t do McKee many favors, either: he was hit 11 times and sacked three times. The ground game never found traction, with the Eagles managing just 35 rushing yards on 13 carries.
At the same time, McKee did leave some opportunities on the field. He had moments where he found an open receiver but hesitated instead of pulling the trigger. That reluctance showed up too often for a quarterback trying to settle into a starter’s job.
The cleanest positive from his debut: he didn’t give the ball away. For a young quarterback in a tough spot, that matters.
Even with the injuries around him - four running backs out and three Week 1 offensive line starters missing - the bar for an NFL quarterback is still high. This loss wasn’t all on McKee, but he also didn’t give the Eagles the kind of performance they needed.
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