Now the Philadelphia Eagles can go back to being underdogs again.

After embracing that role last year and overcoming huge odds to win their first Super Bowl title http://www.oaklandraidersteamonline.com/trayvon-mullen-jersey , the Eagles haven’t lived up to expectations as defending champions. They blew a 17-0 lead in the fourth quarter and lost 21-17 to Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.“Pressure’s off, so we can go play, have fun and just relax,” coach Doug Pederson said. “A lot of football ahead, too. Anything’s possible, anything can happen.”Pressed on the topic, Pederson continued: “I think no one has really given us a chance, anyway. Whether we’re putting pressure on ourselves to perform, to play, whatever it is http://www.oaklandraidersteamonline.com/isaiah-johnson-jersey , live up to a certain expectation. … I think sometimes we force issues. We try to press just a little bit.”Despite their struggles, the Eagles (3-4) are in the mix in the NFC East. They’ll quickly try to forget about their disappointing loss and focus on a trip to London to face the equally struggling Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4).“We put high expectations on ourselves every week,” Carson Wentz said. “My approach will never change, win or lose, on to the next week and that’s the way I’m approaching it.”For Newton and the Panthers, this was a statement game.The Panthers (4-2) were dominated for the first three quarters but rallied for an impressive win on the road in a hostile environment. It was the biggest comeback in franchise history.“This is a confidence-booster for us,” Newton said.Newton tossed a 1-yard touchdown pass to Greg Olsen with 1:22 left and Julius Peppers sacked Wentz, forcing a fumble on fourth down from the Panthers 14 to seal the victory.After Carolina took the lead, the Eagles started at their 30. A 48-yard pass interference penalty on James Bradberry against Alshon Jeffery put the ball at the Carolina 22. Eric Reid appeared to intercept Wentz’s overthrown pass but the play was overturned on a video review. Wentz threw incomplete to Jeffery in the end zone on third-and-2 and was stripped on the next play.Some things we learned from Carolina’s comeback victory over the Eagles:TROUBLE FINISHINGThe Eagles wasted a 17-3 lead in the third quarter of an overtime loss at Tennessee in Week 4. They’re having trouble closing out games and beating teams they’re supposed to beat.“It’s one play here, one play there that turns into big deals http://www.oaklandraidersteamonline.com/hunter-renfrow-jersey ,” Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins said. “Margin of error in this league is tight, especially against a good team.”RESILIENT CAMNewton wasn’t happy with his performance at the end of a 23-17 loss at Washington last week and vowed to he’d make the best of another opportunity. He threw three straight incomplete passes on the go-ahead touchdown drive, but took a hit on fourth down and still completed a 35-yard catch-and-run pass to Torrey Smith to reach the Philadelphia 34. A 22-yard pass to McCaffrey gave Carolina first down at the 4. Newton ran it to the 1, setting up the score to Olsen, wide open in the back of the end zone.“There are a lot of people depending on me to put this team in the best situation and to a degree, I think I could have been better last week,” Newton said. “And this week we were in the same situation and I didn’t want to let anyone down.”GROUNDED ATTACKThe Eagles got 55 yards rushing on 21 carries from running backs Wendell Smallwood, Josh Adams and Corey Clement. They lost Jay Ajayi to a season-ending knee injury and Darren Sproles has missed the last six games with a hamstring injury. They could try to add a back before the trade deadline on Oct. 30.SHORT MEMORYBradberry bounced back from the penalty on the final drive to help keep the Eagles out of the end zone.“In my head, I knew they still had to score,” Bradberry said.QUESTIONABLE PLAYCALLINGInstead of working on the clock http://www.seattleseahawksteamonline.com/marquise-blair-jersey , Pederson called nine passes and no runs on Philadelphia’s two possessions with the lead in the fourth quarter. The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC will go through the Big Easy.Though the Saints’ path to get to Atlanta could be challenging: The top three teams in the latest AP Pro32 poll are all from the NFC.The Saints received all 12 first-place votes for 384 points in balloting Wednesday by media members who regularly cover the NFL.New Orleans (13-2) clinched the top seed in the NFC after Sunday’s 31-28 win over Pittsburgh. The previous time New Orleans had the top seed in the NFC was 2009 when it reached and won the Super Bowl.“The news is all good for the Saints: They clinch home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with a thrilling win over the Steelers, and (quarterback) Drew Brees has a chance to win his first-ever regular-season MVP award,” Newsday’s Bob Glauber said.The NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams jumped three places to No. 2 after dominating Arizona without star running back Todd Gurley. The Rams can clinch a first-round bye with a win against San Francisco in the regular-season finale.NFC North champion Chicago Bears inched up a spot to No. 3.“With a swarming defense and a solid ground game, the Bears appear poised to make some waves in January along the frosty shores of Lake Michigan,” said Ira Kaufman of Fox 13 in Tampa.The next three teams in the poll are all from the AFC.Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers, tied at 11-4 in the AFC West, slipped to No. 4 and No. 5 respectively. The Chiefs dropped a spot after their 38-31 loss at Seattle on Sunday night, and the Chargers fell from No. 2 after losing to Baltimore on Saturday night.The New England Patriots, who won the AFC East for the 10th consecutive year, moved up a spot to No. 6.Seattle climbed three spots to No. 7 after clinching a playoff berth with a win over the Chiefs.The Houston Texans slipped two spots to No. 8 after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles 32-30 on Jake Elliott‘s field goal as time expired Sunday. However http://www.seattleseahawksteamonline.com/cody-barton-jersey , the first-place Texans clinched a playoff spot later in the day when the Steelers lost.Houston will clinch the AFC South with a win over the Jaguars.The surging Baltimore Ravens jumped three spots to No. 9. The Ravens (9-6) lead the AFC North by a half-game over Pittsburgh. The Ravens host Cleveland on Sunday and will take the division with a win.“Who wants to play them?,” asked Fox Sports’ John Czarnecki of the Ravens, who were 4-5 entering their bye week and have won five of six overall.The Steelers need to win at home against the last-place Bengals and have the Ravens stumble for their best chance at reaching the postseason.The Indianapolis Colts fell one spot despite rallying past the New York Giants to round out the top 10. The Colts and Tennessee Titans, who remained No. 14 in the poll, are both 9-6 and end the regular season in a prime-time matchup on NBC. The winner will clinch a playoff spot and could take the division if the Texans stumble earlier in the day.