The Eagles have ruled out running back Saquon Barkley for Sunday's game against the Panthers. He has a hamstring injury, per Yahoo Sports and ESPN. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who also had a hamstring issue, is off the injury report and will play. Pro Football Talk called Smith the Eagles' top receiver. Yahoo reported that both players missed last week's loss to the Jaguars in London.

Bleeding Green Nation, which covered the team's third and final injury report of the week, said the Eagles ruled out five players: Jalen Hurts, Barkley, Will Shipley, Jalyx Hunt and Michael Carter II. It added that the team had already ruled Hurts out earlier. The outlets differ slightly on Smith. ESPN wrote that he "appears" set to return and called him "likely," while PFT, Yahoo and Bleeding Green Nation have him playing. Only Bleeding Green Nation's summary gives the full list of players ruled out. Our feeds don't include why Hurts is out.

Barkley's absence takes away a back who has been less productive this year than his recent seasons. He has 36 carries for 182 yards (5.1 per carry) in four games, with no touchdowns and one fumble. His last appearance was Oct. 4 against the Rams, when he had two carries for 8 yards. He ran 15 times for 83 yards in the opener against Washington and 15 times for 82 yards at Chicago. Shipley, also ruled out, is listed with two tackles on defense this season. Our data doesn't show him with any rushing numbers.

Smith's return matters because the passing game has leaned on him when he has played. In three games, he has 19 catches for 235 yards and a touchdown. His biggest game was 10 catches for 117 yards and a score on 13 targets at Tennessee on Sept. 20. His last game in our logs is the Sept. 28 loss at Chicago, where he had six catches for 65 yards on eight targets.

The Eagles need the help. They have lost three in a row: 27-7 at Chicago, 24-20 to the Rams, and 19-17 at Jacksonville. That puts them second in the NFC East at 2-3. Hunt and Carter II, both out, are defensive players with 15 and 16 tackles respectively, so the Eagles are also thin on defense.

Carolina comes in 2-2 and leads the NFC South. The Panthers won 32-26 over Detroit on Oct. 4 after losing 21-18 at Cleveland. They also won 34-3 at Atlanta on Sept. 20. {{game id=nfl_401872998}}

Kickoff is Sunday, Oct. 18, in Philadelphia. The Eagles go in with Smith back, Barkley and Hurts out, and a chance to end the losing streak.