CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Thanks to David Akers, the Philadelphia Eagles were able to roll a lucky seven. But it was an unlucky day for the Carolina Panthers' left-footed kicker.
Akers kicked four field goals and the Eagles took advantage of a horrendous day by John Kasay en route to their seventh straight win, a critical 25-16 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
The NFL's most accurate kicker over the last three-plus seasons, Akers converted field goals of 35, 48, 38 and 29 yards.
Sparked by Akers' big day, the Eagles matched their longest single-season winning streak since 1980 - the only time in franchise history that they reached the Super Bowl.
Donovan McNabb added a touchdown pass and Duce Staley ran for a TD for the Eagles (9-3), who moved one game ahead of Dallas in the NFC East. Philadelphia, which also is tied with St. Louis for the conference's best record, hosts Dallas next Sunday.
While Akers came through, Kasay did not for the Panthers. He missed field goals of 32, 38 and 49 yards while also missing an extra point. Kasay came into the game 24-of-27 on field goals and had not missed from under 40 yards since 1998.
"It's very disappointing, what happened and how I kicked," Kasay said. "That's part of the life in the NFL. A lot of it is timing. You try to be consistent. I didn't make my kicks, something was off today."
"I've never seen anyone have a day like that," said Akers, who was with the Panthers in training camp in 1997. "Words can't describe my feelings for John. Something was off today. I have had a lot of crucial kicks missed."
Jake Delhomme passed for two touchdowns for the Panthers (8-4), who lost their second straight game.
"Guys played hard but we came up on the short end of the stick," Fox said. "I don't think this team feels like things are slipping away."
It was an afternoon of missed opportunities for the Panthers, who had the ball four times inside the Eagles 20 in the first half, but managed just three points. Despite the turnovers, the Eagles still grabbed a 13-3 halftime lead as Akers kicked two field goals and Staley scored on a two-yard TD run.
"We're all making plays and eliminating mistakes," said McNabb, who went 18-of-26 for 182 yards. "It's all about winning and losing. Teams may rack up statistics but they may not be winning."
With under a minute left in the first half, the Panthers were faced with a 4th-and-1 at the Eagles 9. But Stephen Davis, who carried 23 times for 115 yards, was stopped shy of the first down. Delhomme found Steve Smith with a 24-yard TD pass late in the third quarter, pulling the Panthers within 13-10.
Akers kicked a 38-yard field goal and, after Delhomme lost a fumble, McNabb found James Thrash for a 10-yard touchdown, making it 22-10 with 12:15 remaining.
