Eagles Bye Week Check-In

The Philadelphia Eagles began this season hot.

A 4-0 start with electric endings, from the stifling defense against Dallas in game 1 to the game-winning blocked field goal against the Rams in week 3, there were no signs of the Birds slowing down.

But games 5 and 6 came around, and this Eagles squad looked completely different.

A crushing loss to the Denver Broncos, followed by a 17-point dismantling by the New York Giants, killed fans’ confidence in the team as they plummeted in the power rankings.

But a huge win against the Vikings in Minnesota and an 18-point win against New York to go into the bye week changed the teams’ and fans’ attitude.

So how can Philadelphia carry that momentum past the bye week and into the final 9 games of the season?

This bye week needs to be taken extremely seriously. Last season, Philly was 2-2 going into the deadline and proceeded to win 16 of their next 17 games, including a Super Bowl victory.

From the antics of A.J. Brown to not giving Saquon Barkley opportunities on the ground, there are many things that can be done differently in the second half of the year offensively.

That begins with Kevin Patullo.

Philly’s offensive coordinator was all over the place with his game plans, but may have found the answer last week against New York.

Jalen Hurts completed 15 of his 20 pass attempts with 4 touchdowns, and Barkley ran for 150 yards on the ground with a score. In that game, we also saw Tank Bigsby run for over 100 yards behind Barkley, showing Philly’s depth in the run game. The passing game was excellent, as DeVonta Smith caught 6 passes for 82 yards and Dallas Goedert found the endzone twice. Even without Brown, Patullo finally took advantage of his offensive weapons, and it worked to perfection.

On the defensive side of the ball, the defensive backs have been an issue. However, with the addition of Michael Carter II and Jaire Alexander may be the boost that Howie Roseman and Co. needed for the defense. Carter was acquired via trade from the Jets and is in his 5th year in the league. The 26-year-old corner will have many opportunities with the lack of DB depth in the Philadelphia secondary. Alexander is a former Pro Bowl corner, most notably known for his time with Green Bay. He was acquired from Baltimore this past week and will have a similar role to Carter.

As a whole, Philadelphia needs to take this bye week and continue to learn from the prior weeks. Using Barkley and Bigsby is a must, and taking advantage of the new defensive backs is a requirement. Practices this week need to heavily involve those players and get them ready for next Monday night against the Packers.

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