Eagles Bye Week Report
For a number of ideal reasons, the Eagles head into a much-needed bye during Week Five. With all the outside scrutiny the team faces, they still managed to break even with two wins out of four games so far. The team has underperformed mightily, and there truly isn’t just one person to point the finger towards. They have collectively played short of the standard many held them to before the season began. With that being said, there are reasons to look upward as the Eagles look to fix their issues through the early portion of the season.
For starters, wide receiver A.J. Brown will be back fully healthy going into Week Six, which is sure to change the stagnant offense as it’s performed so far. He is the security blanket for quarterback Jalen Hurts, and his absence has been evident the past month. Having the star receiver back will help the offense not only in early downs but in the red zone as well. The bye week is also a great opportunity for Hurts to let the outside noise settle, and work on fixing his turnover issues. The play-calling also needs to change mightily, as the Eagles’ conservative and non-aggressive philosophy has put the team in no rhythm early in games. Far too often the offense is playing from behind, and that needs to be addressed.
As previously noted, Hurts has led the league in turnovers since the start of the 2023 season. These numbers have to flip on its side immediately for the Eagles to make a deep run this year. Finally, the defense and coaching can work through some of the issues they have faced. Through the first four games, the defense has allowed 96 points. The pass rush is a key issue so far, as the front line has looked like a shell of itself since defensive end Haason Reddick was traded. With a few key issues addressed, the Eagles should come out the bye looking like the team they have aspired to be. In a perfect world, the Eagles have played their worst football of the season, and are standing at .500. It will be interesting to see how the team responds going against the Browns at home next week.
