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Writer's pictureSteven Poss

What Do The Eagles Need To Fix In Their Bye Week?

The Philadelphia Eagles are off to an impressive start at 6-0 which is the only undefeated record in the NFL. This has been possible because of dominant offensive and defensive play week after week showing that the Eagles can win in a variety of ways. Week Seven is a bye week for the Eagles so this is an important time for the team to fix a few things.

1. The Eagles Need To Get Healthy

For the most part, the Eagles have avoided major injuries so far. Defensive End Derek Barnett remains the only Eagle out for the season (torn ACL). Offensive Tackle Lane Johnson suffered a concussion in the win over the Cowboys and remains questionable for the Week Eight matchup vs the Steelers. Johnson is an elite tackle and was able to neutralize Cowboys’ defender Michal Parsons this past week. The Eagles’ offense definitely missed him after he went out. 

Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson suffered a hand injury in the win against the Cowboys. He returned later in the game so he should be back soon. Backup cornerback and special teamer, Josh Jobe, is listed as questionable with a shoulder injury. Previous injuries to Jordan Mailata, Boston Scott, and Andre Dillard do not seem to be affecting them anymore, so each of them should be in good shape. Overall, the team seems healthy, but the bye week will allow them to get even more refreshed.  

2. The Eagles Need To Fix Their Sluggish Third Quarters

Every week seems to be the same for the Eagles. They develop a big first half lead but fail to build upon it in the third quarter. It has not affected them yet, but a better team has the potential to come back against the Eagles.

The Eagles had a 31-14 lead over the Lions in the opener, but only won 38-35. After a 14-0 start against the Cardinals in Week Five, Arizona eventually tied the game before the Eagles got going again. After a 20-0 start against the Cowboys last week, Dallas cut the deficit to 20-17. The slow third quarters completely changed the games, but thankfully the Eagles were able to adjust and come out with a win.

Philadelphia did not score in the third quarter in four out of their six games this season. Somehow, the team need to find a way to carry their strong second quarters into the third quarter. This could be possible with staying aggressive so they could continue to build their lead.

3. The Eagles Need To Improve Their Run Defense

The defense has been a strength of the Eagles this season, but the run defense has been surprisingly just ok. Philadelphia has given up 659 rushing yards through six weeks which is 15th in the NFL. When it comes to yards per carry, the Eagles are the fifth worst in the league at five yards per carry. This is a possible weakness of the defense that opposing teams might try to exploit. The Eagles have gotten away with it because they have developed larger leads and have forced opposing teams to pass the ball more.

4. The Eagles Need To Improve Their Special Teams

The Eagles’ special teams unit has been the weakest link of the team this season. Punter Arryn Siposs is just 23rd in the league with an average punt of 45.9 yards. His net average is 40.3 yards which is 28th in the NFL. Siposs has pinned the ball within the opposing 20-yard line 12 times this season which is eighth in the league.

On kickoffs, the Eagles are allowing 25.6 yards per return which is the seventh most allowed in the NFL. In kickoff returns, Philadelphia is last with just 15 yards per return. And for punt returns, the 6.9 yards per return average is 25th in the NFL.

The lone bright sport for the Eagles is their field goal unit. Their 89% field goal percentage is 11th in the league. Overall, the Nick Sirianni and the coaching staff has a lot of work to do on special teams particularly in the kickoff and punt categories.

In Conclusion

The Eagles and their fans have a lot to be happy about. The 6-0 record going into the bye week is better than what anyone would have expected. Hopefully they can keep it up and work their way towards the number one seed in the NFC. If the Eagles can fix what has been listed, nobody could stop them.

What do the Eagles need to fix the most? Let us know in the comments. Check out our latest content and don’t forget to follow our Facebook and Twitter pages for more Eagles coverage!

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