The 2017-2018 reign of Doug Pederson, Carson Wentz and Nick Foles captivated the already passionate city of Philadelphia and gave Eagles fans memories to last a lifetime. But ever since the underdog Super Bowl win in 2018, the team has been in a steady, lackluster decline. But not anymore.
The momentum seems to have shifted in the Eagles favor as they enter the second half of the regular season. If things keep going the way they are for the Birds, their post season could include football games instead of golf.
There are four legitimate reasons why Philadelphia's rebuild team could become a serious playoff contending team.
1. A newfound captivating rush game
A prime example of the effectiveness of this team's run game comes straight from their most recent win. Jalen Hurts and the offense had 242 yards rushing against the number one rush defense in the NFL (New Orleans Saints).
Since the beginning of the season, first year head coach Nick Sirianni has recognized that a major strength in the Eagles offense is their speed. Sirianni is capitalizing on the agility of his running backs (and the quarterback, see reason 2) by incorporating the ground game in a large portion of his recent play calls. In the first four games of the season, the Eagles averaged 121.5 rushing yards per game. In their last four weeks of football, that number has nearly doubled at 217 yards.
2. The versatility and improvement of the QB
Quarterback Jalen Hurts is another main part of the Eagles recent success. It's his first full year as a starting quarterback in the NFL, so it took him (and his first year head coach) a few weeks to get it together. Hurts averaged 1.25 interceptions in his first four starts of the season. He has only had one interception in his last five games, averaging 0.20 a game. This is huge for the young quarterback and his longevity with the team. Many “Hurts doubters” saw his lack of accuracy as a major red flag, but he is definitely improving in that regard.
His accuracy trending in the right direction, but that isn't the only skill Hurts brings to the quarterback position. Hurts is an extremely mobile quarterback, and he puts numbers on the board. He has 618 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in the first 11 games. In Week 11 against the top rushing defense in the league, Hurts put up 69 rushing yards and THREE rushing touchdowns.
3. The overall trend
One of the simpler points comes from the team's overall game outcome trend. The Eagles started the season at 2-5. Now, they have managed just one loss since then and three more wins, leaving them at 5-6. The Birds are currently on a two game winning streak after defeating the Broncos in Denver and the Saints at home.
4. Upcoming opponents
Obviously, a losing record isn't going to get them to the playoffs. The NFC East isn't great by any means, but the Cowboys are giving them a run for their money. The Boys are 7-3 and lead the division and have only one upcoming game that they will most likely lose (Week 17 against the Arizona Cardinals).
HOWEVER, the Eagles schedule is looking really nice. All of the teams they play, minus the Cowboys, have losing records. They even have a much needed BYE coming up in Week 14. If the Birds can win four of their last six games, they have a chance to take one of the NFC Wildcard spot.
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