Philadelphia Eagles find hope while Dallas has a crisis: NFC East rankings

The Philadelphia Eagles lay an egg in Week 5 but show promise.

The Eagles’ stranglehold on the NFC East lasted a mere seven days. That’s how fluid (and hectic) things have been in the ‘Money Division’. The ‘Birds’ lost in Week 5 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and just like everyone saw in Week 4, there were many positives and negatives in their performance.

What stood out the most was probably Travis Fulgham, who hauled in ten receptions for 152 yards and one touchdown. There’s no way Philly takes him out of the lineup now after such a dominant performance. Everybody but J.J. Arcega-Whiteside should be ecstatic about Fulgham’s potential moving forward.

Quarterback Carson Wentz played another solid game and ended it the game with 20 completions for 258 yards and two touchdowns. Although he threw two interceptions, he made enough plays to keep up with Philly’s in-state rivals for most of the game. Had the defense played the way they did versus the San Francisco 49ers and, maybe, if Jake Elliot connects on that 57-yard field goal (which would have been a miracle at Heinz Field, a notoriously tough place to kick in), we would be talking about the ‘Birds’ second win of the year instead of their third loss.

Speaking of Philly’s defense, what happened? Seriously, they allowed Steelers rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool to steamroll them on his way to a record-setting day in which he became the first rookie to have three receiving touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in the same game. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz didn’t seem to have an answer for the rookie and after the poor display that his unit showcased, his seat should be getting a whole lot warmer.

All isn’t lost though. The Eagles have been playing better these past two weeks than they were at the beginning of the season. If their offense keeps performing well and their defense plays as they did in Week 4, they will win more games down the road. There is plenty of football left to play and the division is wide open, it’s up to them to capitalize on the situation.