By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
A season ago, the Philadelphia Eagles seemingly were stuck in quarterback purgatory — even with the best quarterback that they started since Donovan McNabb — had a head coach that lost the locker room early in the season and were unwatchable for at least three-quarters of their season. So if two back-to-back losses to teams that appeared likely to be fairly easy victories just two weeks ago aren't overly concerning to you, you aren't alone.
This isn't to suggest that the Eagles, who have been very undisciplined the past two weeks, don't deserve to be criticized, but losses don't come with the same empty feeling that they did a season ago. A year ago, the Eagles had a head coach who refused to adjust and had a poor relationship with a majority of the team, mixed with an impending free-agent quarterback who probably wasn't good enough to win anything of significance but seemed better than any potential replacements. Even after two consecutive losses where the team didn't seem overly prepared for the game, Doug Pederson seems like an upgrade over Chip Kelly and Carson Wentz looks as though he could develop into one of the game's elite quarterback talents.
Certainly, this Eagles team has holes. They lack a true No. 1 running back — though from here it seems fair to wonder if Wendell Smallwood couldn't be a very good one with more carries — have gotten next to no significant production from their pass catchers and their offensive line looked poor in today's loss to the Washington Redskins. But it isn't news that the team isn't deep at their skill positions and Lane Johnson's suspension forcing Halapoulivaati Vaitai into starting was obviously less than ideal.
On the other hand, Wentz has outperformed any realistic expectations through the first five games of his career. Even in a game where he took a bad sack late in the game and wasn't statistically overwhelming, Wentz managed to not turn the ball over once despite consistent pressure, made some really impressive throws and helped put the team in a position to be competitive in a game where they were thoroughly outperformed.
Howie Roseman and the Eagles, which doesn't have the same scary ring it did eight months ago, may face an uphill battle in maximizing their draft packs and cap money to build a stronger offensive line around Wentz, add receiving talent and continue to build on their defense, which needs to make adjustments of its own. But a season ago, the Eagles had all of those same problems, with a head coach who had lost the team and no clear future at quarterback. After a strong start, Doug Pederson has been more of a mixed bag the past two weeks in terms of game-planning, but he's been an upgrade over Kelly and seems to have a franchise quarterback. Building the rest of the team is work, but after losses this year there's at least a feeling that the Eagles have the most important position in sports, and potentially even his head coach, taken care of. Having to fix other portions of the team is not a terrible situation to be in.
