Paul Macrie

With five games remaining, three at home, now it is time to see if the Eagles will play with pride as many are performing on the field for jobs in 2017 or if they will unravel.

In what can be accurately described as a transitional season, the Eagles have digressed after Week 3. The team has struggled to regain its form from the first month of the season and have no identity on offense. The top person to blame for the overall team decline and failing offense is head coach Doug Pederson.

Nelson Agholor’s postgame comments against the Seahawks were subdued. He is a player that is clearly struggling with confidence, and it has taken a mental and emotional toll on him. Maybe Doug Pederson’s new approach to handling Agholor’s delicate situation will work, but it might also be another failed attempt.

After passing on the likes of Jason Pierre-Paul and more notably Earl Thomas, Brandon Graham struggled to live up to first-round expectations through most of his career. Now, as Graham continues to play at an All-Pro caliber level in 2016, the organization is finally getting maximum return on their investment.

Credit has to go out to offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland who is responsible for getting the Eagles offensive line unit to understand their blocking assignments, pass protection schemes and making sure the linemen have proper footwork and technique.

Midway through the 2016 season, the Eagles running back rotation remains a mystery, as Doug Pederson and his offensive staff haven’t found the right backfield recipe on game days.

It is very difficult to put a positive spin on the play of the team during the last month. But after failing to produce big plays on offense for weeks, the improvements against the Giants were exactly what the team needed.

Caleb Sturgis third field goal of the game on Sunday night gave the Eagles a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter. It appeared they were on their way to a convincing win against the first-place Cowboys, but questionable play-calling, terrible execution, a key turnover and a sputtering defense were reasons for the collapse. The overtime loss to now 6-1 Dallas most likely dashed hopes of an NFC East title.

Will the Eagles defense contain the Cowboys prolific rookies on Sunday night? Other defenses have largely failed to so far this season, but this unit should be up for the task, and they will have to be, as preventing big runs from Elliott and Prescott’s tremendous play-making ability will be crucial in order to win this pivotal NFC East game.

As the Eagles get set to play the hated Dallas Cowboys this Sunday night, it is time for Carson Wentz to raise his level of play.

Reality has set in for the Eagles during the last two weeks in road losses to the Lions and Redskins. The defense has taken a significant step back as well. The unit has committed too many penalties, plus poor tackling has factored into the recent slide. Can the defense bounce back in an important home game against the Vikings on Sunday?

Though it is a one-game sample size, it is hard to envision a scenario where Vaitai can play anywhere near Johnson’s level. As the Eagles get set to play the number-one ranked defense in Minnesota this week, the task for the offensive line only gets more arduous.

The last two times the Eagles have played in the Capital Beltway region, the games have ended in disaster. Of course, Carson Wentz wasn’t the quarterback for either of those games, nor did the defense have the aggressive look that it has now. Hopefully that means a different outcome this time around.

The Eagles first loss against the Lions can be filed away as one to quickly forget, move on, use it as a teaching moment and get set for a big NFC East matchup at Washington on Sunday.

The Eagles defense will need to prepare for Matthew Stafford’s massive upside, and there is no coach in the league that is better aware of the Lions quarterback’s abilities than defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.

As the Eagles get back to business after a refreshing bye week, can they continue to play at a high level?

Any given Sunday in the NFL can prove to be a battle, but some opponents are simply more talented than others. During the remainder of the season, Philadelphia’s schedule will be arduous to navigate.

Yes, the positive results are a small sample size, but at the same time, they can’t be ignored — whether you are critic or a believer. After Sunday’s 34-3 demolishing of the Pittsburgh Steelers, there are several points to make why this team will “overachieve.”

Despite the quarterback matchup being the biggest appeal to this upcoming contest, another headline that needs to be discussed is the Eagles defense facing their toughest challenge to date against an offense that very well could be the best in the NFL.

Despite another solid game from Carson Wentz and a decisive 29-14 win in Chicago, after two games, the Eagles offense still remains a work in progress.

Throughout the early part of the game against the Browns in Week 1, Jalen Mills was on the sidelines taking in mental reps. When his number was called after Leodis McKelvin left the contest with a hamstring injury, his preparation paid off and appears ready to jump into the spotlight going into Week 2 on the Monday Night Football stage against the Chicago Bears.

The loss of Zach Ertz, potentially for the long-term, could be a detriment to the Eagles offense, who now must move forward with Brent Celek and Trey Burton at tight end.

Embed from Getty Images   By Paul Macrie, Sports Talk Philly staff writer  The main topic leading up to Sunday's…

Embed from Getty Images   By Paul Macrie, Sports Talk Philly staff writer  Preseason football can often be misleading. The…