Philadelphia Eagles: Five Questions Coming Out of Bye Week

The Philadelphia Eagles still have eight games remaining. Here are some questions about five different players that could determine whether or not Philly can be the NFC's No. 1 seed for a second straight year.

PHILADELPHIA – There is nothing to watch on Sunday as it pertains to the Philadelphia Eagles since they are on a bye in Week 10.

There is plenty to watch within the NFC East, though, with the Dallas Cowboys hosting the New York Giants, the Washington Commanders, who to their credit, haven’t mailed it in despite trading their top two pass rushers, at the Seattle Seahawks, and the Detroit Lions (6-2) visiting the Los Angles Chargers aiming to stay on the heels of Philly for the top playoff seed in the NFC.

Three of the league’s best teams are taking the weekend off. Joining the Eagles are the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins. The Los Angeles Rams are also on a bye.

There will also be plenty to watch from the Eagles over the two-plus months. There will be eight more regular season games and then the postseason, assuming the Eagles can seal the deal and there’s not even the slightest hint that they won’t be able to do just that.

Here are five questions to answer over the final eight.

Jalen Hurts' knee. The two weeks between games will help, but will it be enough? Will the knee ever be 100 percent again this season? Does it matter?

The knee has led to an evolution in Hurts’ game. Where some were talking about him regressing earlier in the season, my stance was he is becoming more of a pocket passer, and we are seeing the growing pains in becoming that. 

It looks like Hurts has it figured out, with a career-high completion percentage close to 69 percent, which includes three straight games with a completion percentage of 73 percent or higher.

Also, even with an ailing knee, he leads the NFL in rushing first downs with 39.

A.J. Brown’s torrid pace. The receiver’s first half was the best in both Eagles history and league history, but can he keep it up? There’s no reason to think he can’t.

His six straight games with 125-plus receiving yards set an NFL record and his 1,005 yards receiving makes him the fastest to top the 1,000-yard mark in Eagles history.

If Brown stays healthy, he will rewrite Philly’s record book for the season straight year with the most single-season receiving yards. Last year, he had 1,496. This year, he should finish close to 2,000.

Bradley Roby. Can the veteran slot cornerback bring stability to the position? It’s been a revolving door there. Ever since backup Zech McPhearson was lost for the season this past summer which was followed by a season-ending injury to Avonte Maddox. The 31-year-old Roby was signed to the practice squad on Oct. 4. He was eventually promoted to the active roster, but after playing just two games, he has missed the last three with a shoulder injury. He is expected to return against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs next Monday night.

Jalen Carter / Ed Kracz, SI Fan Nation Eagles Today

Jalen Carter. As the Eagles look to seal the deal and be the NFC’s No. 1 seed in the playoffs for a second straight year, the question is: can the rookie defensive tackle wrap up the Defensive Rookie of the Year award? If so, he will be the first Eagles player to ever win that award.

There hasn’t been a more impactful rookie on the defensive side of the ball than Carter and watching him is a treat. The best part is that he will only get better and that development will continue through the rest of the season, however long it lasts.

Dallas Goedert and Nakobe Dean. Can the Eagles survive and thrive without them? The tight end and linebacker were two big losses suffered in the win over the Dallas Cowboys leading into the bye.

Goedert fractured his forearm and will likely miss a month if not more. He missed five games last year with a shoulder injury and the Eagles went 5-0, so that’s relatively decent news.

Dean's situation is a bit more murky. He has a Lisfranc sprain, and that sort of injury typically takes six to eight weeks to heal. While he has not played as well as Zach Cunningham and Nick Morrow, Dean did add depth to his position. If something were to happen to Cunningham or Morrow, look out.