What are we to expect of this young Eagles team coming out of this year's week 7 bye? Well, I think it’s safe to say we don’t know but hopefully, it’s improved special teams and the second-half offense. However, it’s also safe to say that we don’t know what this coach and QB combo will look like on the other side unlike past teams led by Doug Peterson and Andy Reid, who proved to be excellent at preparing their teams for a second half push for the second half of their respective seasons. Can Nick Siriani and Jalen Hurts prove that their momentum can survive a bye week and continue winning games starting with the Steelers this Sunday?

Special teams have proven to be an issue thus far this year, particularly in the team’s last battle with the division-rival Dallas Cowboys. In that game we saw terrible return coverage allow the Cowboys to remain in the game much longer than they should have, big returns late in that game served as momentum swings and scary reminders that this team's special teams need vast improvement. We will have to see what special teams coordinator Michael Clay has cooked up and if the recipe is any good! As for Jalen and coach Siriani, what are our hopes for the new top coach QB tandem in the NFC East? Well, I for one expect to see an improvement in second-half performance. The Eagles scoring by quarter through six games is as follows Q1: 21 Q2: 59 Q3: 58 Q4: 57 OT: 3. 

This team is capable of much better scoring in second halves especially when they have started the 3rd with the ball and the lead in a majority of games. I expect they will come out with a few more plays from the back of the playbook to put more teams away as early as possible. As for Jalen, I expect more of the same with continued improvement in reading defenses and trusting the talent at wideout. I would like to see more of his arm talent show itself and silence his critics who have scrutinized his arm strength and deep ball accuracy. The next step in his development will be crossing that off the list.

On the defensive side of the football, I’m hoping to see more aggression when defending leads late in games. We haven’t seen many stunts blitz or games to create pressure while up on the scoreboard. Strategic aggression will put the game away and the nail in the coffin much sooner stifling the confidence of opposing play callers and QBs as they attempt to come back against this Eagles Team.

Overall I expect to see this team continue to roll and improve on their way to what many assume to be a surefire playoff berth possibly as a top seed in the NFC. Look for the team to continue lifting each other up and locking games down for each other when they struggle and increased use of threatening defenses with Jalen’s legs to open routes up downfield as coverage breaks down late in plays.

-Shawn Campbell- Olde City Sports Network/Sundays For The Birds

*Photo Credit: Philadelphiaeagles.com*