The Philadelphia Eagleshave spent most of the past two weeks answering uncomfortable questions. Most of them you're familiar with or have probably asked yourselves. Why has the offense disappeared after halftime? Why has third-down execution fallen apart? Why does a team with this much talent still seem to be searching for its identity?
Those concerns aren't going away anytime soon. After losing to the Chicago Bears, they suffered an equally excruciating loss to the Los Angeles Rams. That has placed Philadelphia under the microscope heading into a Week 5 showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
Still, not every development deserves criticism. Even during a rough stretch, signs of progress have emerged. Some are small. Others may prove
more significant as the season unfolds. As the Eagles prepare for their next challenge, here are three positive trends worth building on.
Makai Lemon and Darius Cooper are giving the Eagles answers.
The Eagles continue searching for offensive consistency, but two young receivers are making compelling cases for larger roles. With DeVonta Smith unavailable in Week 4, Makai Lemon and Darius Cooper stepped forward. Together, they combined for six receptions, 60 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. More importantly, they looked comfortable handling larger responsibilities.
Cooper continues making the most of his opportunities. He now has five catches this season,three of which have resulted in touchdowns. Lemon's production has been more subtle, but the flashes remain encouraging whenever the ball finds him beyond the line of scrimmage.
The second-half stat sheet wasn't as kind. Jalen Hurts targeted Cooper four times and Lemon once after halftime, but none of those attempts were completed. Even so, the Eagles appear to be discovering pieces that can help stabilize the offense moving forward.
Second-quarter showings have been surprisingly encouraging.
The second-half struggles have received most of the attention, and deservedly so. Philadelphia has failed to score a point after halftime in consecutive games. The second quarter, however, tells a different story. Through four games, the Eagles have scored 52 of their 75 points during the second 15 minutes. That figure represents nearly 70 percent of their offensive production.
While the overall numbers remain disappointing, that stretch of football shows that Sean Mannion's offense can function at a high level. The challenge is carrying that success into the first, third, and fourth quarters. If Philadelphia can sustain the efficiency it has shown in the second quarter and carry it for a full 60 minutes, many of the current concerns could begin to disappear quickly.
Special teams continue carrying their weight.
Special teams don't always receive the attention they deserve, but Philadelphia's third phase has quietly become one of the team's most reliable strengths. Jake Elliott appears to have rediscovered his form. He remains perfect on field-goal attempts this season and drilled a 56-yarder against the Rams.
Braden Mann continues winning the field-position battle and has consistently pinned opponents deep in their own territory. He's already arguing for team MVP after the first month of action.
The contributions don't stop there. Britain Covey's 41-yard punt return helped set up Philadelphia's first touchdown against Los Angeles, while Kelee Ringo continues making his presence felt on coverage units.
The Eagles still have major issues to solve, particularly on offense. However, successful teams don't improve by focusing solely on what's broken. Philadelphia has a few encouraging developments worth nurturing. The next step is turning those isolated bright spots into sustainable strengths as the season moves forward.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: 3 encouraging Eagles trends entering Week 5 vs. Jaguars
