Are the Philadelphia Eagles Lucky or Good?

Are the 2014 Philadelphia Eagles lucky or good? That’s what you’re here for, isn’t it? The answers to life’s most important questions?

What we know for certain is the Eagles are owners of a 4-1 record—four wins and only one loss in five games—which is definitively good. Of that there is no debate.

What is suspect is how the Eagles got to 4-1 has been somehow misleading, or lucky. Three of their victories have come at the expense of opponents with backup quarterbacks at the helm and a combined 2-12 record. All three of those games were close calls anyway.

What are concerning are the never-ending string of uneven offensive and defensive performances that have caused every Eagles game this season to go down to the wire. Nor are there any signs of the inconsistencies letting up anytime soon.

A 4-1 record should never be taken for granted, yet neither should the fact the Eagles had to scratch and claw to get there. Good 4-1, lucky 4-1, tough 4-1, soft 4-1—which one is it, and how exactly does a person tell the difference?

The fact of the matter is the entire discussion borders on being moot.

RANK	TEAM	WINS	LOSSES	%
1.	Philadelphia Eagles	4	1	.800
2.	Dallas Cowboys	4	1	.800
3.	Arizona Cardinals	3	1	.750
4.	Seattle Seahawks	3	1	.750
5.	Carolina Panthers	3	2	.600
6.	Detroit Lions	3	2	.600
7.	San Francisco 49ers	3	2	.600
8.	New York Giants	3	2	.600
9.	Green Bay Packers	3	2	.600

What being 4-1 quite literally means is the Eagles are well positioned to reach the NFL playoffs. The majority of 10-win teams get into the tournament, so if the Birds can just go 6-5 the rest of the way—win one more game than they lose—there’s an excellent chance Philadelphia will participate in postseason football come January. Getting to that point is half the battle.

And the only thing that truly matters is how the Eagles evolve between now and then. Their record through five games can quickly become irrelevant if the team doesn’t continue to grow and improve over the course of the remaining three months of the season.

Then again, the same could be said of almost any other roster in the league. Do people honestly believe the Eagles are the only NFL team that has a lot of work to do?

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

The good news is there are reasons to think the Eagles will continue to progress.

Not to cover old ground, but Philadelphia is working shorthanded in several key areas. All-Pro left guard Evan Mathis and dynamic center Jason Kelce, two-fifths of the club’s offensive line, are still out with injuries, as is interior linebacker Mychal Kendricks, arguably the defense’s most valuable and versatile player.

None of those injuries are season-ending, though. Mathis is eligible to return from short-term injured return in Week 10. Zach Berman for The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Kelce is targeting the same game, Monday night versus the Carolina Panthers.

If you think those absences don't have a direct impact on the struggles of Pro Bowl quarterback Nick Foles, All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy and the offense as a whole, you're plain wrong.

At least Kendricks is nearing his comeback already. He returned to practice on Tuesday, according to John Gonzalez for CSNPhilly.com, who added the third-year linebacker is considered day to day. If Kendricks doesn’t make it on the field in time for this Sunday’s tilt with the New York Giants, he’ll likely be ready after next week’s bye.

The defense does have its share of issues even with Kendricks on the field, but without him, the unit is missing one of its best all-around weapons—a superior run-defender, pass-rusher and cover linebacker rolled into one.

	PTS/GM	YDS/GM	RUN YDS/GM	PASS YDS/GM
OFFENSE	31.2 (1st)	364.4 (14th)	98.6 (23rd)	265.8 (9th)
DEFENSE	26.4 (25th)	406.2 (28th)	132.0 (24th)	274.2 (29th)

With reinforcements on the way, the Eagles only stand to improve on both sides of the ball over the next several months. Considering Philadelphia already has a 60.2 percent chance of making the playoffs based on data compiled by Mike Harris for Football Outsiders, how could that not instill confidence?

Sure, 2014 hasn’t been pretty thus far, but the only thing that matters now is where the Eagles go from here, and they appear poised for a huge turnaround. When you can say that about a 4-1 team, the rest of the league better be on notice.

Have the Eagles been lucky or good so far? As long as they play marginally above .500 football the rest of the way, there’s a good chance nobody will remember or care what the club looked like heading into the bye. Philadelphia will be in the playoffs, and the franchise’s championship dreams will be very much alive.