Fate of 2015 Philadelphia Eagles Hinges on Inconsistent Sam Bradford

The good news for the Philadelphia Eagles is they exit the bye week only one game back of first place in the NFC East despite a 3-4 record. The bad news is they still aren't going anywhere without more consistent and generally improved play by Sam Bradford.

If the 2015 season was intended as a referendum on Bradford as a franchise quarterback, the results ultimately are still inconclusive. The only thing we can say for certain right now is the Eagles require better from their signal-caller if any sort of legitimate playoff run is to be expected.

The Eagles defense is strong, but not so dominant it can carry the offense. And as for Bradford's supporting cast, let's just say the running backs, wide receivers and offensive line have all come up small at times this season.

GM	CMP%	AVG	TD/INT	RATING
Wk 1 @ ATL	69.2	6.5	1/2	77.1
Wk 2 vs. DAL	62.2	6.1	1/2	65.6
Wk 3 @ NYJ	50.0	4.2	1/0	73.2
Wk 4 @ WAS	53.6	9.6	3/0	122.6
Wk 5 vs. NO	71.1	7.4	2/2	88.5
Wk 6 vs. NYG	63.2	7.4	1/3	61.3
Wk 7 @ CAR	56.5	4.5	0/1	58.7

As is often the case in the NFL, it appears as though the Eagles' success or failure falls on the quarterback. Is Bradford capable of leading this team to a division championship or postseason berth, let alone beyond?

The numbers are not encouraging. Bradford has completed 62.0 percent of his passes for a pedestrian 6.4 yards per pass attempt with only nine touchdowns to a whopping 10 interceptions—good for a 76.4 rating that ranks 30th in the league out of 33 qualifying players.

The tape isn't a whole lot more promising. Statistics may not do Bradford's performance justice, but the truth of the matter is he's been inaccurate, indecisive and downright erratic through large portions of seven games.

Yes, a disappointing ground attack, dropped passes and poor protection have all conspired against Bradford. Yet at the end of the day, fair or unfair, the responsibility for winning or losing always seems to rest on the quarterback's shoulders.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Unfortunately, there's very little evidence—both based on his six-year professional career or play in 2015—that Bradford is capable of elevating the talent around him. He's never led an NFL team to the playoffs, let alone a winning record, and his production is more or less in line with previous seasons.

Regardless, winning and winning now is exactly what Bradford was brought to Philadelphia to do, and the former No. 1 overall draft pick realizing his potential is the only shot this team has.

While the backs, receivers and linemen probably aren't getting any better, Bradford might.

A few things to keep in mind. Prior to the beginning of this season, it had been nearly two calendar years since Bradford played in a meaningful NFL game due to consecutive ACL injuries. He's also in his first season in Eagles head coach Chip Kelly's offense.

YR	CMP%	AVG	TD/INT	RATING
2015	62.0	6.4	9/10	76.4
2013	60.7	6.4	14/4	90.9
2012	59.5	6.7	21/13	82.6
2011	53.5	6.1	6/6	70.5
2010	60.0	6.0	18/15	76.5

At some point, you have to stop making excuses for Bradford. At the same time, seven weeks isn't necessarily a large enough sample size to rule out the possibility he will get used to the speed of the game and learn to trust his knee again.

Furthermore, it's not as if Bradford hasn't demonstrated the ability to take over games. There have been quarters and halves of contests where the Eagles offense has moved the ball through the air at will, and the passes were laser precise. The main issue has been keeping up a prolific pace over a full 60 minutes.

Again, not all of the blame for Philadelphia's woes belongs to Bradford. Drops are a real problem. Protection is sporadic. The running game hasn't always done him a whole lot of favors. All of those are drive killers.

But Bradford can no longer count on improvement around him, either. He's out of excuses. Either he becomes more accurate, makes better decisions, commands the offense and eliminates the mistakes, or the Eagles are done.

And if the Eagles fail to make the playoffs, Bradford will be facing another challenge for the first time in his NFL career—signing a new contract.

Bradford is scheduled to become a free agent at season's end, and while he has over half a season to prove his value, already there's some question as to whether the Eagles will be interested. In other words, there's plenty at stake here beyond wins and losses.

The fate of the Eagles' season hinges on Bradford. So may the next several years for that matter.