Adjustments Philadelphia Eagles Must Make Post-Bye Week

Areas for improvement practically don't exist for a Philadelphia Eagles team that enters its bye week 8-1, but the Eagles' work is not done in living up to their Super Bowl expectations.

After suffering a 27-20 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2, the Eagles have won seven straight while riding the coattails of MVP front-runner Carson Wentz and a dominating defense. Four of the last five victories haven't been close, and the team surpassed its win total from last season just halfway through the 2017 schedule.

Finding serious adjustments for the Eagles to make would require nit-picking of the near-perfect football they have played over the last several weeks. With that said, some negatives have bubbled to the surface in terms of injury and personnel changes that will demand more critical decision-making from head coach Doug Pederson's staff. 

Bye weeks are never griped about in the NFL, but the Eagles are riding a wave of momentum that is now being halted by the schedule. The coaching staff will need to stay on top of their upcoming matchups and be ready for teams to throw different looks at them down the stretch as they pursue the NFC's top seed.

Let's identify five adjustments the Eagles need to make following their Week 10 bye that will help them to continue their incredible run all the way to Minneapolis, Minnesota, for Super Bowl LII.

Move Lane Johnson to LT

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The Eagles lost arguably their most important offensive player beyond Wentz for the season in Week 7 when veteran left tackle Jason Peters suffered a torn ACL and MCL. That loss has already taken its toll on the Philly offense, and it will inevitably get worse.

Wentz got sacked 13 times in the Eagles' first six games, but he's been brought down a total of eight times in the two-plus games that they've been without Peters. Replacement left tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai has been understandably overwhelmed, forcing the team to field extra blockers on the left, thus taking a receiver away from Wentz.

That's worked in enough two games to allow Wentz to do his thing and lead Philly to resounding victories. But it boxes in the Eagles from a play-calling and scheming standpoint, which snatches away some of the ability to make the pre-snap reads that Wentz thrives upon.

Lane Johnson may be the Eagles' best lineman, even with a healthy Peters, and he needs to be utilized to protect the quarterback's blind side. While that will put Wentz under more pressure from the right, at least he can see it. If it comes from the left, the Eagles are leaving their most important player susceptible to punishment that he can't brace for.

The Eagles can't wait until the weakness on the left starts to take its toll. They have to put their best tackle on Wentz's blind side, and adjust from there.

Figure out the New RB Committee

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On one hand, the trade deadline move for running back Jay Ajayi showed the Eagles front office has the moxie to make a splashy move even with the team excelling. On the other, it shakes up a running game that was already producing among the NFL's best.

Infusing a young Pro Bowl back into a thriving offense is never something to admonish, but it does leave the coaches' hands full with how they disperse the carries. LeGarrette Blount has been playing some of the best football of his career after a slow start, while Corey Clement's production demands more touches and Wendell Smallwood needs his, too.

That being said, Ajayi showed what he's capable of despite having mere days to get acclimated to the Eagles offense. He took his first eight carries for 77 yards and ran for a long touchdown in his Philly debut against a Denver Broncos run defense that is one of the league's best.

Having the NFL's best record will keep the Eagles backs relatively happy regardless of how the pie is split, but they could run into issues when inevitable struggles come and certain backs are being frozen out. With the possible exception of Smallwood, none of the backs project as a good passing option, leaving carries out of the backfield as the main method of keeping them happy.

Most importantly, the Eagles will need to adapt on the fly to make sure Ajayi's newfound carries in the offense don't take any toll on the league's second-best rushing attack. They shook up a really good thing, and now they need to make sure it stays good.

Who Replaces Jordan Hicks?

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As if the loss of Peters wasn't enough, the Eagles suffered a similarly crushing blow to the other side of the ball in Week 7 against Washington when star middle linebacker Jordan Hicks suffered an Achilles injury that has him out for the remainder of 2017.

Philly is fortunate in a sense to have Nigel Bradham dominating game in and game out with Mychal Kendricks having a renaissance season alongside him, but a gaping hole exists at the third linebacker spot. If the snap count against Denver served any indication, the Eagles still don't seem to know how they'll replace that spot going down the stretch.

Beyond Bradham and Kendricks, no Eagles linebacker took more than 23 percent of the snaps in Week 9. Linebackers Joe Walker and Najee Goode combined for 15 snaps and 13 snaps, respectively, while Kamu Grugier-Hill logged 10. 

It's appearing that defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is leaning more toward nickel packages with two linebackers, and a dominant run defense affords him that opportunity. If that continues, safety Malcolm Jenkins will need to continue his strong play in the box and allow the other four defensive backs the opportunity to roam and cover their receivers.

Hammer Down a CB Rotation Amid Darby's Return

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The Week 1 loss of starting cornerback Ronald Darby hasn't hurt the Eagles defense nearly as much as expected, given their 8-1 record and the surprising emergence of rookie Rasul Douglas. According to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News, the team expect him back when they return from the bye.

Bringing a talented player back in the fold is never a bad thing, much like the infusion of Ajayi in the run game. But the Eagles need to do so carefully to avoid a drop-off in production.

Jalen Mills has excelled as a No. 1 cornerback, and sliding him over to the No. 2 spot for Darby's return will elevate the unit. It's safe to say that Douglas and Patrick Robinson have earned the privilege of staying on the field, but only one will be able to do so regularly.

Rotating cornerbacks will benefit an Eagles team that is down one linebacker, but much of the position relies upon consistent snaps that breed comfort and confidence. All of the Eagles cornerbacks are playing with a ton of confidence, and Schwartz won't be intent on shaking that up.

The smartest action the Eagles coaches could take in Darby's return is to rotate him in as a depth corner and see how he fares compared to the likes of Robinson and Douglas. 

Maintain Week-at-a-Time Focus

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The Eagles' winning run has shifted the focus of many fans toward the first weekend of February. While that's acceptable given the team's play, they better hope that doesn't rub off on the players.

Looking forward in any professional sport is a dangerous endeavor, but especially in the NFL, where the drop-off between the elite teams and average teams is not that big. A look at the Eagles' remaining schedule should flush any of that out of the players' minds, as they face the Cowboys twice along with the Seahawks, Rams and Raiders.

While the bye week affords Philly the chance to get healthier and sharpen their focus for a daunting second-half schedule, it'll also give their upcoming opposition more opportunity to look over film and find ways to stop the Eagles' incredible roll. Head coach Doug Pederson and crew need to keep taking it game-by-game and continue to carve out individual game plans to take advantage of their opponents' weaknesses.

They've done so in spectacular fashion through the first nine weeks of the season, but now comes the true test. As the Eagles begin to see a clearer playoff picture and their place in it, keeping focus on the opponent in front of them won't be as easy as it was in the opening months of the season.