Eagles at the bye

MVPs

It's an ominous sign when your most valuable player has played only 25.4 percent of the snaps, but Mathews has been the one skill-position player on offense to exceed expectations this season. The running back rushed for over 100 yards when an injured DeMarco Murray missed the Jets game, and he averaged 7.3 yards per carry in spot duty in the six other games. Chip Kelly has done a questionable job of getting Mathews, who appears to have better physical skills than Murray, more involved in the offense. When both have been active, Murray has averaged 4.0 yards per touch and Mathews 7.4 yards.

Runner-up: Jason Peters remains the best player on the offense, but injuries and age have made the left tackle less dominant. He's still a force, as he showed in the Eagles' wins over the Saints and Giants.

Everything starts up front, to repeat a commonly used phrase, and it's no truer than with Cox and the Eagles. The end has been the anchor of a defensive line that has arguably been the team's best unit over the last two years. Cox leads the Eagles with five sacks and three forced fumbles and has been just as disruptive against the run as he has been as a pass rusher. Defensive tackle Bennie Logan deserves a nod for his improved play, particularly on run downs.

Runner-up: Malcolm Jenkins is a close second behind Cox. The safety has become an invaluable piece in the Eagles' pass defense. Jenkins has seamlessly stepped into the slot role and leads the defense with eight pass breakups. But he may be most valuable in how he sets the coverages before the snap.

- Jeff McLane

Biggest surprises

Even the most optimistic fans didn't expect Bradford to morph into an elite quarterback after a near-two-year layoff. But they certainly didn't think he would turn the ball over at a significantly higher rate than he had in four seasons with the Rams. Bradford has thrown a league-worst 10 interceptions and has a 3.6 percent interception rate. His pre-Eagles interception percentage was 2.2. His receivers haven't helped; three of the picks caromed off of the intended target's hands. But the quarterback has been careless with the football, particularly in the red zone, where four of his interceptions have come.

Runner-up: Jason Kelce showed grit in returning early from a sports-hernia surgery last season, but the injury limited the center. He's healthy this year, though and has been inconsistent. Playing alongside two new guards may have had something to do with his slow start, but Kelce has had far too many slip-ups.

The Eagles beefed up the inside linebacker position in the offseason, but drafting Hicks in the third round seemed like overkill at the time. Who could have predicted he would be the rookie to have the greatest impact? With Kiko Alonso, Mychal Kendricks, and DeMeco Ryans all missing games, Hicks has stepped into lineup and performed like a savvy veteran. Even after Kendricks returned last week, it was Hicks who wore the play-calling headset and played every down. He leads the Eagles with 48 tackles and has one sack, one interception, one forced fumble, and three fumble recoveries.

Runner-up: The Eagles deserve props for looking at Walter Thurmond - a career cornerback - and realizing he could be just as effective as a safety. Defensive coordinator Bill Davis has limited Thurmond's responsibilities, thanks in part to Jenkins' versatility, but Thurmond has solidified a position that has been a trouble spot for years.

- Jeff McLane

Biggest disappointment

His woeful start was hardly all his fault, but Murray's failures and successes through seven games have hinged far too often on the production of the offensive line. He's done less with less and about what you would expect with more. In his first three games, as the line worked out the kinks, he averaged 1.6 yards per rush. In his next three (he missed Week 2 with an injury), as Kelly found ways to help his line, Murray averaged 4.4 yards. Mathews benefitted from the variety and improved blocking, as well, but he has been much better after contact. While Murray is averaging only 1.42 yards after initial contact, Mathews is averaging 2.27 yards, per ESPN.

Runner-up: Jordan Matthews seemed poised for a breakout season after an impressive rookie campaign. But drops and general sloppiness have marred the slot receiver's sophomore season. Matthews leads the Eagles in receptions (39) and receiving yards (398), but he's dropped at least six passes - two of which were deflected for interceptions - and had a fumble.

A free-agent contract that pays Maxwell $10.5 million annually raised expectations that he would be a No. 1-caliber cornerback. Unfair or not, Maxwell never had that skill-set. He got off to a rocky start, but has improved. But a missed assignment here and a halfhearted tackle attempt there have placed Maxwell under the microscope. And whatever happened to him shadowing a team's top receiver? It's clear that Davis hasn't felt comfortable placing so much responsibility on the 27-year old's plate.

Runner-up: Kiko Alonso has missed five games because of a knee sprain, but injuries have to be part of the equation when evaluating the linebacker. Kelly gave up LeSean McCoy for Alonso, who missed all of last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, and the Eagles have gotten little in return. He made a one-handed interception in the opener but otherwise looked rusty before the injury.

- Jeff McLane

Three story lines to watch

Bradford enters the post-bye portion of the schedule with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and he has looked more like a journeyman than a franchise quarterback. If the Eagles are to make the playoffs, they'll need better performances from Bradford the rest of the season. It will help when receiver Nelson Agholor, a first-round pick who is also a key figure in the backstretch of the season, returns from injury.

But it's not just the playoffs on the line; Bradford is in the final year of his contract. The Eagles will need to see more whether they can make Bradford their quarterback beyond this season. They surrendered Nick Foles and a second-round pick to acquire Bradford - and they're paying him a hefty 2015 salary - so they've already made an investment. The next nine weeks will show whether they can get a return on that investment, or whether they'll need to find their fourth opening-day quarterback in four seasons.

The Eagles defense has been the best in the NFL at forcing turnovers, with 19 takeaways in seven games. The Eagles had 28 takeaways all of last season. The big difference has been the interceptions - at 11, they are already one shy of last year's total. The defense compensated for the offense's poor play early in the season. The Eagles offense has 15 turnovers (second in the league), so even with the defense's effort, the Birds are only plus-4 in turnover margin. They were one of the worst in the NFL last year with a minus-8; the defense is putting the Eagles in position to lead the league in that number if the offense shows any signs of life.

The biggest reason for optimism for the Eagles is that the NFC East is wide open. The Giants are in first place at 4-3 - only the AFC South has a first-place team with fewer wins. The Eagles and Washington are tied at 3-4, and the Cowboys are in the rear at 2-4.

The Cowboys are the defending champions and expect to get back Dez Bryant and Tony Romo in the coming weeks. They also have the best division record at 2-1. The Eagles have the worst division record at 1-2. With 10 weeks and six intra-division games remaining, the NFC East champion might not be crowned until Week 17, when the Eagles visit the Giants and the Cowboys host the Redskins.

- Zach Berman

Game-by-game glance

The Eagles visit Dallas for a rematch of a Week 2 division meeting, in which the Cowboys beat the Eagles, 20-10. The Cowboys won't have quarterback Tony Romo back for this game, but they could have Dez Bryant on the field.

The Dolphins were on a hot streak before New England ran over them on Thursday. Interim head coach Dan Campbell has injected life into the team, although the loss of defensive end Cameron Wake will be tough for the Dolphins defense.

The Eagles have little margin for error in the second half of their schedule, so they need to beat teams like Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers are 2-4. They could improve as No. 1 pick Jameis Winston gets more experience at quarterback.

The Lions have the advantage of hosting the Eagles on a short week, but that didn't help Dallas on Thanksgiving last season. Detroit has been one of the NFL's most disappointing teams, losing six of its first seven games one year after making the playoffs.

TNo team in the NFL is hotter than New England, which has taken out its Deflategate anger on the rest of the NFL. The Patriots are averaging 35.6 points per game, and quarterback Tom Brady has 20 touchdowns and only one interception.

Do you think LeSean McCoy will be excited for this game? The Eagles' all-time leading rusher returns to Philadelphia to play his former team, and you can expect Bills coach Rex Ryan to feature McCoy often, if McCoy is in the lineup.

The Eagles and Cardinals have played competitive games the last two seasons, and that could be the case again in December. Arizona, at 5-2, is one of the NFL's top teams, and its offense will be one of the best the Eagles face all season.

After losing to Washington in the final minute in Week 4, the Eagles need a better performance in a Saturday night game. DeSean Jackson didn't play in the first meeting. If he's on the field for this game, it would be an even tougher matchup.

The Eagles see the Giants 11 weeks after dominating them on Oct. 19. It's the third time in four years the teams will close the season at MetLife Stadium. The previous two, in 2014 and 2012, didn't have playoff implications, but this one might.

- Zach Berman