Welcome to The Takeaway, where we take away the three key points from the Eagles' bye week.
1. The correction of the NFC East begins in earnest. While the Eagles took a week off to nurse their injuries and master the fine art of not running Owen Schmitt at the goal line, the Redskins went down to Carolina and got absolutely housed by Cam Newton. The Redskins now look very much like the awful team we suspected they were at the beginning of the year, and the Cowboys and Eagles suddenly find themselves in the perfect position to regain control of the division. A win in Sunday night's game against Dallas and the Eagles will have lifted themselves out of the division cellar, perhaps for good. You can sense the tide turning now. You can feel both Dallas and Philly coming on, even though the Eagles didn't play this week. This week was a reminder of how quickly things can change in the NFL, and how a seemingly dead team like Philly can quickly find itself in a good position to right the ship.
2. Here's a completely insane thing to say. I watched the Packers yesterday and, despite their 7-0 record, they do have a few weaknesses. They don't defend the run particularly well. And if you cover their wideouts well, you can actually get to Aaron Rodgers. I don't think any team can beat the Packers in the NFC playoffs, but if there's one team that can do it, it's a team that runs the ball effectively AND has enough depth in the secondary to give the pass rush time to put Rodgers on his back. You know what team fits those criteria? The Eagles. They have the personnel to match up with the Packers. It's just a matter of them not playing like idiots. I know that's asking the world of them, but still. This is the one NFC team that could pull it off.
3. Does running for over 200 yards count if you do it against the Rams? I'm inclined to say no.
