The Philadelphia Eagles' season was already seemingly falling apart before the team boarded a plane to London. With two more losses since then, along with Monday's news that Jalen Hurts is expected to miss the rest of the 2026 season, the narrative that the Eagles are in freefall is in full effect. 

In any other situation, the Eagles would embark on an organic tank, a byproduct of the team's mounting injuries and losses. Losing is never acceptable (especially in a city like Philadelphia, which prides itself on overcoming the odds), but it would be understood, given the amount of body blows the Eagles have already endured. 

The Eagles won't intentionally tank, however. There's too much football left to play, the Eagles have too many good players on their roster, and they play in the NFL's easiest division to win. 

Philadelphia's objective, at least to me, is clear: win as many games as you can with the players you have. Best case, the Eagles find a way to win a division that could be had with seven wins. Worst case, the Eagles stumble into a top-five pick in next year's draft. 

Before we look ahead, let's look back at the Eagles' first six games. Four of their first five games were one-score outcomes (the only outlier was the embarrassing loss in Chicago in Week 3). On Sunday, the Eagles weren't put away until Bryce Young's second touchdown pass made it an 11-point game with 6:33 left. Philadelphia gave the defending NFC South champs a fight despite the absence of Hurts and Saquon Barkley (hamstring) and losing Nolan Smith during the game (concussion). 

In a losing effort, the Eagles received encouraging performances from DeVonta Smith (75 yards and a touchdown), Dallas Goedert (six catches for 61 yards in his second game back from injury), linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (six tackles and a half-sack) and defensive end Arnold Ebiketie (nine tackles). 

Sunday was essentially Tanner McKee's first legitimate start (his first two starts the previous two seasons were in meaningless games where the vast majority of the starters rested). Given the circumstances, McKee's performance wasn't bad by any stretch. He attempted 45 passes (way too many for a player in his position), completed 26, and threw for 215 yards and a touchdown. His stat line did not include an interception, which is impressive given his lack of experience and the number of times he threw the ball up. 

McKee's performance is even more impressive when you factor in that he was sacked 3 times and had no running game to take the pressure off him. 

The Eagles' next three games will likely determine how the rest of the season plays out. Each game is against NFC East division foes, with two of the games being played in Philadelphia. Philadelphia hosts Dallas this weekend, travels to Washington in Week 8, hosts the Giants in Week 9, and then heads into its bye week. 

The Eagles are in second place in the NFC East, 1.5 games behind first-place New York. If the Eagles can win two of their upcoming three games (including the matchup with the Giants), they will still be in the hunt to win the division entering Week 11, when Philadelphia will host a Steelers team that hasn't won in the City of Brotherly Love since 1965. 

The Eagles' next three games will determine how GM Howie Roseman handles the trade deadline, which falls during Philadelphia's bye week. If the Eagles show signs of revival during that span, Roseman may try to acquire a few players who can help them win a weak division. Roseman won't do anything that will mortgage the team's future, however. 

The more likely scenario is Roseman either standing pat or dealing a few pricey veterans to teams hoping to make a playoff push. Roseman would surely like to add to his pile of future draft picks that includes a projected eight picks in 2027 and two first- and two second-round picks in 2028. 

As bleak as it looks, the Eagles can win the NFC East if they right the ship during the next three weeks. Crazier things have happened, like in 2017, when the Eagles defeated Tom Brady and the Patriots in the Super Bowl with backup quarterback Nick Foles winning MVP honors. 

If the Eagles can't turn things around in the next three weeks, Roseman can start making moves to improve his team's situation in 2027 and beyond. 

Add CBS Sports on Google