PHILADELPHIA -- A look at the highs and lows of the first half of the season for the Philadelphia Eagles, and what to expect in the second half:
Midseason MVP: Defensive end Fletcher Cox has been the best player on a vastly improved defensive squad. Since no one on the Eagles' offense is deserving of consideration, that makes Cox the team's MVP to this point.
Last year, teammates lamented the lack of attention paid to Cox, especially when Pro Bowl selections were announced. If he continues to play this well, Cox should break through for that kind of recognition this season.
Cox's best performance came against the New Orleans Saints. He sacked Drew Brees three times, forcing him to fumble twice. Cox recovered one of the fumbles himself.
Overall, Cox has been good as a pass-rusher and as a run defender. It's time for his performance to translate into Pro Bowl consideration.
Best moment: Nobody saw it, but perhaps the most important moment of the Eagles' season came before they took the field for a game against the Saints.
Quarterback Sam Bradford wanted to get a message across to his offensive teammates. So he called an impromptu meeting in the shower room connected to the locker room. Bradford told his teammates they had all the talent they needed, right there. They just had to go out and play their best.
The Eagles went out and beat the Saints 27-7. Bradford completed 32 of 45 passes for 333 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Worst moment: The Eagles punted the ball with just over six minutes left in their game at Washington. Because of a penalty, Washington got the ball at its own 10-yard line, 90 yards from the end zone.
The Eagles led 20-16.
Fifteen excruciating plays later, Kirk Cousins found Pierre Garcon for a 4-yard touchdown. Washington had a 23-20 victory.
The Eagles' defense, which had played so well at times in the early part of the season, had allowed Cousins to take his team 90 yards. The game-winning drive had taken 5½ minutes off the clock, leaving the Eagles with no time to answer.
Instead of a tough road win, the Eagles had another loss, a 1-3 record and two losses to NFC East opponents.
One reason to be optimistic: The NFC East is awful. That sounds negative, but it creates optimism for any team hoping to erase a bad start and find its way to the playoffs.
If the Eagles were in one of the divisions with an undefeated team, their 3-4 start might have cost them any real chance at the postseason. It didn't help that they lost their first two games against NFC East opponents, and four of their first five games against NFC teams. As a result of all that, the Eagles would have been in a bad situation in most tiebreaker scenarios.
Instead, the Eagles are right in the thick of whatever race there is in the NFC East. If they can turn things around, the division title is certainly within their grasp.
Key to second half: The ball is in Bradford's hands. There are things the Eagles can improve upon -- offensive line play, getting off to faster starts -- but their season will succeed or fail depending on the play of their quarterback.
Bradford has had good moments and bad, but overall has not been good enough to lift his team to an elite level. If that is simply who Bradford is as a player, then the Eagles probably aren't going anywhere this season (or in the future, for that matter).
But if Bradford's performance has been hampered by his two years away from football because of knee surgeries, then there is a chance he will return to form. If he is able to be the quarterback Chip Kelly envisioned when he traded for Bradford, the Eagles could hit their stride in the second half of the season.
If Bradford raises his game, then the postseason isn't just possible. It would be promising.