The questions were much of the same for quarterback Sam Bradford following the Eagles' 27-16 road loss to the Panthers. He talked with reporters about yet another slow start, about dropped passes and missed opportunities.

Talking about those details of the game doesn't change what happened in Carolina though, a fact the quarterback is well aware of. Yet while discussing those aspects, he made his press conference message very clear.

This Eagles team has the potential, but it needs to stop holding itself back game in and game out if it wants to achieve success this year. It has to play to its ability level moving forward.

"I think we've shown flashes just about every game of moving the ball and doing things well and running the offense the way that we want to," Bradford said. "But, then there's other times, whether it be a various assortment of self-inflicted wounds, we kill ourselves. It happens too often.

"I think when we play the way we're capable of then yes, we're capable of beating anyone. But, we have got to eliminate the mental errors, the self-inflicted wounds. We've got to stop beating ourselves. I think if we can stop beating ourselves and not have to beat us and the other team, I think we'll be alright."

Bradford finished the game 26-of-46 with 205 yards. He did not throw a touchdown pass this week, as the team was held to just one trip into the end zone.

The play came in the third quarter when running back Ryan Mathews ran the ball 63 yards for the score. Bradford thought it would swing the momentum in the team's favor, but the Eagles were unable to sustain any meaningful offensive pressure.

"That was a great run. He was moving out there. I'm not sure anybody was that fast when he took off through that hole," the quarterback said. "It was a great run, and I really felt like that was going to kind of get us jump-started. I think it brought some energy, but we weren't able to capitalize. I think we got the ball back after a turnover the next possession and settled for a field goal."

Twice, the Eagles were forced to settle for field goals when inside the red zone. Dropped passes played a big factor in that reality. To win the game, Bradford and his teammates knew they needed to score touchdowns and capitalize on the three Carolina turnovers.

In the end, they were unable to do so.

"It's huge. A game like this, we knew it was going to be a battle. We knew it was going to come down to the fourth quarter," Bradford said. "Obviously, if we could have converted a couple of those field goals into touchdowns, the game might be a little bit different."

Now sitting at 3-4, tied for second in the NFC East, the Eagles enter their bye week. It will allow the players to regroup and mentally prepare them for the remainder of the season.

For Bradford and rest of the team, this short break may be exactly what they need.