After completely dismantling the Giants, the Cowboys seemed to be a lesser test at home for the Eagles. Instead, it’s another miserable Monday for Philly fans as we’re left to sift through the wreckage of what once looked to be a Super Bowl contender.
Ok, I’ll admit that’s a pretty melodramatic way of seeing things. That was a game the Eagles could have and should have won, but like so many other times over the past few years we’re dealing with the same diasppointing outcome.
Again the team failed to capitalize on a bevy of red zone chances. Again the team failed to convert several short yardage situations that ultimately cost them the game. Again the defense needed a stop and instead gave up a long backbreaking TD. Again Andy Reid squandered his timeouts and challenges faster than a ten-year old spends their allowance money.
It feels like deja vu because the Eagles have made all of these mistakes before, the thing is they never seem to learn from them. How many times has Andy been criticized for horrific clock management? Don’t you think he would have worked on that by now? What about the short yardage situations…I thought Mike Vick, Leonard Weaver, and a revamped O-line were the solutions to that problem?
The bottomline is good teams find ways to win ugly games, and that’s a skill the Eagles clearly haven’t picked up yet. Did McNabb have the first down on that fourth and 1 sneak? Probably, and the refs should have at least respotted the ball, but that became irrelevant as soon as the clock hit zero. Now the Birds find themselves a game back of Dallas with a brutal schedule coming up, including four of their next five on the road against some very good teams (including San Diego, Atlanta, and New York.) I wish I could express confidence that this group of guys is capable of making a run at the division, but to be perfectly honest I have no clue what to expect from this team from here on out. They could win it all, or they could tank the rest of the season and not win another game.
I know we’re all looking for answers, but it’s an exercise in futility. Let’s just hope for the best next week in sunny San Diego and see which Eagles team decides to show up.
Image courtesy of ESPN
