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| Andrew Perna. 2nd December, 2008 - 12:06 pm
 The Eagles would win on Thanksgiving. They would beat a division leader by 28 points just four days after the bottom appeared to fall out on the reign of Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia.
It's typical Eagles' football.
A loss to the Cardinals on Thursday night would have actually made the remainder of the season easier for the organization and its fan base to tolerate and comprehend. Instead, the Eagles remain in the NFC playoff picture, no matter how slim their hopes may be, with four weeks left in the regular season.
Philadelphia, at 6-5-1, still occupy last place in the NFC East, but they essentially trail Washington by a game for the conference's second Wild Card berth. As tricky as that ugly tie looks on their record, it does give them a slight advantage over Chicago and New Orleans (both 6-6) in the race to sneak into the postseason.
Any hope of a playoff run will likely come to an end quickly for the Eagles, though, with a trip to New Jersey and a date with the Giants this Sunday.
A loss, coupled with a Redskins' win over the Ravens, would all but end the team's chances at extending their season past Week 17. A surprise victory over the defending-champions this weekend ? perhaps the most unlikely scenario of all ? wouldn't even assure that Philadelphia's Week 16 game against Washington would still carry weight.
They have put themselves in the precarious position of having to win as many games as possible while crossing their fingers that the Redskins falter down the stretch.
The "race" for the playoffs, however, is a side note when considering the controversy and negativity that surrounded the team following the now-infamous benching of McNabb by Reid at halftime of last Sunday's loss to Baltimore.
In the days leading up to the Eagles' win over the Cardinals, experts, columnists (myself included), and fans stuck a fork in the team's hopes for the 2008 season.
"We had some things that we needed to prove," running back Brian Westbrook said after the holiday win. "We had a lot of people doubting us . . . our offensive line . . . really, just all aspects of our team from the top down. We had a message, and we wanted to go out there and send that message. We did a pretty good job of it."
Cornerback Sheldon Brown said it best after the game, which was just another of the team's impressive victories that have often been followed and/or preceded by disappointing defeats.
"I feel we have a good team," Brown said. "I always felt that way. Make no mistake about it, we just haven't been playing well. Consistency, and today we did it, and you see what happens when we do it."
The circus surrounding Reid's decision to bench McNabb in favor of Kevin Kolb at halftime of a 10-7 game was obviously the center of the attention at Lincoln Financial Field on Thanksgiving.
McNabb, who rises and falls in the eyes of Philadelphia fans quicker than the temperatures have in recent weeks, admitted that it was, in fact, coach Reid that informed him of his benching less than two weeks ago. Rumors ran rampant that Reid assigned someone else to break the news to his franchise quarterback.
"I went into his office on Monday . . . and we just kind of aired some things out," McNabb said of Reid. "I didn't get to what I wanted to talk about, but we will have that conversation with Andy as well as with some other . . .
"It's very important," he added. "I've been here for 10 years, and the conversation is needed. At this particular point, we were in a short week, and we were trying to get things done, and he had already announced that I was the starter. So my main focus went to Arizona at that particular point."
The Eagles are lucky that McNabb handled his brief "demotion" well. He's also more accomplished than guys like Chad Johnson, Pacman Jones, and others that have a history of complaining the second they feel as though disrespect has been shown.
McNabb's four touchdown passes equaled the amount he threw in the team's three previous games ? two losses and a tie.
In addition, Westbrook helped the team get their legs back, breaking the 100-yard mark (110) for the first time since Oct. 26 against the Falcons. He also scored four total touchdowns, more than he had over his last six contests combined.
Mixed in that slump was a dreadful 26-yard effort in a loss to the Giants on Nov. 9. McNabb's stat line looked decent, with 194 yards and three touchdowns, but he completed just 47.2% of his passes and tossed an interception in the loss.
Philadelphia's defense ? third in the NFL with 39 sacks ? is dangerous but has been as inconsistent as the offense. They allow 93.5 yards per game on the ground (8th), giving up 192.8 yards through the air (9th).
On any given week, the Eagles can stifle their opponents (Rams, Steelers, Falcons, and Seahawks). The switch could easily flip, though, making their defense more porous than the Swiss cheese on cheesesteak.
They allowed the Cowboys, Giants, and Ravens to post more than 36 points in efforts that were spread from September to November.
In addition to their inconsistency, injuries to running back Correll Buckhalter (knee) and cornerback Asante Samuel (neck) have further depleted an already banged up roster.
Luckily, guys like Joselio Hanson have performed well when called upon.
"When you get your turn you got to get in there and shine," lineman Nick Cole said. "You've got to always be ready. You never know when it comes."
This weekend should help decide the NFC playoff race, but knowing the Eagles ... chances are they'll somehow linger in the race.
It's just like them to torment the city of Philadelphia.
Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM.com. Please feel free to contact him with comments or questions via e-mail ? Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com. |
