The Eagles entered Tuesday night?s game against the Vikings as two-touchdown favorites, but they hobbled off the field in South Philadelphia with a battered quarterback and a 10-point loss. The rescheduling of the game because of a severe snowstorm in the Northeast seemed to benefit Philadelphia more so than Minnesota. Better game conditions would allow Michael Vick to air it out against the Vikings secondary and there was certainly no way a rookie quarterback ? making his first start ? could tread water against one of the NFL?s most aggressive defenses. As it turned out, Vick took more body shots than shots down the field. Lasting Effects Losing the game, and a chance at a first-round bye, is one thing but with a playoff game a little more than a week away the Eagles are sitting in an unenviable position. Vick is dealing with a bruised quadriceps that will keep him out of the team?s regular-season finale against the rival Cowboys. The types of shots he took against the Giants in late November and this week against the Vikings have a way of accumulating over the course of a season. With that said, Chris Collingsworth may have been right when he suggested during NBC?s broadcast that a loss may be a good thing. The Eagles can essentially take Week 17 off in order to heal up for the first round of the playoffs. The Eagles aren?t opposed to playing on the road either, as their 6-2 record away from Lincoln Financial Field indicates. A New Blueprint The Giants appeared to set a blueprint for defending the Eagles and Vick in Week 11 when they forced him to scramble to his weak side. He went 24-for-38 with 258 yards and no passing touchdowns, while rushing 11 times for 34 yards and a score. It may have been one of his least productive games of the season, but the important result was a Philadelphia victory. Minnesota has invented a new scheme that relies heavily on a blitzing cornerback like Antoine Winfield, who had two sacks and a forced fumble for a touchdown. The Eagles knew the Vikings were going to send Winfield, but he still pressed Vick relentlessly. The pressure Vick felt wasn?t anything new. In his last six contests, Vick has turned the ball over nine times (six interceptions and three lost fumbles) and been sacked 19 times. He didn?t have a single turnover in his first six games (fumbling twice) and was sacked 15 times. LeSean McCoy does a good job picking up blitzers, but the Eagles might have to consider putting fewer receivers on the field to give Vick more protection. Either that, or DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin will have to run shorter routes to allow their quarterback to get rid of the football quicker. Big Plays Limited Jackson and Maclin, who combined for just eight catches and 106 yards against the Vikings, weren?t able to string any big plays together. Jackson?s longest reception went for just 12 yards; a paltry total when you consider that he averages 22.5 yards per catch this season. Vick was hurt on one of the first plays of the game, either when he rushed for a first down or when he was sacked during Philadelphia?s first offensive series. The quadriceps issue had such an effect that the left-hander overthrew Jackson at least twice, something he hasn?t done all season long. Of course, Jackson isn?t 100% himself. He entered Tuesday night?s game with a foot injury and has been limited in practice this week. The Eagles are strong defensively, especially when you consider all their injuries on that side of the ball, but they can?t make a deep playoff run without a handful of huge offensive plays mixed into their attack. Playoff Outcomes If the season ended after 16 weeks, the Eagles would host the Packers in the Wild-Card Round, but the Giants and Buccaneers are still in play for the sixth seed. It won?t be easy for New York or Tampa Bay to leapfrog Green Bay, but were already seen a number of strange outcomes this year. The Eagles lost to the Packers in Week 1, but that was an entirely different Philadelphia team with Kevin Kolb playing until a concussion forced him out and Vick into the lineup. In many ways, even though the final decision wasn?t made that afternoon, we got a preview of what was to come with Vick nearly leading the Eagles back from a deep hole. Philadelphia hasn?t played Tampa Bay since Week 5 of the 2009 season, when Donovan McNabb was in still an Eagle and Josh Johnson was quarterbacking the Buccaneers. The Giants, of course, are an old foe. Philadelphia has beaten New York twice this season (by a combined 17 points), but the lingering mental effect of their stunning comeback on Dec. 19 could either be beneficial or detrimental should be they face off with their seasons on the line. Most NFC East battles are close regardless of the favorite/underdog, so a game against the Giants would be a toss-up no matter the circumstances. Facing the Packers would create a number of problems for the Eagles. Aaron Rodgers and his receivers would have a field day attacking Dimitri Patterson and they could probably afford to almost ignore Asante Samuel?s side of the field. The Packers like their tight ends as well, which could be an issue for the Eagles if Stewart Bradley isn?t able to return from a dislocated elbow. Rookie Jamar Chaney had 16 tackles against the Giants in his Week 15 debut as a starter, but he struggled (as most Eagles did) against the Vikings. I?d imagine that Sean McDermott would do his best to make the Packers run the ball (they rank 22nd in rushing), while blanketing receivers and pressing Rodgers, who did recently miss a game with a concussion. Four Days Off When the playoffs roll around, the Eagles will have played three games in a span of 12 days. Andy Reid insists that the scheduling isn?t a concern, but with a quarterback like Vick off-days are a near necessity. Assuming Philadelphia hosts a first-round game on Saturday, Jan. 8, Vick will have had just 10 days off since injuring his quadriceps. During the regular season, some teams get that much time off when they play a Thursday night game. Perhaps even more important is that the offensive line that will be protecting him will be run down. If Vick doesn?t get protection, the Eagles could be sent packing early. Andrew Perna is Deputy Editor of RealGM.com. Please feel free to contact him with comments or questions via e-mail: [email protected]. You can also follow Andrew on Twitter: APerna7.