Eagles...Speaking Of Debacles...

Over the last decade or so, we've seen the Eagles lose some games under unusual circumstances. Yesterday's 24-0 loss at Dallas, however, was different. They didn't lose because of two or three really dumb penalties, or because a guy kicked a 60-yard field goal as time ran out, or because they neglected to have a competent punt returner on the roster. Instead, they lost because they were outplayed at pretty much every aspect of the game. With so much to play for, it's hard to explain how they could be so awful. The defense was shredded and the offense was incompetent.

The scenario was perfect: beat the Cowboys and not only win the NFC East championship but get the second seed in the NFC playoffs -- giving them a week off followed by at least one home playoff game, possibly two if New Orleans loses their first playoff game. A much easier path to get to the Super Bowl, right? Instead, they're the sixth seed, no week off, no home games, and they have to go right back to Dallas to play the same team that just whipped them.

This is sort of what I was complaining about. Almost every year the Eagles make the playoffs and raise our expectations, only to end up letting us down (and not gently). There is little reason to expect the Eagles to win on Saturday night in Dallas, let alone two more road games and the Super Bowl after that.