To Philadelphia Eagles fans who became believers that this team would make the playoffs after starting the season 3-0, you've once again fallen victim to false hope.
After Monday night's 27-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers left them at 5-6, the Eagles' glaring weaknesses were put on display on both sides of the ball for a national audience to see.
Even playing at Lincoln Financial Field and sporting their popular all black uniforms, nothing good came out of this game other than the opening drive. The defensive line couldn't record a single sack against Aaron Rodgers and has just six in their last five games, the cornerbacks were picked apart , and it seems like defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz just doesn't like to blitz. Nolan Carroll and Leodis McKelvin are not the answer at CB, and Howie Roseman either needs to dip into free agency to find one, or get one in the draft.
Then there's the offense.
I'm going to omit Carson Wentz from this discussion because while he hasn't been playing his best that's because a) he's still a rookie and b) he has no weapons at his disposal. Can you imagine an offense of Wentz, Lesean McCoy, Desean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin? Keep imagining, because instead the rookie quarterback has Ryan Mathews, Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor and Dorial Green-Beckham. Thanks, Chip. Playing the theoretical game is fun, so let's take it a step further and pretend to swap Wentz and Dak Prescott. Do people think Prescott would have the same success if he didn't have Ezekiel Elliott, Dez Bryant and the best offensive line in football? No. A lot of this isn't Wentz's fault, as he really doesn't have much to work with.
As for Pederson, there has been some clear cases of growing pains in his first season, which fans hope he will learn from and improve. When looking at the Eagles' losses, the ones against the Detroit Lions, New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys particularly stick out due to questionable decisions from the head coach. The regular season isn't even over yet, but this will be a critical offseason for Pederson and Roseman, as the team is lacking talent at several key positions like wide receiver and cornerback. Hearing the names Alshon Jeffery and Terrelle Pryor are enticing, as getting either one of those guys would give Wentz a massive boost.
But there are still five games left (three of which are divisional games at home), and the Eagles will most likely need to win out while getting some help from other teams to have a chance at the postseason. Unfortunately, that just doesn't seem realistic. The way things have been going, there are no sure wins for this team anymore. Hearing many fans say "oh, this should be a sure win" just brings back memories of last season. Remember those three "sure win" games against the Lions, Bucs, and Dolphins? Me too.
Before the season started, I predicted the Eagles would finish 6-10 and miss the playoffs, but I'm gonna change it up and go with 8-8.
The two home games against the Redskins and Giants are definitely winnable, and they could steal a victory either this week against the Bengals or two weeks from now against Baltimore.
As always, keep cheering for everybody that plays the Vikings (yes, swallow your pride and root for the Cowboys this Thursday).
