And Just Like That, It All Goes Dark for the Eagles

Theoretically, the Cowboys could lose later to the Colts, and lose again to the Redskins next week. Theoretically, if that happens, the Eagles could beat the Giants and make the playoffs. Just as plausible though is Dallas winning today, and next week for that matter, and the Eagles not winning in the Meadowlands next week either, and finishing 9-7. In fact, let's not say "just as plausible," because frankly it's more so. The Eagles have lost three in a row this December, and are folding the tents.

There is a bit of me that wants to say "I told you so," but I really don't too- I do like this team, and they are really the only halfway hopeful thing in Philadelphia sports right now. I'll be polite and say I took some "flack" on Twitter for daring to suggest this team didn't have the ingredients to build a championship team with, and well, yeah. The Eagles are 19-12 under Chip Kelly, which is good, but it appears that they'll take a step backwards in year two. DeSean Jackson was absolutely loving that he got to drive a stake into the Eagles hearts in DC yesterday, and regardless of how you feel about the move to run him out of town, you really can't blame him much for that.

Now that we've all come down from the high that was last year, here's some reality-

• No quarterback played well enough at any point this season to attach your dreams too much to them. Foles was decent, and Sanchez had his moments, but you're not mistaking them for Rodgers, Brady, Manning, or even Russell Wilson.
• The Eagles have to replace, at a minimum, their cornerbacks by next season, and should have before this season. This wasn't a strength last season, and it got worse this year. The Eagles had plenty of cap room to do it with, and just didn't. It bit them. They probably would be best off with an upgrade at one of the safety spots too, though it's a little less of an issue.
• Last year's draft haunts them a bit, particularly Marcus Smith, who didn't have a big role this season after being the 26th overall pick last year. It's totally fair to ask what the Eagles were doing there, especially if you give them credit for the brilliance of picking Matthews in the second round.
• The offensive line was generally good this season, particularly when healthy, but could use a depth infusion at the least, if not a replacement for Todd Herremans. Herremans has played well in Philadelphia, but he's 32, and on the injured reserve, and they've had some issues without him. I wouldn't mind adding a little depth on the offensive line.
• While Maclin and Matthews had good years, and Ertz broke out yesterday, the Eagles will need to re-tool a bit in the receiving corps. To be fair, with what Jackson would have received next season, they'd be cutting him this off-season and going through this anyway, but they still need some upgrades.
• In general, if Chip wants to run the team the way he does, the defense has to be upgraded.

With all of that said, I'll acknowledge this is a better situation than the 4-12 team he took over. Let's not kid ourselves though- they lost to Seattle, Arizona, Green Bay, and Dallas, four of the five playoff teams they faced this season, and they went 2-5 against teams with seven wins or better. This team is not "just a secondary" away. They're not yet competitive with the big boys. That's obvious to anyone who watched the games this year.