One foot short: Eagles squander playoff opportunity in loss to Skins

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

That sure didn't look like a team that was desperately trying to get to the playoffs. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost earlier today so all the Eagles had to do to make the playoffs was win out. You would think a team facing that situation would come out firing with a ton of energy as their season was on the line.

Instead, the Eagles played flat for four quarters in their 10-3 loss to the Redskins. It was a familiar story for the Birds as the team consistently misfired on offense all day as they once again completely abandoned the run in favor of a pass-happy attack. Hey, Andy, when everyone knows you are going to pass the ball, it's easy to stop. It's especially easy when your quarterback looks like he is on a different planet than his receivers. Maybe it was the fact that Kevin Curtis and Hank Baskett were out but Donovan McNabb was not in sync with his receivers at all until the final drive of the game. I stopped counting how many passes he bounced in the second quarter.

The defense was solid as usual, limiting the Redskins to only 10 points. The Skins put up some decent running numbers on the day, getting 122 as a team, but the defense never gave up any big plays and kept the team in the game throughout. They didn't force any turnovers in the game but they can't be faulted for losing this one.

The Eagles aren't eliminated from the playoffs because of the loss but they squandered their chance at controlling their own destiny. They need a miracle to get in now because they need the Bucs to lose again next week when they play the terrible Oakland Raiders. The Eagles also need to pay attention to who wins the NFC Central because whoever doesn't win it out of the Bears and Vikings will be in the hunt for the last NFC playoff spot.

Many will lament that the Eagles fell just a yard short of keeping their season alive but the truth is they should never had been in a position where a desperation touchdown at the end of the game could have saved their season. The Eagles dinked and dunked their way down the field in the final minutes of the game but didn't show any intensity earlier in the game. Too often McNabb and the offense don't show any urgency until the game is on the line and it's too late.

It's amazing how this Eagles team can look like the best team in the NFL one week and like complete garbage the next. This game was really a microcosm of the season as the team started off with a lot of hope, went flat in the middle and then fell just short in the end.

All I have to say is thank goodness the Phillies just won the World Series or you could have some angry rioting in the streets of Philadelphia.