Disgusting: Eagles lose to Raiders

(AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

It was supposed to be automatic. The Eagles were just supposed to show up against the Raiders and it was going to be a laugher. The Eagle offense, while it had been inconsistent throughout the year, was going to have a field day, pouring on the points against an anemic Oakland defense. Even if they couldn't score, at least the defense would crush JaMarcus Russell and the Raider offense.

Well, that's why you play the games. Putting forth their most embarrassing effort since tying the Bengals last season, the Eagles failed to score a touchdown and lost, 13-9, to the Raiders. There were too many players at fault in this game to just single out one, especially on offense, where the Eagles were out of sync all day. Donovan McNabb had barely any time in the pocket all game as he was sacked six times and was constantly being rushed into poor throws. That caused the Eagle passing game to be inefficient and with no running game to speak of, the Eagles failed to move the ball all game long.

Defensively, the Eagles weren't terrible. Allowing 13 points against the Raiders isn't a great game but it should have still been good enough to win. The Birds did pick off Russell two times, although they did allow him to complete a season-high 17 passes. The one player that did stick out on defense for how awful he played was Jeremiah Trotter. He was constantly burned in the first half, getting caught trying to chase guys down because he is a step or two slow. He was benched for most of the second half of the game, a sign that his return to the Eagles could be short-lived.

So, what happens now? The Eagles always seem to have that one terrible game a year where they lose a game that should be a gimme, so hopefully this is that game. With the atrocious Redskins on tap for next weekend, most would normally think that should be another automatic win. If they play at all like they did today, though, the Eagles won't be winning another game this season.

Can the Eagles consider themselves contenders in the NFC anymore? A team with hopes of going to the Super Bowl would have crushed a team like the Raiders, much like the Giants did last week. We all know that the Eagles have a way of looking awful one week and great the next, so hopefully this is just a one-week hiccup. With that in mind, Philly fans, there is no need to panic. You don't need to start calling for Kevin Kolb to be the starting quarterback. If this happens again next week, then it's time to start looking for changes to be made.