The Eagles have played six games. Only one of their opponents, the New Orleans Saints, can be considered a legitimate playoff contender. The other five have ranged from patsies to punchlines, from hopeless to helpless. All five have gotten to the end of October with two or fewer wins.
Now comes the meat of the schedule: back-to-back home games against the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, followed by road games in San Diego and Chicago. Down the line, there will be games against Atlanta and Denver, plus road games against the Giants and Cowboys.
The Eagles needed to be 5-1 going into this. They are 4-2 because of that abomination in Oakland last weekend, a loss that looked even more embarrassing after the New York Jets thrashed the Raiders by doing what Andy Reid would not - running the football.
Worse, the Eagles just don't look particularly impressive. Under Reid, they have stumbled in the early parts of seasons and rallied to make the playoffs. But those stumbles were usually against good teams and showed at least a glimmer of what the Eagles would be able to do.
In fairness, there has already been enough injury attrition to provide an excuse for some of this. The offensive line, where continuity is most important, has been especially hard hit. The loss of the top two middle linebackers on the depth chart would mess with any team's preseason plans.
The scary looking concussion that forced Brian Westbrook out of this game figures to limit his availability for the toughest stretch of the schedule. Given the NFL's focus on concussions and their aftermath, it would be foolhardy for Westbrook to rush back.
But injuries don't tell the full tale. This team is just missing something.
