If the clock had shown 2:30 left, would Reid have tried for the first down and a tying touchdown? Or would he have tried for a field goal to make the margin of defeat a little smaller?
We'll never know.
What we do know is that the Fog of War has enshrouded Reid in the past, and it seems to have risen from the soil of Lincoln Financial Field once again. If the Eagles had used their time-outs wisely - if they had been invested in the comeback drive that ended with the long field goal - that would be one thing.
They weren't.
The first time-out was wasted in appalling fashion midway through the third quarter.
On second and 5 from the Eagles' 38-yard line, Reid sent Michael Vick in to hornswoggle the Cowboys' defense with that dazzling Wildcat package. Vick stunned the nation by handing the ball off to LeSean McCoy for a 3-yard gain.
There's just no way Donovan McNabb hands off for a 3-yard gain there.
That made it third and 2. McNabb ran back onto the field. The offense came out of the huddle late and was just getting into formation when someone on the sideline noticed the play clock was running out. The time-out was called by Reid or one of his coaches.
The time-out produced a third-and-2 play, a pass from McNabb to McCoy, that gained 1 yard. Reid threw his red challenge flag, even though the replay showed that McCoy had come back on the ball before being touched by a defender.
Reid was hoping the referee, Walt Coleman, would change the spot, giving the Eagles a first down. He didn't. In fact, Coleman made a point of explaining that McCoy had come back "on his own" to lose a precious yard or two.
