Eagles Will Need Some Help To Save Their Season
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Eagles' loss to the Cowboys Sunday night was one of the most damaging regular season losses in recent memory.
The loss not only knocked the Eagles into second place, but also put their playoff hopes in a precarious position. The Eagles need to win their final two games against the Redskins and Giants and hope for some help in order to reach the post season. Chip Kelly is confident his players will focus on their next game on Saturday instead of going over playoff scenarios.
"I think they know what the task is at hand," said Kelly. "We've got no wiggle room in one direction or another and our focus should be on Washington. We'll meet again tomorrow morning at 8:30 and get going."
Before the Eagles get ready for Washington, they have to correct the mistakes they made against Dallas. Kelly said the mistakes were less about scheme and more about execution. Kelly also credited Dallas Quarterback Tony Romo for a performance that was much better than in the first game between the two teams on Thanksgiving.
"DeMarco Murray was there," Kelly said. "He had 40 touches the week before, and DeMarco Murray had been their team. We did a good job on Thanksgiving in the run game, but I think the difference in this game is Tony played so much better in this game than he did in the last game."
So how can the Eagles get into the playoffs? The scenarios aren't easy. First and foremost, the Eagles need to win their last two games. The best way in would be two Eagles' wins and a loss by the Cowboys, which would give the Eagles the NFC East title because they would own the tie-breaker over Dallas. The Cowboys play the Colts in Dallas then finish with a game in Washington.
Because the Eagles currently lose the tiebreaker to almost every other NFC playoff contender, the prospect of making the playoffs as a wild card are bleak. The Packers, Seahawks and Lions all would beat out the Eagles in a tie for the wild card, and Arizona has already clinched a playoff spot. The Packers still play the struggling Buccaneers and finish with a home game against the Lions. Should Detroit lose in Chicago and Green Bay and the Eagles win their last two games, the Eagles could beat out the Lions for the last playoff spot.
Simple, right? That's why Chip Kelly isn't worried about playoff math after Sunday's loss.
"We only get to play one game," said Kelly. "You're just wasting energy if you're thinking about anything else except for Washington. I think that's our job as coaches, to make sure that they really, truly understand that, but I don't worry about this group from that standpoint. If we don't beat Washington, then there are no scenarios that really can be played out in anybody's head."
Kelly announced that Nick Foles has still not been cleared and won't be able to play in Saturday's game. Meanwhile, the Cowboys received bad news on the injury front from Sunday night's game. Running Back DeMarco Murray suffered a broken bone in his hand which will require surgery. His status for Sunday's game against the Colts is uncertain.
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