By Paul Macrie, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
With two games left in the 2016 season, the only motivation for the Eagles is to play for pride and finish the season strong. The last five games have all resulted in losses. It has been a miserable stretch of football, but at least the last two contests have been more competitive with chances to win or tie on the final drive.
In a transition season, it can be easy to focus on all the negatives, but even pointing out positives can be a reach.
The Eagles have a short week of game preparation, as they play on Thursday night against the division rival New York Giants. These are two organizations heading in different directions. New York is seeking its first playoff berth since 2011 — the year it captured its second Super Bowl in five seasons — and the Eagles will be watching the playoffs from home in January for the third consecutive season.
Can Philadelphia avoid being embarrassed on Thursday Night Football — a night where there has been plenty of tough-to-watch football games in 2016?
It wouldn't be surprising to see the Eagles play a competitive football game with a chance to win in the fourth quarter, but it also wouldn't be a shock at all to see them get outplayed, outclassed on a national platform.
The Giants have so much to play for. If they win on Thursday night, they will clinch at least a playoff spot. With a slim chance to capture the NFC East still, the G-Men will need to win their last two contests of the regular season. The Cowboys only have to win one of their last two games, or the Giants lose one of their last two, to assure themselves of a second division title in three seasons.
Meanwhile, the Eagles, as noted, are playing for pride. That's it. The last two games indicate that most of the players on the roster care and are eager to finish the season on a positive note. Of course, there are exceptions.
It is difficult to say why players such as Rodney McLeod continue to have moments where they are "making business decisions." But for the most part, the effort level has been high. The problem remains that the team is simply not good enough to execute in critical portions of the game. It has been a problem all season, and one of the reasons they are 5-9, guaranteeing themselves back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1998-1999.
The Eagles' last national televised game turned out to be one of their biggest disappointments of the season against the Packers on Nov. 28. In a home game that essentially ended the team's playoff hopes, a lackluster performances on both sides of the football made for an embarrassing Monday Night Football result. The final score of 27-13 didn't do this game justice. It was far worse than the final result indicated, as the defense couldn't get off the field in a crucial spot, and the offense wasn't much better.
Hopefully there isn't a repeat dreadful performance on a national platform on Thursday night, especially since it is a divisional matchup.
Anytime there is a failure to perform at a high level against a divisional opponent, it is tough to swallow. Without breaking down the potential X's and O's of this matchup, instead it is more important to focus on the continued effort level of the Eagles. If they bring the same energy and passion that they have brought to the field lately, then that is all anyone can realistically ask for at this point.
Yes, the season concludes in two weeks without another playoff appearance. Yes, the pair of games don't have significant meaning in terms of winning and losing results. All anyone can ask for is for the team to not quit. The last thing this passionate fanbase can endure is a team that has folded, instead looking ahead to better seasons.
That can't be the mentality of the Eagles, or any team for that matter. It is time to see what this team is made of by finishing the season strong, even if it won't erase the glaring needs heading into the offseason.
