In any other season, this would be the perfect storm for the Eagles.
The New England Patriots are the next opponent on the schedule. For Sunday's game, they will be without wide receiver Danny Amendola, out with a knee injury. They will be without wide receiver Julian Edelman, out with a broken foot. They will be without running back Dion Lewis, out for the season with a torn ACL. They will now be without superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski, out with a knee injury.
In any other season — Chip Kelly's first with the Eagles where the offense ran wild or his second where the team battled through adversity of their own only to have everything unravel at the end or even in the prime of Andy Reid's tenure with the Eagles — this is the perfect storm, for the Patriots to be without so many weapons the week the Eagles come to town.
But not this season. This season, the Eagles are in bigger disarray than the Patriots without four starters. So all of this doesn't mean a thing.
The opening line for Sunday's game favors the Patriots by 13 points. That should say it all.
There was a time when the Eagles facing the Patriots was a marquee match. Super Bowl XXXIX set the tone. It was the third of New England's four Super Bowl titles under Bill Belichick and with Tom Brady at quarterback.
Twice since that Super Bowl, the Eagles have faced the Patriots and been on the losing end.
But those had been the Andy Reid days. This was going to be Chip Kelly. Until…
We've been down this road several times this season, talking about the inconsistencies of this team. The frustration in their lack of execution and performance.
That frustration has really come to a head in the previous two weeks. The Eagles suffered a 45-17 defeat to Tampa Bay. They followed that up four days later with a 45-14 loss in Detroit. Embarrassment separated by four days.
Playing in a division that doesn't even deserve to have a playoff representative, the Eagles were supposed to be better and have proved to only be a disappointment.
Chip Kelly looks clueless. The players look disinterested. The fans are just growing more frustrated. Just like at the end of the Andy Reid era, this is a strained relationship on all sides that is only going to end in ugly fashion.
After three straight losses to the Dolphins, Buccaneers and Lions and failing to even be competitive in the previous two games, was there any reason to believe the Eagles would be able to find a way in Foxboro?
It doesn't matter who the Patriots will have and won't have. This is a mismatch regardless.
So instead of getting excited for what could have been a showdown of two contenders, it is just another game on the way to the end of a disappointing season.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
