Eagles continue to be gifted with opportunity

About eight hours after the Eagles 23-20 defeat in Washington, 1-3 didn’t look so bad.

The Dallas Cowboys lost to the New Orleans Saints in overtime, dropping to 2-2 on the season. Suddenly, the Eagles outlook wasn’t a last-place team, it was a second-place team, trailing three 2-2 teams.

Not as bad as it seems.

However, Sunday’s loss took a sense of optimism, the thought that another sub-par game could have led to a 2-2 record – and what we now know to be a tie at the top of the NFC East – to a sense that with two losses to division opponents and three losses within the conference, the Eagles chances are dwindling fast.

And yet, a one-game swing could still make all right in the Eagles world again.

For a team that came in with such high expectations, this season still feels over.

It certainly makes sense. The Eagles took risks. They signed names and on several cases, hoped health and performance would work out.

And in the preseason, it looked like it was all coming together. And then those two words showed up. The numbers 11, 12, 13 and then 50, crept into the picture.

The season has been a nightmare ever since.

What is remarkable, both about the division standings and performances, is that just when you think things can’t get any worse for the Eagles, it doesn’t. The chances gain new life with a division rival’s loss or an injury that suddenly puts that rival in the same position.

The flaw to this point is that the Eagles have yet to take advantage.

The New Orleans Saints, the same team that rallied to stun the Cowboys in overtime, come to town next week. The Cowboys are playing the Patriots. The Giants have the 49ers. The Redskins play the Atlanta Falcons.

The chance to climb back in is there.

But is there any confidence in this team to do so? That’s why the season feels lost.

It is not what the standings say. It is how well this team passes the eye test based on performance. And right now, they don’t pass. 

So with confidence at an all-time low, the Eagles still have life in their playoff hopes. But can they breathe some life into their own performances to make that playoff run a possibility? The opportunity to start will be there on Sunday.

Kevin Durso is managing editor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.