Two comeback wins in a row? What in the Sam Hill is going on here? Sadly, the Eagles wouldn’t have needed a fourth quarter rally if they took care of business in the red zone. Oh well. Such is life for the 2009 Birds. Here’s what caught the attention of the Eagle Eye:

• I’m sure this horse has been beaten to the bone, but why onside kick against a team that struggles to move the ball? Reid is lucky he pulled out a win, or the vultures would have picked him clean for making such a foolish call. And what exactly was Joe Mays doing on the play?

• More from Mr. Mays. Vacating his coverage on Fred Davis to chase Campbell was a horrendous decision. I wrote here last week that Mays is not an NFL player. I haven’t changed my mind. When does Akeem come back?

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Penalties. Red zone failures. Short-yardage struggles. Dropped passes. Missed tackles. Awful third down offense and defense. Botched special teams. No pass rush besides Trent Cole. A lack of emotion. Severely outcoached. Do these things sound familiar?

Of course they do. That’s how our beloved Eagles have played all season long. However, today they managed to eke out a victory thanks to a couple youngins. Shady McCoy and Jeremy Maclin picked up the slack in the fourth quarter and helped engineer a frustrating thrilling 27-24 win. I guess McNabb and Reid took umbrage with the claim that they could no longer win the close ones. They’ve now done it in consecutive weeks.

Like most games of late, this was textbook ugly. The Redskins were without their top two running backs, starting tight end, two offensive lineman, best cover corner and stud defensive tackle, and still outplayed the Birds for most of the game. Ugh.

It was another maddeningly inconsistent game in which the offense left points on the field and the defense failed to get off the field. Lots o’ missed opportunities, but fortunately they didn’t prove disastrous. Let’s face facts. The Eagles are a dumb team. They have a tendency to lose focus and poise in critical situations. They also keep losing bodies. DeSean Jackson suffered a concussion. Not good.

(If you’re keeping count, that’s two guys taken out by London Fletcher. Westy and now DeSean.)

For better or worse, this is how the Eagles are playing the ‘09 campaign. It’s not fun, but we’ll just have to accept it. Nothing is going to come easy for this bunch. If nothing else, it will make for an interesting December. Up next are the struggling Falcons, who lost wunderkind quarterback Matt Ryan to a toe injury today.

We can all exhale. Birds move to 7-4.

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The Redskins are beat up. Probably more than the Eagles. DeAngelo Hall is out and Albert Haynesworth will be a game-time decision. Rock Cartwright, not Portis or Betts, will be the starting tailback. Chris Cooley is still sidelined.

This game sets up nicely for the Birds. But we better get used to winning ugly, because that’s what this one will be. Another grind it out, less than pretty victory. The ‘Skins will battle because they always do, but the Eagles’ superior talent will be the difference. This is not the time or place to tank against a lesser opponent.

Eagles 23, Redskins 13

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… the Eagles lost to the effing Raiders!! Did you watch the Cowboys game yesterday? The silver and black are beyond pathetic. Any team that loses to them doesn’t deserve to make the playoffs.

And don’t bring up the Bengals, either. They are the Bengals. I don’t care what their record is, they still suck. I actually read some message boards earlier in the week which has the audacity to insinuate that the Raiders were a “quality team” because they beat Cincinnati. WTF!!!

Basically, these message board horses asses dismissed the Eagles black hole flop as a loss to a good opponent. So, the Raiders are suddenly a good opponent. Really? They have an unqualified head coach, an inept offense and a defense that isn’t even smart enough to move its best player, cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, to cover the other team’s best receiver when said receiver is absolutely killing them.

Miles Austin was allowed to run amok the entire game. On the first series, he beat Nnamdi with a double move and that was the last I saw the two go head-to-head. Spare me the crap about Nnamdi being only a right corner. Sheldon Brown has played the left side and the slot when asked. If you are the supposed best cornerback in the NFL, you should be able to play all over the field.

Austin repeatedly torched Chris Johnson without any attempt to adjust. That’s not only the sign of a poorly coached team, but also of a team that doesn’t care about winning. The Raiders are not a quality opponent. They are a garbage team and the Eagles lost to them and looked BAD doing it.

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Lucky for me, nobody has discovered the bug my ITI spies planted in Andy Reid’s office, because I find the weekly sitdowns between Big Red and Don fascinating. I had no idea how much control the coach and quarterback had over what happens on and off the field.

Here’s a look at yesterday’s confab:

Reid and McNabb are both kicked back in leather chairs smoking cigars.

Reid: Our plan is coming together nicely, 5.

McNabb: You said it Red. We uglied it up on Sunday night, but still got the W.

Reid: Ha, ha, ha… just the way I drew it up.

McNabb: You? Don’t ya mean, we?

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Perusing the slate of games this past Sunday, I noticed a couple of former Eagles’ draft picks kicking a little ass on other teams. I’m always intrigued what original draftees do when/if they catch on elsewhere.

I consider the Birds to have one of the better scouting departments, so if a player they released makes something of themselves, I chalk it up as a win for Tom Heckert and the boys. It would be easy to slam them for cutting these guys loose, but to be fair, some fellas get entangled in a numbers game.

Take Brandon Gibson for instance — the training camp darling who caught every pass in sight. If not for Stew Bradley’s injury, I’d be willing to wager Gibson would still be wearing midnight green. Unfortunately, his potential had to be sacrificed to add a much-needed veteran linebacker in Will Witherspoon.

It sucks, but it’s not like Gibson was going to surpass DeSean, Maclin and Avant on the depth chart. Of course that doesn’t mean he lacks skills. Due to the Rams receiving corps being decimated, Brandon has snagged twelve receptions for 154 yards the last two games. I noticed a couple drops in the loss to Arizona, but his route-running was impressive. Like we didn’t already know, Gibson definitely has a future in the NFL.

The other guy might not be as familiar to some Eagles fans. 2008 sixth-round pick Andy Studebaker got his first career start with the Chiefs on Sunday. He notched half a sack and picked off a pair of Ben Roesthlisberger throws that helped secure an upset over the Steelers.

Studebaker was the classic tweener who failed to fit the Eagles 4-3 scheme. Too small to play end, and not quite quick enough to play linebacker, he seems to have found a home in the Chiefs 3-4 alignment. I’m not saying he’s heading to the Pro Bowl, but he’s making the most of his opportunity.

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Justice has been served! Sorry, I couldn’t resist. The Eagles did right by Winston Justice today and awarded him a four-year contract extension.

Justice has been perhaps the biggest surprise of the 2009 season. Many, myself included, assumed he’d be lucky to make the final roster entering training camp. Once Shawn Andrews‘ back flared up, the job became Justice’s to lose. Through ten games, he’s been the Birds most consistent offensive lineman.

The deal is reported to be worth $18.5 million with $6 million guaranteed. I say good for Winston. His story is a nice one.

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Awarding cheesesteaks after a victory feels ten times better than after a loss. There are so many more candidates to choose from. While Sunday night’s win was far from perfect, it was easy to single out those deserving of a savory steak sandwich slathered with cheese and onions.

So, who gets the nod? I went back and forth with a few guys, but settled on two. I think this dynamic duo set the tone in a game labeled a “must-win.” Both sides of the ball are represented this week. And the winners are…

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