Philadelphia Eagles Will Rebound From Seattle Loss

Dec 7, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles guard Evan Mathis (69) and tight end Brent Celek (87) run out of the tunnel to begin a game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lincoln Financial Field. The Seahawks defeated the Eagles 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Eagles fans are a worrisome bunch and nothing sets the worry wheel turning like a letdown loss.

Last Sunday, the Eagles had one of those. Things were looking up for the Birds after their trouncing of the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving and many, including this writer, believed the team would handle its business at home against the defending champion Seattle Seahawks.

Instead, they were handled easily by those visiting champions.

It was a tough loss and an eye opener that hopefully spurs some changes for the Philadelphia Eagles, but this is still the same team that has one nine games already this season and seems on line for a playoff berth.

Or, you could take the approach of Marcus Hayes at the Philadelphia Daily News and declare the loss will “haunt (the Eagles) for several seasons.”

Huh.

That’s right. In a column this week, Hayes called the Philadelphia Eagles “impotent” and suggested that the loss on Sunday has had such a hangover for the franchise that they’ll be unable to recover anytime soon.

Hayes is certainly entitled to his opinion and is paid to do it for one of the best newspapers in the country. But he couldn’t be more wrong about this Philadelphia Eagles’ team.

If I had to choose only one word to describe the Philadelphia Eagles since head coach Chip Kelly took over, that word would be “resilient.” Since Week 9 of his first season as head coach, the Eagles have lost back-to-back games exactly zero times.

It’s never happened.

That’s not to say it won’t happen again, because it surely will. It may even happen on Sunday. But to suggest that a coach who has so rapidly built such a resiliency in his team will somehow see that all lost for “several seasons” is ludicrous.

Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles played poorly on Sunday. They never got anything going against a team that is hotter than hot right now.

But that’s really one of the key takeaways for me. Seattle is scorching right now. That defense is back in Super Bowl shape, far from the form they’d been in earlier this season. So much of the success in the NFL is predicated not only by who you play and how you play, but when you play them.

Think about it. What if the Philadelphia Eagles’ games against San Francisco and Seattle were flipped? If the Birds had the Seahawks back when they were struggling (like the Dallas Cowboys did) and had a shot at San Francisco now that the 49ers are fading, would they be 11-2 today? Or if they played the St. Louis Rams this week, with the Rams finally putting it together on defense, would that win be flipped to a loss?

Fans and those in the media like Marcus Hayes spend a lot of time pondering the long-term affects of wins and losses, when it reality NFL teams – good NFL teams – move on from each in rather speedy fashion.

The Philadelphia Eagles are one of those good teams. There is no reason to expect this loss will linger and wreck “several seasons.”

Expect the Birds to rebound. With two very, very winnable games against Washington and New York left on the schedule, they seem to be a lock for at least 11 wins.

That’s hardly impotent.