Are the Eagles Headed for Mediocrity Again?

Last night’s tough loss to the Dallas Cowboys has left Eagles fans in a state of sorrow. The team which has been “so close” for so many years now seemingly is headed down the same road of mediocrity again. The Eagles (5-3) now sit in second place in NFC East. Even though their record is solid, a rough schedule lies ahead. The Eagles will go on the road for the next two games to play the surging San Diego Chargers(5-3) and the always tough at home Chicago Bears (4-4), before returning home against division rival Washington, who always give the Eagles everything they can handle.  And after being outplayed by the two of the top teams in the NFC between last night’s loss to Dallas (6-2) and being crushed earlier in the season by New Orleans (8-0), it’s hard to imagine this team rolling through the playoffs to the Super Bowl.

                While they’re have been major bright spots in the Eagles season so far such as the breakout performances of young stars DeSean Jackson, Brent Celek and LeSean McCoy, it seems as if the losses overshadow all those bright spots. The biggest being a humiliating loss to the dreadful Oakland Raiders in Week 6, as well having the previously mentioned New Orleans Saints dominate the eagles defense in a 48-22 Week 2 loss. The consensus opinion when evaluating the Eagles so far may be very familiar to the Eagles faithful: Good, but not good enough.

This seems to be a team destined for mediocrity. While they have been a playoff team seven of the nine seasons that Donovan McNabb has been the starting quarterback, every trip to the playoffs has ended in disappointment for the fans and players. So will this season be any different? If you evaluate the Eagles to this point they see like just another middle-of-the-pack playoff team. The Eagles have shown their dominance against the lesser teams which include beatings of the woeful Kansas City Chiefs (34-14 in Week 3) and the still winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers (33-14 in Week 5). But matched up against the big boys, the Eagles seem to fall flat on their face. They may be good enough to make the playoffs, but seeing them go far is something hard for even the most faithful Eagles fan to imagine. Brace yourself, Philadelphia, another disappointing playoff run is right around the corner.