PHILADELPHIA -- A few thoughts on the Philadelphia Eagles' 38-27 loss Sunday night to the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field.
What it means: The Eagles (9-5) lost control of the NFC East to the Cowboys (10-4) with two weeks left in the regular season. With home losses to Seattle and Dallas, the Eagles fell from 9-3 with a chance for a first-round bye to 9-5 and on the verge of missing the playoffs altogether. The predictable problems reared up to bite the Eagles in this one: Their secondary was shredded by Dez Bryant -- who caught a career-high three touchdown passes -- and turnovers, including two interceptions by quarterback Mark Sanchez, proved costly. Dallas, which scored just 10 points on Thanksgiving Day, hung 38 on the Eagles this time. Only Green Bay, with 53, has scored more on the Eagles this season.
Stock watch: Chip Kelly's stock was looking strong just 17 days ago. Not only had the Eagles just beaten the Cowboys convincingly in Dallas, they were dominating their NFC East opponents. They also hadn't lost consecutive games in more than a year. Now they've lost consecutive games, the second being one that handed control of the division race to the Cowboys. Kelly can still finish with a better record than last year but miss the playoffs.
Disastrous start: The wind was blowing in from the north before the game. That made a short opening kickoff somewhat predictable, but the Eagles seemed completely unprepared for the possibility. No one fielded it for the Eagles and Dallas recovered the live ball at the Eagles' 18-yard line. Five plays later, DeMarco Murray ran the ball in from the 1-yard line. Still smarting from their loss on Thanksgiving Day, the Cowboys got two more touchdowns from Dez Bryant to take a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter. The Eagles erased that lead, but the energy it took to overcome the poor start left them unable to finish.
Game ball: Defensive end Vinny Curry has lost a total of three sacks due to penalties on Eagles teammates. But he nailed Tony Romo from behind, knocking the ball loose deep in Dallas territory. The turnover gave the Eagles a chance to take a 24-21 lead with a touchdown. It was the high-water mark of their season so far.
What's next: The big question is whether Nick Foles will be cleared to play before the end of the season. This week, Foles' return would be made more difficult because the Eagles have a short week. They are scheduled to play Saturday afternoon at Washington. They finish the season the following Sunday against the New York Giants at the Meadowlands. With wins in those games, the Eagles would finish 11-5 and give themselves a chance for a playoff berth. A loss in either game would likely knock the Eagles out of the playoff picture.
