Missing the playoffs has put the Philadelphia Eagles in the wrong kind of exclusive company. This Eagles team will go down in NFL history with the 2008 Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the only ones since divisional realignment in 2002 to turn a 9-3 record into an early offseason. Forty-three other 9-3 teams went on to qualify for postseason play, including four this season.
The way things unraveled for Philadelphia, the Eagles' quarterback situation is going to be front and center this offseason. The pivotal interception Mark Sanchez threw during Saturday night's 27-24 defeat at Washington (which was 3-11 entering the game) was his 10th since replacing the injured Nick Foles at midseason. Sanchez can become a free agent. Foles is an option, but not necessarily the answer.
What's next at quarterback for coach Chip Kelly and the Eagles? Here we run through some of the options while explaining why the odds are strongly against Philadelphia upgrading from the status quo. It's the first of 10 takeaways from a Week 16 that brought clarity to the playoff picture while raising longer-term questions in Philly and elsewhere.
