All week long the Eagles insisted there was no such thing as playing with "house money," the belief that their season was already a success because no one expected them to be where they are.
Then they went out and played a Wild Card game Saturday night at the Linc as if that was exactly the case, as if they were just happy to be there.
They just weren't good enough.
Nick Foles wasn't good enough. He too often looked tentative again.
LeSean McCoy wasn't good enough. Or at least he wasn't a big enough part of the offense.
DeSean Jackson was not a factor until a Saints defensive back got injured in the second half.
Riley Cooper dropped a pass that hit him right in the hands with nothing but a vast expense of green in front of him.
Chip Kelly wasn't good enough.
Their defense wasn't nearly good enough. Especially against the run, in particular on that last drive when it counted most.
Patrick Chung was Patrick Chung, which is never good.
And their kicker, Alex Henery, as he's been for much of the year, wasn't good enough.
The Eagles weren't at their best on a night when they really didn't to be to beat a banged-up Saints team.
Who would have thought that the Eagles would get beat on a night when Drew Brees was only mediocre?
Saints 26, Eagles 24.
All that talk about the Saints not playing well on the road, and Drew Brees struggling in cold weather? It was right on the money. And the Eagles still lost.
The Saints came into the game 8-0 in the comfy confines of their Superdome home, but only 3-5 on the road. And they played pretty much the same way at the Linc.
And still won.
Bottom line? This was never going to be a Super Bowl Eagles team. They likely were lucky to be playing in the NFC Least, which they won with a 10-6 record while getting an incredible amount of breaks along the way.
Last night they had the Saints on the ropes in the first half and put up all of 7 points, giving them a 1-point lead. Drew Brees threw two interceptions.
In a crucial spot, the Eagles had a first down at the Saints 15-yard line. But Foles held the ball for an eternity, took a bad sack and Henery missed a 48-yard field goal. That was not a good sign.
It didn't get a lot better in the second half.
Chip Kelly for some reason decided to bank on Nick Foles, instead of his two best players, McCoy and Jackson. McCoy didn't get the ball enough, and the Eagles were unable to get Jackson involved at all in the first half.
The Eagles' defense does not get enough pressure on the quarterback, and that remained the case Saturday night. But it was their play against the run, particularly in that last drive, that was their undoing on this night.
The Eagles found themselves trailing 20-7 in the third quarter, but rallied to take the lead. Foles took the team down the field and scored a TD to put them ahead, 23-21, with almost five minutes left.
Now raise your hand if the first you did after the Birds took the lead was glance at the clock, see 4:54 left, and say, "That's a lot of time."
That's when Henery, the Eagles kickoff coverage team, and Cary Williams got involved. A weak kick from Henery floated down at about the 5 yard line. The Eagles coverage team inexcusably allowed return man Darren Sproles to get outside, and Williams used a horse-collar tackle to pull him down. The result was the Saints taking over on the Eagles side of mid-field, then using the run - not Brees - to use up the clock and leave the Birds and their fans to look on helplessly as Shayne Graham kicked the game winner, his fourth field goal of the night.
So where do the Eagles go from here?
There are some clear needs: a big-time pass rusher, a stud safety (so long Patrick Chung) and likely a new kicker.
And the QB? Foles played well enough this year to be the starter, but for some reason I'm still not sure he's the guy Chip Kelly wants running his offense.
The Eagles had a golden chance to steal a playoff game when the Saints clearly weren't at their best.
Unfortunately, neither were the Birds. Not even close. And the difference is the Eagles aren't good enough to win whey they don't play well.
And Saturday night they didn't play well. Not nearly well enough.
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