Philadelphia Eagles’ playoff chances in jeopardy – NFL Feature
When the 2011 National Football League (NFL) season ended, Philadelphia Eagles emerged as one of the most promising teams that could have better prospects in the 2012 season.
Although Eagles were not that brilliant in the regular season on the field as they were on paper, their finish to the season was commendable. Heading into the 2011 season, they had one of the best squads, thanks to some good roster moves during the offseason.
The defence and offence were looking in great shape, but on the field the story was altogether different from the Eagles. They failed to combine and play well as a team. It was asserted that since Eagles had plenty of big names in their squad and the NFL
lockout did not allow them to train together, it was hard to develop team chemistry.
The excuse was somewhat justified because Eagles finished the season strongly, despite missing the opportunity to qualify for the playoffs.
Eagles won their last four games, defeating Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins, finishing the season 8-8.
The late winning streak also saved job of head coach Andy Reid, who has been with the Eagles since more than 10 years. Eagles’ promising finish to the season strongly indicated that they would certainly emerge as a better outfit in the 2012 season.
Eagles had a pretty impressive offseason and preseason. They practised and trained well, got some good draft players and, thanks to some impressive trade deals, added some more talent on the roster.
At the start of the 2012 season, Eagles began struggling right from the first game, though they were able to secure some victories. In the season opener, they defeated Miami Dolphins with a close margin in a game during which quarterback Michael Vick provided
the game-winning move after failing to impress earlier on the field.
In their Week 2 game, Eagles surprisingly defeated Baltimore Ravens. The reason behind the defeat being surprising is not that Ravens were better than Eagles, but the latter performed sluggishly and still managed to win.
Eagles got their first defeat of this season in Week 3 when Arizona Cardinals defeated them. After that defeat, Eagles made a strong comeback in Week 4 by defeating defending Super Bowl champions New York Giants.
At 3-1, it was certain that Eagles could go on to qualify for the playoffs, but everyone knew that they must show consistent improvements, as luck had been on their side in the victories they had got.
Eagles seemingly struggled to gain consistency and the next four games were not less than a disaster for them.
At first, Eagles faced defeat against Pittsburgh Steelers and their hopes of entering the bye week with a win were crushed when Detroit Lions defeated them in Week 6.
Dejected by two straight defeats, Eagles hoped that they would get a fresh start after their bye. However, the opponent after the bye was arguably the toughest of the season.
In Week 8, Eagles faced the Atlanta Falcons, who had not lost any game in the season and continued their winning run after easily outclassing the Eagles.
Eagles’ three-game losing streak was stretched to four games when they were defeated by New Orleans Saints in Week 9.
A lot has been said about Eagles’ performance in the first half of the season and the team is supposedly trying its best to find the winning rhythm. However, no improvement has been seen. Eagles fired Juan Castillo, who was serving as defensive coordinator,
hoping that the abrupt decision might become a wake-up call for others. However, that did not happen either.
At present, their playoff hopes are in jeopardy and no one, even some of the Eagles, can predict better prospects for the team.
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