Still Breathing: Eagles Beat Jets

          Too little, too late?

          At least there’s now a question mark at the end of those words in regards to the Eagles making the playoffs after they destroyed the Jets, 45-19.

          There is no way to take anything away from the Eagles yesterday. They blew out a team with playoff aspirations. They did what Andy Reid envisions his teams doing – they got out in front and just kept the game plan going. No adjustments needed.

          For the record, nothing about my opinion on this team has changed except that I now have zero hope that there will be coaching changes next year. The most telling comment after the game came from Nnamdi Asomugha. Talking about Juan Castillo, he said, “Well he’s grown a lot throughout the year, and that’s clear even if you watched and didn’t know what was going on, you could see that. . . . With each game he’s gotten a little bit better and kind of understands what works in the NFL and what doesn’t, because he had never done it before. So he’s getting better with that and getting better with his calls and I think the better the calls, the more confident the players.”

          He kind of understands what works in the NFL? If that’s not the most damning statement of Reid’s hiring of a defensive coordinator, it doesn’t exist. And, for all the Reid supporters, it does exist.

          But for one week, let’s focus elsewhere.

          The scenario for the Eagles to make the playoffs is suddenly looking possible, but a fatal flaw still exists. As everyone knows, the Eagles have to win their final two games, and the Giants have to split their last two with a win against the Cowboys. That would mean Dallas loses their final two because they play both teams. The Eagles also play the Redskins and the Giants play the Jets. Having the outcomes that the Eagles need to reach the playoffs come to fruition doesn’t seem all that unlikely, though having all four happen would take some luck.

          However, the biggest obstacle could come from the television networks. Right now, the two relevant games in the final week of the season are scheduled for 1 o’clock. That’s good for the Eagles because the Giants would enter their game against Dallas with something to play for even if the Eagles get what they need in Week 16. But, according to Howard Eskin last night on NBC10, it’s possible the Giants/Cowboys game could be flexed to the Sunday night game. That would be terrible for the Eagles, because if they win, the Giants would be eliminated before their kickoff. Would they be motivated to beat Dallas?

          The Dream is 6-8.