The Eagles have botched clinching scenarios in back-to-back weeks, and find themselves in a must-win matchup entering Week 18 after a disastrous loss to the Saints.
Philadelphia trailed the Saints 13-0 at halftime and looked like they had snatched the momentum before start cornerback Marshon Lattimore returned a Gardner Minshew interception 11 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The 20-10 loss leaves the Eagles needing a win at home against the Giants in Week 18 in order to secure both the top seed and the NFC East title.
A loss by Philadelphia coupled with a Dallas loss could drop the Birds down to the fifth seed overall and on a collision course with the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay for the Wild Card round.
With a long week of preparation ahead, here’s a look at the studs and duds from Sunday’s loss.
Stud -- Haason Reddick
Stud -- DeVonta Smith
Stud -- Brandon Graham
Dud -- Kyzir White
White had seven tackles on the afternoon but was a liability in pass coverage.
Dud -- Shane Steichen
Steichen is going to ruin his shot at a head coaching opportunity with poorly scripted game plans over the past two weeks.
Philadelphia had 15 total rushing attempts despite only trailing by 10 and 13 points at the most throughout Sunday afternoon. With Jalen Hurts out of the lineup, Eagles coaches did a poor job of scheming to get their best players involved offensively and we’re now in a must-win situation heading into the season finale.
Even more worrisome is the lack of offensive efficiency heading into the season finale.
Dud -- Jonathan Gannon
Philadelphia’s defense allowed Andy Dalton and Taysom Hill to go 15-16 in the first half passing and the passive defense has allowed Justin Fields, Dak Prescott, and the Saints signal callers to flourish in the passing game.
The Eagles are sacking the quarterback, but their inability to force opposing quarterbacks into horrendous passing performances is a concern.
Dud -- Gardner Minshew
Minshew simply can’t be the guy and he has three turnovers over the past two weeks, with one returned for a touchdown on Sunday.
