Peter King: Eagles '1 of the Weirdest Collapses I've Seen in 40 Years Covering' NFL

The Philadelphia Eagles once appeared to be a favorite to win the Super Bowl this season.

That dream is still alive and the talent on the roster is certainly capable of it, with last season's runner-up finish being a prime example. Still, the luster that once shined bright now looks fradulent.

The Eagles started the season 10-1 but stumbled to an 11-6 finish and are staring down a road matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round. This was a hard fall for a team that had a true shot at nabbing a first-round bye.

Peter King of ProFootballTalk referred to the losing skid as "one of the weirdest collapses I've seen in 40 years covering the NFL." He had previously ranked the Eagles as a major contender, so his confusion is certainly something to note.

Philadelphia dropped games in this skid against juggernaut opponents like the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys but also fell flat against weaker teams like the New York Giants and and Arizona Cardinals. The poor play allowed the Eagles to lose out on a division crown and makes the journey back to the Super Bowl much harder than it could have been.

Philadelphia is still in the postseason, which is the most important thing. The Eagles will have the opportunity to fix the issues and make a run, and winning against a quality opponent in the Wild Card Round could be exactly what the locker room needs.

That opportunity will come against the 9-8 Buccaneers on January 15 at 8 p.m. ET.