Turnovers Laying Waste to Philadelphia Eagles' Season, Playoff Hopes

No NFL team was responsible for more turnovers over the course of the 2011 and ’12 seasons than the Philadelphia Eagles, one of the main reasons the club failed to reach the playoffs both years. Then came head coach Chip Kelly, a franchise record for fewest giveaways and—by no strange coincidence—a triumphant return to the postseason.

Old habits die hard in Philadelphia, where the Eagles once again find themselves the league leaders in turnovers with 34. Not surprisingly, they also find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.

With a 38-27 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15, the Eagles no longer control their own destiny. To have any hope of earning a berth in the upcoming tournament, not only will they have to win out, but they will need help in the form of other contenders losing.

The Birds have nobody to blame but themselves. Say what you want about the defense—in particular, the secondary—and cry about officiating all you want. The fact is, when a team commits four turnovers to its opponent's one, as Philly did versus the Cowboys on Sunday night, the odds of winning decrease dramatically.

GM	PHI TO	OPP TO	SCORE
Wk 4 @ SF	4	1	26-21
Wk 8 @ ARZ	3	1	24-20
Wk 11 @ GB	4	0	53-20
Wk 14 vs. SEA	2	2	24-14
Wk 15 vs. DAL	4	1	38-27

In fact, the Eagles have been on the wrong end of the turnover battle in four of their five losses this season, committing a minimum of three in each. The lone exception was against the Seattle Seahawks last week, when both sides were on the hook for two.

A deflated Kelly said as much following the loss during his postgame press conference, carried live on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia.

"It sounds like a broken record, but we can't turn the football over and expect to win football games."

It starts at the quarterback position, where Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez have combined for 19 interceptions and five fumbles lost.

All things considered, Sanchez hasn’t been surprising—he arrived in Philadelphia with 89 giveaways in 62 career regular-season starts. Foles, on the other hand, was coming off a historic season in which he set an NFL record with a 27-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Some regression was expected, just not necessarily 10 picks in seven-and-a-quarter games.

Al Bello/Getty Images

Yet, as much blame falls on the signal-callers, there are still 10 more giveaways that have to be accounted for.

All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy has already matched a career high with three fumbles lost. Running back/return man Darren Sproles, wide receivers Riley Cooper and Josh Huff, and tight ends Brent Celek and Zach Ertz have all coughed up the football as well.

And as long as we’re being fair, not every turnover on Foles or Sanchez can be pinned entirely on the passer. Poor protection and tipped passes have led to changes in possession as well.

Turnovers, sadly, have been a total team effort in Philadelphia.

It’s difficult to imagine any end in sight. The Eagles are responsible for at least one turnover in all but one contest in 2014. They’re averaging 2.43 per game. If Sanchez remains under center, his body of work over six years as a professional would seem to indicate this ball security will always be an issue.

The only apparent hope is that Foles could soon be cleared to return from a broken clavicle, and with four of the club’s five starting offensive linemen healthy, he returns to 2013 form. Even that is likely a pipe dream, though, considering he hasn’t played in a month and a half.

0	1	2	3	4+
1-0	3-0	2-1	2-1	1-3

It may not matter much, anyway. The damage is done. Turnovers have laid waste to the Eagles season, making the playoffs an unlikely proposition unless contenders start falling around them—a genuine shame for a team that could still wind up winning 11 games.

No doubt, people will blame the secondary, they’ll blame officiating, they’ll blame the whole system for sending a .500-or-worse club from the NFC South to the playoffs in Philly’s place. But the Eagles will have nobody to blame but themselves for the endless stream of turnovers that destroyed their postseason dreams.