Eagles' Injuries Piling Up, Playoff Hopes Hang by a Thread After SNF Loss

The Philadelphia Eagles' playoff hopes are hanging on by a thread.

The team suffered through a near-crippling home loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday Night Football, falling by a final score of 40-17. To make matters worse, the Eagles are being forced to limp through the season's final weeks thanks to a slew of injuries.

The Eagles were already dealing with a number of season-ending injuries, including one to Pro Bowl kicker Cody Parkey. In addition, a number of key players came into Sunday's matchup dealing with injuries of some sort.

Consider the team's injury report just three days prior to Sunday's contest.

The injury report included 12 total players, though only two were ever listed as limited or non-participatory members.

The injuries continued to pile up Sunday, most notably on defense, where the team lost both of its starting cornerbacks.

Eric Rowe, a 2015 second-round pick out of Utah, left Sunday night's contest with a concussion suffered during the second quarter. Byron Maxwell, meanwhile, suffered a shoulder injury in the second quarter that kept him out for a substantial period of time, per ESPN.com.

Meanwhile, starting quarterback Sam Bradford took a beating behind his shoddy offensive line. According to the injury report above, the veteran QB was dealing with a shoulder injury coming into Sunday's matchup with the Cardinals.

Michael Perez/Associated Press

To make matters worse, the Oklahoma University product has a storied history of injuries dating back to his rookie year in 2010, and he has played just two complete seasons in his six-year career.

Watching Bradford get hit the way he did Sunday night feels oddly similar to watching the time tick away on a bomb that you have no way of preventing from exploding. If he continues to get hit the way he does, it's not a stretch to think he'll suffer some kind of injury.

Despite all that, there's still a chance for Philly to win the NFC East. With wins in each of their final two regular season contests, the Eagles would clinch the division and their first trip to the playoffs since 2013.

Getting there won't be easy. Despite all the injury concerns we discussed earlier on, the Eagles will have to contend with their remaining schedule.

In Week 16 and 17, the Eagles will face the Washington Redskins and New York Giants, respectively. Both Washington and New York have had success on offense in recent weeks and will certainly be looking to knock the Eagles off when the teams face each other.

Take a look at what the Eagles will find themselves up against over the season's final two weeks.

Team	Record	YDS/G	P YDS/G	R YDS/G	PPG
Redskins	3-2	365.2	268.8	96.4	22.2
Giants	1-4	388.8	300.8	88.0	25.2

Philadelphia will take on two of the hottest offenses in the league over its remaining two weeks of play. The Redskins will come into their Week 16 matchup with the Eagles fresh off a beatdown of the Buffalo Bills and will be looking for their third win in as many weeks.

The Giants, meanwhile, may not have anything to play for by the time these two clubs meet up in Week 17, but whether they're playing for pride or for a playoff spot, it's a safe bet they'll come to play.

How the Eagles deal with all these injuries will play a big role in whether or not they're able to beat either the Redskins or Giants. The Eagles' playoff hopes hinge on their ability to bounce back from all these injuries, and head coach Chip Kelly will really need his guys to buy in if they're going to make a serious playoff run here in 2015.

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