End Of The Road: Five Reasons The Philadelphia Eagles Wont Get Past The Packers

It's been a long, strange season for the Philadelphia Eagles.  One that started with no expectations, and now has fans everywhere optimistic.  A season filled with Michael Vick dominance, the emergence of LeSean McCoy and some crazy games.  But as Lee Corso would say "Not so fast."  The Eagles have some gaping problems going into the playoffs, and those, coupled with injuries and a Green Bay team that is hitting its stride, will knock the Eagles out of the playoffs on Sunday. 

5. Michael Vick

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 28: Michael Vick #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles in action against the Minnesota Vikings at Lincoln Financial Field on December 26, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Hear me out.  No I am not crazy, Michael Vick will be one of the reasons the Eagles lose.  Yes Vick is a good player, but there are many other outside factors that go against him.  First, though the Packers have not seen him at his best this year, they have ample amounts of game tape to watch.  With LeSean McCoy still inexperienced, the Packers will most likely plan their defense around Vick.

Not only will the Packers be able to plan around him, but with the injury he sustained against the Vikings, Vick will be much less mobile in the pocket, and the team who sacked him three times during his limited appearance in week one should be able to get to him much more this game.

Even without the injury though, Vick has been declining.  He has not thrown for 300 yards since playing an awful Houston Texans defense, and besides that game hasn't had a passer rating of over 100 since his incredible game against the Redskins.  But the key stat?  Since throwing his first interception in Chicago, Vick has thrown five interceptions in four games, also several more interceptions have been dropped, namely against the Vikings.

4. Injuries

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ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 12: Wide receiver DeSean Jackson #10 of the Philadelphia Eagles at Cowboys Stadium on December 12, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Injuries have hurt the Eagles all season long, whether it be on offense, defense or special teams.  As mentioned earlier, Michael Vick certainly will not be playing at full strength against the Packers, and his favorite target DeSean Jackson isn't at 100 percent either.  He has been a non-factor since sustaining a concussion, and still is listed as having a foot injury.  These are not good signs for a player who has been instrumental in the Eagles offense and special teams.

On defense, Stewart Bradley is a "stretch" for the wild card game, leaving Jamar Chaney, a seventh round pick in this year's draft, to command the defense.  In addition to Bradley being inactive, Asante Samuel is still recovering from a knee injury, something that should not be overlooked when playing a receiver like Greg Jennings.  However, Samuel's injuries through the season have also showcased the weaknesses of Dimitri Patterson who has been beaten badly more than once this season.  Those factors along with super-rookie Nate Allen still being injured, make it seem as though the Eagles defense will be in for a long Sunday.

3. Aaron Rodgers

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GREEN BAY, WI - JANUARY 02: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates a touchdown against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field on January 2, 2011 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Though Aaron Rodgers started the season off slowly, since the Packers bye week he has been on fire.  With the exception of last week and Week 14 where he was knocked out of the game, Rodgers has had a passer rating of at least 110, and thrown for an average of almost 337 yards per game.  Though the Eagles kept Aaron Rodgers as a non-issue in their first meeting, Greg Jennings shining as the Packers main receiver, other players finding ways to contribute and the Eagles banged up defense playing poorly, expect great things from Rodgers and the Packers passing game.

2. The Packers Defense

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PHILADELPHIA - SEPTEMBER 12: Kevin Kolb #4 of the Philadelphia Eagles is sacked by Clay Matthews #52 during a game against the Green Bay Packers at Lincoln Financial Field on September 12, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty

Simply put, the Packers defense is scary.  Led by breakout star Clay Matthews, the Packers have wreaked havoc on the NFC all season, giving up the second fewest yards in the NFC, and more importantly, the second fewest points in the entire NFL with only the Steelers giving up fewer.  The Pack leads the NFC in interceptions, and also leads the NFC in sacks.  Their linebackers are among the league's best, averaging 78 tackles and 5.25 sacks each.  They have also combined for six forced fumbles.  Basically, they are going to give the Eagles offense a hard time.  Though the run defense isn't great, the inexperience of LeSean McCoy should make up for that.

1. The Eagles Inability to Decisively Win Games

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - DECEMBER 19: DeSean Jackson #10 of the Philadelphia Eagles eludes Matt Dodge #6 of the New York Giants and returns a punt for the winning touchdown as time runs out defeating the Giants 38-31 during their game on December 19, 2010 a

Remember this?  The comeback, the thrill of DeSean Jackson's punt return, and the Miracle at the New Meadowlands were all great, but does anyone else remember the beginning of the game?  Eli Manning, NFL leader in interceptions, threw for four touchdowns and 289 yards.  Mario Manningham beat Dimitri Patterson on nearly every play, getting eight receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns.  The Eagles were down by 21 points late into the fourth quarter.  Not since November 15th against the Redskins have the Eagles won by ten or more.  Though comebacks are good, a team cannot rely on them.  And don't even get me started with the Vikings game.  Though the Eagles are a good young team, they are not nearly good enough, nor experienced enough, to beat the Packers on Sunday, and, at least in my opinion, it will take a small miracle to advance to the divisional round.  Better luck next year.