Philadelphia Eagles: Stick a Fork in the 'Dream Team' After 1-3 Start

The Eagles are not going to win the Super Bowl.

Not the boldest of statements, but it's pretty hard to believe after spending the previous two months gushing over how great they were going to be.

After blowing a 20-point, second-half lead to the San Francisco 49ers, they are 1-3 and going nowhere. The defense is currently ranked 30th in the NFL against the run.

Vick went 30 of 46 for 416 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Add in his 75 yards rushing and moving the ball wasn't the issue for the Eagles. It was the little things like the insanely stupid pitch attempt by Ronnie Brown at the goal line that resulted in a turnover. It's WR Jeremy Maclin's inability to protect the football after making the catch.

Most importantly, they don't have any leadership. They didn't have a Ray Lewis type player to fire up the team when the lead began to slip away. DT Cullen Jenkins says it best:

There's got to be a point where people step up and say, 'We're going to play a full four quarters. It's like people in here don't have a sense of urgency. That killer mentality: Some people have it and others don't, and we've got to get it.

The Eagles went into the season thinking it was going to be a cakewalk to the Super Bowl. They lost their mental toughness and the result is 1-3.

The inability to hold onto leads is reaching historic levels. The Eagles are the fourth team since 2000 to lose three straight games in which they led entering the fourth quarter in all of them, joining the 2006 Raiders, the 2009 Redskins and the 2011 Vikings. The last team to lose four straight such games was the 1999 Saints.

The Eagles are making history, but not the kind fans expected.

With road games against the 3-1 Buffalo Bills and 3-1 Washington Redskins on deck, the competition doesn't get any easier. The season is beginning to spin out of control and they lack the veteran leaders to do anything about it.

Is a 1-5 start possible?

It sure is.