Patriots vs. Eagles: 5 Things We Learned from a 38-20 Philadelphia Loss

If I was to tell you that Vince Young would throw over 400 yards, the Eagles would jump out to an early 10-0 lead and Tom Brady would take a beating early on, would you have guessed that the Eagles would still lose by nearly three touchdowns? Well they did. The New England Patriots overcame a slow start and laid a season-killing beatdown to the Philadelphia Eagles 38-20. The Eagles have won just once at home this season.

The defense could do nothing to slow down Tom Brady and the Patriots' passing attack. Brady only threw to four different receivers, but two of them went for over 100 yards and all four had at least 59 yards. It almost looked too easy for Tom Brady.

Now the Eagles are at 4-7 and pretty much done. Sure a 9-7 finish would give them a shot at either the final wild-card spot or the NFC East division, but at this point does anyone actually believe this team could win more than two games in a row?

Eagles fans will start dealing with the lost season that was 2011 and start focusing on the 2012 NFL Draft next April.

1. Juan Castillo Can't Cut It

It's official, Andy Reid's decision to make his former offensive line coach the Eagles defensive coordinator has completely blown up in his face. The Eagles offense has actually had a pretty impressive season despite the incredible high number of turnovers. The defense, however, has been awful at all the wrong times.

The defense has failed to have solid back-to-back weeks this whole season. The Eagles followed an impressive defensive performance against the Cowboys in a Week 8 34-7 win by giving up 30 points to the Chicago Bears at home. After holding the Giants to just 10 points last week, they gave up 38 points to an offense that actually took pity on Philadelphia's horrendous defense.

It's hard to blame Castillo though. Last year he was an offensive line coach. This year he is calling plays for the defense. If Andy Reid survives this mess of a 2011 season, you can bet he will hire a proven defensive coach with experience. Steve Steve Spagnuolo or Leslie Frazier may be head coaches now, but both are on the hot seat and worked under Reid and the late great Jim Johnson in Philly.

2. DeSean Jackson Is a Lesser Version of Terrell Owens

Eagles fans have always had plenty of love for their star receiver DeSean Jackson, but they will change after his selfish play against the Patriots. Jackson dropped several catchable passes, including two in the end zone, mainly because he was too busy trying not to get hit.

Jackson is in the middle of contract negotiations with the Eagles' front office. Clearly it has greatly affected his play. Jackson did finish with four catches for 73 yards, but his lack of production after the first two drives and the fact that he clearly is more concerned with himself over the team is going to draw some Terrell Owens comparisons.

Jackson has just 43 receptions and two touchdowns this season. His speed makes him one of the most dangerous players in the game, but right now, his selfish attitude during his contract dispute has made him a cancer to this team.

3. The Eagles Need To Attend a Clinic on Tackling

The Eagles are a bad tackling team and that is putting it very lightly. They don't possess a single linebacker or defensive back that is even a decent tackler. When the Patriots were in open space, they made the Eagles pay. No one Patriots runner dominated this game but Tom Brady did rush for just four fewer yards than LeSean McCoy.

No single Eagle defender seems to have the ability to take down a ball carrier by himself and there isn't one Eagles player that is capable of delivering that punishing hit that makes receivers think twice about going down the middle. It's official, the Eagles are a soft defense.

Poor tackling is usually due to either poor coaching or a roster full of soft players. The Eagles have both. They have talent on defense, but their linebackers and defensive backs aren't physical players. Eagles fans can only hope that Andy Reid brings in a defensive coach that can improve the fundamentals of this team and draft some linebackers that can deliver a pop in the open field.

4. Andy and Marty Tend To Avoid Running the Ball Like the Plague

LeSean McCoy is now the leading rusher in the NFL, but he almost got outrushed by the least mobile quarterback in football. Tom Brady finished with just four fewer yards than LeSean McCoy.

If you take away McCoy's first half run of 22 yards, he only had nine carries for nine yards. Last week in an epic road win against New York, McCoy had 23 carries for over 100 yards despite the Giants containing McCoy for most of the night.

When the Eagles bail out from the running game, the whole team suffers. McCoy is the key to the Eagles offense and straying away from him has killed them this season. They also don't have the receivers to be a one-dimensional offense.

McCoy did get a touchdown, which gives him at least one score in 10 of the Eagles' 11 games this season.

5. Get Your Forks out Eagles Fans

Remember last July and August when the Eagles were stockpiling on talent and we were talking about how dominant this team could be? Yeah, me neither. The Eagles gave us all hope last week when they stepped up with a big road win against the NFC East-leading Giants.

This week they let us know that they are waiving the white flag. They aren't mathematically out, but at 4-7 and a multitude of problems that aren't going away this season, you can stick a fork in them. They're done.

The Eagles need to finish at least 9-7 to have a shot at the playoffs. They would need to win their final five games in a season where they haven't won more than two in a row. The sooner Eagles fans realize that, the better off they will be.

That doesn't mean you have to blow up the team. There is light at the end of the tunnel. A quality defensive coordinator and a more disciplined team would easily turn things around.

Turnovers, penalties and very confused defense have lead to seven losses. A high-powered offense with a plethora of talent have led Philadelphia to four wins. There's no reason why this team can't win a Super Bowl down the road but 2011 will not be that season.

The future is still bright in Philadelphia, but the present is about as dark as it has been under Andy Reid. Stay patient Eagles fans, you will be rewarded for your loyalty eventually.