Asante Samuel called it "frustrating." Kurt Coleman characterized it as "ridiculous.". Brent Celek said "it's an embarrassment." Describe it however you want, but the fact remains that, after Sunday's 21-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the 3-6 Eagles have lost five games this season in which they led in the fourth quarter.
On Sunday, the Eagles entered the final period with a 14-7 lead. After Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald tied the scored on a tipped touchdown reception, the Eagles took a three-point lead following a Nnamdi Asomugha interception. But then the Cardinals got the ball back, beginning their drive at their own 13-yard-line with 5:06 remaining. Eleven plays and 87 yards later, the Cardinals were on top 21-17 and the Eagles were unable, once again, to complete a miracle game-winning drive.
"It's almost like we're expecting it to stay that way," said defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins. "I don't know. I'm sure what the attitude is, but we just can't seem to get ourselves out of a funk when we get in one. I don't know what it is we have to do or how we have to do it, but we're too good to be letting all these games get away from us that way."
Shock was the most common reaction in the locker room, as a team with Super Bowl aspirations finds itself with only three wins through nine games.
"It's very disappointing," said Samuel. "It's something we've got to figure out with seven games left. We're a good team, I don't know how far we are off of things, but it's real tough. We keep giving up the game in the last minute. It's frustrating."
Both sides of the ball deserve blame for the fourth-quarter failures. In the five fourth-quarter losses combined, the Eagles have managed only three total points. Sunday, when Asomugha provided the offense with great field position on the Cardinals' 26-yard-line, the offense was unable to register a first down before Henery's 36-yard field goal.
"Late in the game, we are not going for the jugular and finishing the game the right way," said running back LeSean McCoy, who only had one yard on two carries in the final quarter. "It's the attitude. We get down there into the red zone and we have to put points on the board. There are missed blocks, interceptions and turnovers in general. We have to get better as a team."
The Eagles added another red-zone turnover Sunday when Michael Vick was picked off by Calais Campbell in the third quarter. That brought the team's tally to seven red-zone turnovers on the season, most in the league.
"We are not finishing," said Brent Celek. "We need to come together and play as a team. That's how you win football games. It's time for us to start coming together and getting it done, because we have the talent, we have the coaches and it's time for us as players to execute. They put a team together like this and we are showing what we are showing, it's an embarrassment."
And on defense, with an opportunity to pick up the offense's slack, another opposing quarterback was able to march his team down the field in crunch time. This time, Cardinals quarterback John Skelton, the team's No. 2 quarterback, threw for 166 yards in the fourth quarter, including two 30-yard completions on the game-winning drive, one of which came on a fourth down.
"We've got to regroup and figure out what's going wrong and stop it right now. This is ridiculous," said Coleman. "I'm not a loser and I refuse to continue to lose. I'm going to go back, watch the film and me along with everyone else we have to get better. We have to figure out what's going on because this is not our team. This ain't us."
But as ugly as Sunday's loss was, the Eagles won't be packing up their season any time soon.
"It's something we've got to figure out with seven games left," said Samuel. "We're a good team, I don't know how far we are off of things, but it's real tough. We keep giving up the game in the last minute. It's frustrating.
"I've got heart, I'm a fighter and I always play to the end. That's what we're going to do; we're going to fight 'til the end. We've got Eagle pride around here and that's how it's going to be."
