Eagles head coach Chip Kelly Photo by Todd Bauders / contrastphotography.com

LANDOVER: Sunday’s NFC East showdown with the Washington Redskins wasn’t a must win game for the Eagles, it was a game the Birds needed to establish that what we all saw in the preseason wasn’t a mirage.

After the Birds dropped a heartbreaking 23-20 decision you have to admit that maybe it was.

Inconsistency was again at the scene of the crime.

The Washington Redskins, behind their quarterback Kirk Cousins and some impressive play by his offensive line, put together a 90-yard, 15-play drive that took off all but 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter, rallying the home team to the come-from-behind win that shoved the Eagles (1-3) into last place in the NFC East.

Each week there is a breakdown in area, and a show of promise in another.

One week Special Teams loses a game when it gives up a TD after a blocked punt. The following week Special Teams wins a game when it scores a TD on a punt return.

Field goal kicking has been a disaster all around. Cody Parkey missed a make-able attempt against Atlanta, a two-point loss. Parkey is put on injured reserve because a nasty groin pull…then his replacement Caleb Sturgis missed a field goal and an extra point – both from 33 yards – and the Eagles lose by three to the Redskins.

The defense has, overall, been consistently tough. Certainly this unit can help a team go places if the other two sides are at least holding their own.

Sam Bradford has played eight halves as an Eagle. He can hang his hat on three great halves like the second half of games against Atlanta and Washington.

But five of the halves were pretty much forgettable. When the Eagles are going three-and-out as they have in long stretches over the first four games, it is brutal on the defensive players regardless of how much the players and coaches deny it.

“We kept the defense on the bench and we wanted them on the bench” Washington Redskins rookie offensive
lineman Brandon Scherff, a first round pick (No. 5 overall, Iowa) said about all the Redskins’ long drives
during their game against Eagles. Photo by Rich Barbon / contrastphotography.com

Rookie Redskins offensive lineman Brandon Scherff, a first round pick (No. 5 overall) was part of the offensive line that gave Cousins all day to pick apart a weary Eagles defense that was clearly out of gas at the end of the game.

The 6-foot-5, 318 pound guard said exactly what you would want offensive players to be saying about the importance long drives.

“It’s great,” said Scherff. “We kept the defense on the bench and we wanted them on the bench. We’ve just got to come out with touchdowns instead of field goals. But we came out with the ‘W.’ We’re going to watch film and see what we can do about that.”

The Eagles offensive line was the opposite. No running game was ever established and with Jason Peters out for most of the game, the Birds gave up five sacks, two came on their final effort after Washington had taken the lead with 26 seconds left in the contest.

“It is tough to watch,” Peters said. “We have a good offensive line. Right there at the end, when guys know you’ve got to pass the ball, they got their ears pinned back. It’s been a tough year for the line. We’ve just got to keep them off the quarterback as best we can.”

Both after the game and at his day after press conference, head coach Chip Kelly was asked about his offense particularly his offensive line. The question was raised base on three out of four games, the first quarter has just looked like chaos. Is that talent? Is it coaching? What’s going on that this happens again and again?

Kelly, as he should, defended his players.

“Yeah, I don’t think it looks like chaos,” Kelly said at his Monday press conference. “I wouldn’t use that word. I think we’ve been out of sync a few times. But I think we have the right guys, and we’re doing the right things. Again, we start off the game with balls a little bit low on the first pass of the game. Could he have caught it? Should he have caught it? We have to be able to help those guys out, too.”

Kelly has been getting thrown under the bus more times over the last few days than Donald Trump is by Rosie O’Donnell at a “War on Women” Expo.

A lot of the criticism is self-inflicted. If the 2015 Eagles played as consistent as the head coach is with his condescending answers to those whose job it is to ask questions about the team, there would no need for this column.

Many people who have attained the beloved status in sports at the highest level almost all will tell you the key to staying in good graces with your fans is to stay humble.

It helps when times are tough and you need as many people in your corner as you can fit.

Until Kelly finds a way to turn this ship around, that corner is looking pretty lonely.