Jeffrey Lurie put a number on it.
When asked before the season what he needed to see from Andy Reid this year, the Eagles’ owner used the words “substantial improvement.” He was asked to clarify. Would another 8-8 mark be good enough? Lurie said no.
And so that has been the number in the back of everyone’s head all season. With Sunday’s 30-17 loss to the Falcons, the Eagles are now 3-4 with nine to play. To get to 9-7, which can be considered the absolute minimum, they would need to go 6-3 the rest of the way. Even that would not ensure a playoff berth.
To get to 10-6, the Eagles would have to go 7-2.
As I mentioned this morning, that is the reality for Reid. The coach said during the bye week that he was evaluating everything. There were slight personnel tweaks here and there, but the major move was firing Juan Castillo and promoting Todd Bowles. Today’s defense did not force a punt until mid-way through the fourth quarter. The Falcons notched three touchdowns and three field goals on their first six possessions.
And it gets no easier. Left on the schedule are Drew Brees (Monday night), Robert Griffin III (twice) and Eli Manning.
The crowd at Lincoln Financial Field was as quiet today as it’s been all season. And who could blame the fans? There was little to cheer for from the get-go as the defense gave up a 16-play, 80-yard drive on its opening possession.
We’ll hear from Reid after the game and again on Monday afternoon, but as we sit here after eight weeks, his 2012 season appears headed for disaster.
Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
