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"We thought we were good. We thought we were going to just go into Minnesota and win. That those guys were going to lay down. It definitely showed us. It was kind of bittersweet at the same time. I think it was sad that we lost. And it was sweet that we lost at the end of the day because it helped humble us. I'm glad we lost. It was what it was. We needed to get knocked off so that we could reevaluate what we’ve got going on in my perspective. And we need to get better." - Cary Williams
The Eagles' 48-30 loss to the Vikings was sobering. Philadelphia had been playing so well up until that point only to have a classic letdown game.
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It was a tough loss. Even though the Cowboys' loss later that day took some of the sting away, there were still unsettling signs. The defense was bad and the secondary was atrocious. Chip Kelly wasn't at his best. Nick Foles left plays out out on the field. Blame falls on everyone; it was a "team loss". Williams, quoted above, certainly didn't have his best game.
The Eagles' frustration was apparent. DeSean Jackson's sideline "incident" and Williams being benched at the end of the game in order to keep his emotions in check are just a few examples. Defensive coordinator Bill Davis admitted he was frustrated too.
I think all of us realized that going into that fourth quarter, we didn't play our best game up to that point. I believe it was third‑and‑14. We still had opportunities to turn that game and win it even though we weren't playing at our best. We had a couple things go wrong. Multiple people lost their composure. I wasn't the most composed either as it started to unravel. The NFL is tight. Adversity hits. You have to overcome adversity and handle it. Collectively we all learned that we have to do better or bad things happen. We gave up 21 points in the fourth quarter and shouldn't have.
Letdown games happen league-wide. Look no further than the Saints losing to the Rams this week. The Chargers beat the Broncos... in Denver. The Bengals failed to take care of business against the Steelers. These are just a few examples.
This isn't to say the Eagles' loss is acceptable. There are very real concerns with this team. At the same time, Sunday's result is now a thing of the past. The Eagles have many mistakes to be fix from that game, but now the focus shifts to the next opponent, the Chicago Bears, in what has the potential to be a playoff clinching game for Philadelphia.
The true measure of this team will be their ability to bounce back from adversity. The Eagles stand at a crossroads. Will they show resiliency come Sunday and resemble the team that won five games in a row? Will the Vikings loss truly serve as a wake-up call? Or was the loss a sign of things to come in the remainder of the season?
It's entirely up to the Eagles to shape their destiny.
