New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith sacks Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick for a loss Monday night. Vick went down seven times in the game. (US Presswire)

It’s called the red zone, but for the Eagles it’s been more like the Twilight Zone.

There are plenty of reasons the Eagles are 3-5 at the halfway point of the NFL season, but their failure to cash in when they get close to the enemy goal line is a major one. They’re ranked 30th in the NFL in red-zone offense, and, in 27 trips inside their opponents’ 20-yard line this season, they’ve scored just 10 touchdowns.

The Eagles were at their absolute worst in Monday night’s 28-13 loss to New Orleans, when they were 0-for-5 in the red zone, including four times with goal-to-go and two times inside the Saints’ 5 yard line.

“It’s been a problem with this team every week, and we’ve got to correct it,” wide receiver Jason Avant said. “We have good possessions getting into the red zone, and then we basically melt down there.”

Coach Andy Reid discussed several reasons for the red-zone meltdowns, but, as usual, blamed himself first. Reid also said the players need to do a better job of executing the plays -- including better blocking by the line, better route-running by the receivers and quicker decision-making by the quarterback.

“We’re hit and miss there,’’ Reid said. “We’ve had some sacks and we had some turnovers. We’ve all had a little piece of this thing.”

Those red-zone "pieces" look like this:

  • The Eagles ran the ball just two times for a net total of minus-1 yard.
  • Quarterback Michael Vick was 3 for 12 passing inside the red zone for 20 yards and his longest pass, a 14-yarder to tight end Brent Celek, ended with Celek fumbling the ball away.
  • The Eagles lost the ball on an interception that was returned 99 yards for a touchdown, plus Vick was sacked twice for a total of minus-18 yards. And don't forget -- tackle Demetress Bell was flagged for two 5-yard penalties.

Add it up (or, more to the point, subtract it) and the Eagles ran 19 plays in the red zone and turned the ball over twice, were penalized twice, were sacked twice and finished with a net total of minus-9 yards.

“I don’t know why we’ve had such trouble down there,’’ guard Evan Mathis said. “But whatever it is, we’ve got to fix it. Red-zone breakdowns are one of the things that have killed us.”

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Philadelphia Eagles from blogger Kevin Noonan, follow@CBSEagles.