Eagles QB Michael Vick walks off the field obviously discouraged after Sunday's 26-23 OT loss to the Lions. (US Presswire)
The Eagles blew a 10-point lead in the final minutes of the fourth quarter and eventually lost to the Detroit Lions 26-23 in overtime on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles played poorly on offense for most of the game and the defense played poorly at the end of the game and the result was another disappointing loss as they head into their bye week.

Afterward, running back LeSean McCoy summed things up nicely with two comments. The first: “To lose like this gives you a sick feeling.”

And the second: “This could be a game that might come back to haunt us late in the year.’’

And, as McCoy pointed out, the way the Eagles snatched defeat from the jaws of victory could loom large late in the season when teams are jockeying for playoff position. The Eagles missed the postseason by just one game last season and if that happens again, they’ll look back on this one that got away.

Offense: D-

The Eagles once again failed to get off to a good start – they’ve scored just seven points in the first quarter all season – and then they compounded that with a weak finish. QB Michael Vick made some nice plays, but he also turned the ball over again. Even the Eagles’ best player, RB LeSean McCoy, had a bad game, rushing for just 22 yards on 14 carries, a pathetic average of just 1.6 yards per attempt. Of course, it wasn’t McCoy’s fault as much as that of the offensive line and the offensive coaches. And the Eagles were at their very worst when it mattered most, in overtime, when their first two plays resulted in sacks that eventually set up the Lions’ winning FG. Previous game’s grade: D

Defense: C

These guys played pretty well for most of the game, especially when you consider the poor field position their offense left them most of the time. And they did a great job on All-Pro WR Chad Johnson, holding him to just one catch through three quarters. But then the fourth quarter started and this unit unraveled and failed to protect a 10-point lead in the final minutes. And once again the vaunted pass rush failed to produce a single sack – they’ve now gone three straight games without one and have just seven on the year after finishing with 50 last season. Previous game’s grade: C+

Special teams: C+

They had one bad mistake – a line-drive punt by Mat McBriar that was returned 56 yards to set up a Lions FG – but coverage was pretty good other than that. The return game remains impotent, but at least kicker Alex Henery continues to play well – he connected on four field goals, including a 49-yarder. But we’re still waiting for this unit to do something, well, special. Previous game’s grade: C

Coaches: D-

The offensive coaches, led by head man Andy Reid and coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, couldn’t get anything going despite all the weapons at their disposal, and they never figured out how to get All-Pro RB LeSean McCoy in a position where he could make positive plays. And the defensive coaches, led by coordinator Juan Castillo, failed to make the necessary adjustments in the fourth quarter. Actually, they did make adjustments, but they were the wrong ones – they took CB Nnamdi Asomugha off of WR Chad Johnson, whom he had limited to one catch in the first three quarters, because they wanted to blitz more and that changed their coverage schemes. Well, the blitz didn’t work – Lions QB Matthew Stafford wasn’t sacked and was only hit four times in the entire game – and the coverage failed, also – Johnson had five catches for 107 yards in the fourth quarter, when the Lions rallied to tie the game. Previous game’s grade: C

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