If Hixon can do this, I don't want to see Fitzgerald.
The NFC is stacked this year and could have an argument for being a better overall conference than the AFC for the first time in a while. Of course, the Arizona Cardinals didn't do much to help that case by losing last night, but I stick to my guns.
Right now, it looks like the six teams in the playoffs will be the New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, our Eagles, the Cardinals, Green Bay, and either the Dallas Cowboys or New York Giants. The Atlanta Falcons are still in the mix, but would need both Dallas and New York to severely tank the remainder of the season.
And hey, Falcons fans, with the Cowboys anything is possible.
But I digress.
Look at all of those teams. There are teams like the Vikings and Packers who boast top five defenses, but for the most part those teams are the best six because of their explosive offenses.
The one team on the list without an overly-explosive element to their offense, the Giants, were even able to put 38 points on this Eagles defense. That's with an injured quarterback, a dinged up offensive line, and some issues at wide receiver.
If the Giants can put up 38, is it really out of the question that an offense like that of New Orleans, Green Bay, or Arizona could put up 50? Personally, if the Eagles play the way they did against the Giants, I'd be shocked if the defense only gave up 50.
This is, of course, with the acknowledgment that the Eagles' defense played out of character Sunday night and are indeed a much better unit than the one the country got to see. Add in that it was a divisional game and you may have the reasoning behind the poor performance.
However, it shows how bad this defense is capable of playing, and it's a cause for concern.
Sure, it was a divisional game, but how do they think playoff games are going to feel? The playoffs are worse than any divisional game by a long-shot.
Naturally, it brings up some questions.
Can Sean McDermott plan and execute a defensive scheme that can hold its own in the playoffs, or will his lack of experience be devastating? Can a rotation of Juqua Parker and Jason Babin do enough to get pressure on the quarterback and take some pressure off Trent Cole? How will the dinged up corners play against an elite passing attack in January?
These are all questions that the Birds won't be able to answer until Wildcard weekend, but that will plague the minds of Eagles fans everywhere until the time comes.
Let's also bare in mind that if the Eagles do win the division and take the third seed, they'll most likely have to play either the Cowboys or Giants. Last I checked, a divisional game in the playoffs was a whole lot more difficult than one in Week 14.
Interesting sidenote: If the Cowboys take the sixth seed with the Eagles remaining as the third, the Eagles and Cowboys could play one another in back-to-back weeks. Week 17, then the playoffs.
