6 Eagles on Thin Ice Heading Into the Playoffs

That 10-1 start for the Philadelphia Eagles feels like a lifetime ago. They were the hottest team in the entire NFL at that point but then limped their way into the playoffs after dropping five of their final six games. Now at 11-6, they head to Tampa Bay to take on the NFC South Champions, the Buccaneers.

Philadelphia did wind up with favorable seeding though, as they get to take on another team that wasn't great down the stretch. Tampa Bay nearly gave up the division in the final two weeks and Baker Mayfield is dealing with a rib injury.

They need to take advantage of this or else they'll see their once-promising season come to an end. If they do wind up dropping this one, these six Eagles will hear a lot of criticism as they enter the playoffs on thin ice.

6. Matt Patricia, De Facto Defensive Coordinator

Philadelphia's defense has been a problem for a while, so head coach Nick Sirianni decided to try and quietly replace Sean Desai with Matt Patricia before their Monday Night Football matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. While Desai had his struggles, Patricia was far from an upgrade.

Not only did the defense fold in the final minutes against a backup quarterback during his debut as their play-caller but they also gave up 35 points to the Arizona Cardinals and 27 to the New York Giants in the finale. In all, they surrendered 363 yards per game under Patricia — against teams that didn't make the postseason.

If they're going to turn things around, he's going to have to find a way to slow down the opposing team and create some turnovers. Otherwise, he could be on the way out in the offseason.