THE EAGLES' 13-9 loss to the Raiders produced a lot of disturbing offensive numbers.

Zero touchdowns. Six sacks. A half-dozen dropped passes. A season-low 14 first downs. Eleven lousy rushing attempts by the running backs.

A 66.3 passer rating by quarterback Donovan McNabb, which was 5's lowest regular-season passer rating since the memorable 13.2 that earned him a seat on the bench in the second half against the Ravens last November. A .478 completion percentage, also his lowest since the Ravens game.

But the number from Sunday's game that should give Eagles fans the biggest cause for concern is 12.5.

That's the percent of third-down opportunities Andy Reid's offensive juggernaut managed to convert against the Raiders.

They were a pitiful 2-for-16 in the game. It was their worst third-down performance in 8 years, their worst third-down performance since Oct. 28, 2001, when they converted only one of 11 third-down tries in a 20-10 loss to the same Raiders team that boxed their ears on Sunday.

That '01 loss to the Raiders turned out to be a wake-up call for the Birds. It dropped them to 3-3, but they picked themselves up, dusted themselves off and went on an 8-2 roll that clinched their first NFC East title under Reid, followed by the first of five trips to the NFC Championship Game.

Whether Sunday's ugly defeat will have the same kick-in-the-butt effect on this year's team remains to be seen. Right now, this much is clear: If they don't improve their third-down production, they will watch the playoffs on TV.

Despite a Mr. Softee-produced early season schedule, despite a receiving corps that many, including myself, consider the deepest and most talented of the Big Red era, despite two matchup headaches at running back, despite a five-time Pro Bowl quarterback with the second-best touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio in NFL history, the Eagles head into their first division showdown Monday night against the Washington Redskins ranked an unacceptable 21st in the NFL in third-down percentage.

Only two of the 11 clubs behind them - Arizona and San Francisco - have winning records. Both, like the Eagles, are 3-2. But the Cardinals and 49ers reside in the NFC West, where 7-9 gets you a standing ovation and 8-8 gets you the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

The Eagles live in a much tougher neighborhood. They finished 12th in the league in third-down percent last year and still needed a water-into-wine miracle to get to the postseason.

Following Sunday's 2-for-16 debacle, the Eagles have converted only 24 of 68 (35.3 percent) third-down opportunities this season. Unbelievably, five games in, they still haven't converted a third down of 10 yards or more; they are 0-for-15. On third-and-4 or more, they're only 14-for-51.

Thirteen of their 16 third-down situations against the Raiders Sunday were 6 yards or more. Eight were 10 yards or more. Four of the six sacks of McNabb came on third-and-long, when the Raiders were able to tee off on McNabb and his patchwork offensive line.

Reid's pass-happy playcalling hasn't helped matters. Opposing defenses know they can pretty much ignore the run on third down, whether it's third-and-1 or third-and-100. Only 15 of the Eagles' 68 third-down plays have been run plays.

In the 2 1/2 games McNabb has been at quarterback, the third-down playcalling has been even more incredibly lopsided. Thirty of the 31 third-down plays with McNabb at quarterback have been pass plays. You heard me. Thirty of 31. The one and only third-down run was a third-and-3 against the Bucs. LeSean McCoy lost 2 yards on the play. That apparently was enough to dissuade Reid from ever doing it again.

It was slightly more balanced when Kevin Kolb subbed for McNabb in Weeks 1 to 3 after 5 fractured his rib. Nine of the 35 third-down plays with Kolb at quarterback were run plays.

Overall, the Eagles have converted only nine of 31 third-down opportunities with McNabb at quarterback, and 14 of 35 with Kolb behind center. They are 1-for-2 with Michael Vick.

McNabb's third-down passing numbers have not been very good. He completed only five of 11 passes for 60 yards on third down Sunday. For the season, he's 11-for-21 for 133 yards on third down. Only six of his 11 third-down completions have produced first downs. He's averaging only 6.3 yards per attempt on third down, which pales in comparison with Eli Manning's 11.2 or brother Peyton's 7.98. Kolb, who has completed 10 of 24 third-down passes, is averaging only 4.88 yards per attempt. *

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