After back-to-back losses, the Eagles have fallen off the national radar.

Here is a roundup of links and power rankings from around the Web:

SI.com's Don Banks has the Birds 12th in his power rankings:

The good news is the Eagles won't travel further west than Chicago and Dallas the rest of the regular season. The past three times Philly played in the Pacific time zone, depressing things have happened. There was last January's NFC title game loss at Arizona, the Week 6 debacle in Oakland, and Sunday's defeat at San Diego. These Birds apparently are not made for flying long distances.

The Eagles fell completely out of Peter King's Fine Fifteen.

ESPN.com has the Eagles 12th.

ESPN.com's John Clayton has no answers for the Eagles' inability to win close games:

The Eagles' inability to win close games is becoming a major mystery in the league. I don't know why, either. How can a team that has been to five NFC title games not win close games during the regular season? By my count, Donovan McNabb is 1-8-1 in his past 10 games decided by eight points or fewer. I can't buy the notion that Reid can't manage the clock. He always wins first-round playoff games, and bad clock managers don't win playoff games. I also can't figure out how McNabb could have a career record worse than .500 in these close games. McNabb manages the game well and has a great arm. It's a mystery, but if they don't solve it, the Eagles won't have to worry about the playoffs.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com has the Eagles 11th:

They might want to stay away from the West Coast. That is two bad games out there after losing to the Chargers on Sunday. Was that their defense we saw against San Diego?

Pro Football Talk has the Eagles 13th.

OK, these aren't all the links. But Internet is down at the Kapadia apartment so I have been typing from the Cosi at 4th and Chestnut. Now it's back to wait for the Comcast man, who has so graciously given me a two-hour window in which he'll arrive. Hopefully he'll also get me the Red Zone channel. I'll be back later with more links.

On a sidenote, as my Twitter followers know, there was a couple in their mid-40s making out right across from me at Cosi. What's wrong with people? Don't they know we're living in a society here! I like the suggestion from @FireJerryManuel, who suggested standing up and cheering "Yeah! Kiss her! Woo hoo!"

Maybe I'll try it next time. They just left.

Our weekly visit from Dave Staley of sportsbook.com:

Q: What's the line for Sunday night's game?

A: We opened the Eagles as two-point favorites, but the line has since moved to minus-3. At first glance, this number surprised me a little bit as the Eagles are coming off of two very disappointing losses.
 
After looking into this game a little deeper, it is obvious why the Birds are favored though. First and foremost, despite the Eagles' recent losses, they are still just a game behind the Cowboys in the NFC East, thanks to Dallas' loss against the Packers. Chicago, on the other hand, has little or no shot at winning its division.
 
More importantly though is the giveaway/takeaway stat. Thanks to Jay Cutler, the Bears are a minus-5, whereas the Eagles are a plus-10. Cutler already has 17 interceptions, and he is going up against an Eagles defense that has the third-most picks (15) in the NFL. If these trends continue Sunday, the Eagles shouldn’t have a problem picking up a victory and covering.
 
It's early, but 91 percent of the early bettors are on the Eagles. By kickoff, this number will come down a bit, but I expect the boss to be rooting for the Bears come Sunday. This one-sided action has everything to do with Cutler’s carelessness.
 
All that being said, I think a field goal is just too much to be giving on the road, considering the Eagles' recent performance.

Q: What about the over/under?
 
A: It is currently 45 points, which is exactly where it opened. This number surprises me a little as I figured it would be around 42.5.
 
Thanks mostly to Cutler’s erratic play, the Bears scored 14 or fewer points in three of their last five games.
 
It is no secret that Andy Reid runs a pass-heavy offense. The Bears are actually pretty decent defending the pass, ranking eighth in the NFL.
 
The Eagles' defense has been very solid away from home this season, giving up just 17.7 points per on the road., although their injuries have been well-documented.
 
When these teams met the last two seasons, they would have covered this week’s under both times. 
 
All of my thoughts on the under being the smart play could easily be blown up if Cutler throws a pick-six or two, though.

Moise Fokou tries to stop Chargers TE Antonio Gates in the fourth quarter as Eagles CB Dimitri Patterson (left) watches on Sunday. (Yong Kim / Staff Photographer)

The player-by-player breakdown of the Eagles' defensive performance against the Chargers:

Trent Cole - Did you notice him lining up at left defensive end instead of right defensive end? He and Juqua Parker flip-flopped, but it didn't seem to do Cole much good. He was a non-factor, failing to pick up a sack and not getting any pressure on Philip Rivers. The Chargers were able to successfully run at Cole also, which has been a rarity this season. Blocks on him were key in both of LaDainian Tomlinson's touchdown runs.

Jason Babin - He pressured Rivers on a play in the first, but put up a zero in the sack column for the first time in four games.

Mike Patterson - Probably his least effective game of the season. Patterson was blocked on Tomlinson's second TD run, which opened up a hole. It's rare to see him handled the way he was on a 6-yard Tomlinson carry in the second. Patterson was also blocked on a draw to Darren Sproles. He did get good pressure on Rivers in the first quarter.

Victor Abiamiri – Lined up inside to combine with Darren Howard on one of the team's two sacks on the day.

Broderick Bunkley - The Chargers also had success blocking him. Bunkley was blocked on a 9-yard Tomlinson run in the third and a 4-yard gain in the first. Not a good day for the Eagles' defensive line.

Trevor Laws - He was part of the defensive tackle rotation. Laws dropped Tomlinson for a 2-yard loss in the third quarter. He got some crunch time minutes during the Chargers' final game-ending drive.

Darren Howard - He combined with Abiamiri for a sack in the first. Howard got fooled on a Wildcat run by the Chargers on their second possession, which picked up 10 yards.

Antonio Dixon - Not much to say about him. Dixon replaced Patterson on the second possession.

Juqua Parker - As  I mentioned above, he flip-flopped with Cole quite a bit. Parker made a nice hustle play, coming from across the field to help bring Tomlinson down on a first-quarter run. He picked up a sack in the fourth, rushing from his normal position on the left side.

Chris Gocong - Not a good showing from Gocong as he played the middle for the first time since high school. He was nowhere near the ballcarrier on several running plays. He looked out of position on the Chargers' first touchdown pass to the fullback and was blocked completely out of the play on the first Tomlinson run. Really wasn't a factor at all against the run. Gocong also missed a tackle on Antonio Gates in the first, which allowed him to pick up a first down.

Moise Fokou - A day of ups and downs for Fokou. On the bright side, he led the team in tackles. Fokou showed great instincts in spots, like when he stuffed Sproles on a 3rd-and-1 in the second quarter. On the downside, he was called for another personal foul penalty and missed a tackle on Gates early on, which allowed him to pick up a first down.

Will Witherspoon - A new position and a quiet day for Witherspoon. He was blitzing along with a defensive back (Sheldon Brown?) on the Chargers' first TD. Witherspoon has not had success as a blitzer this season, and the Eagles' defense as a whole rarely got pressure on Rivers with the blitz. Witherspoon was also coming on a blitz during Rivers' TD to Legedu Naanee.

Tracy White - He was not on the field too much but did chase down Sproles short of a first down. Does White have some sneaky speed, or is it just me?

Asante Samuel - Just an embarassing effort on the Chargers' first touchdown. Samuel had a real chance to bring Tolbert down at the 5, but didn't really try. He also got beat on the Rivers TD to Naanee. And Samuel slipped on a crucial 3rd-and-2 during the Chargers' final drive, allowing Naanee to pick up 18 yards and the first down.

Sheldon Brown - Before he injured his hamstring, Brown got beat by Gates on a couple plays early. He fell down on a big play to Malcolm Floyd, which set up San Diego's second touchdown. Updated: As some of the early commenters notes, Floyd gave Brown a little shove on the play.

Dimitri Patterson - Where to begin with Patterson? The highlight had to be him celebrating a tackle with under a minute left. The defense had just given up a 6 minute, 42 second drive, and the Chargers were about to kick a field goal. The Eagles were seconds away from losing, but that fact seemed to get away from Patterson, who ran down the field after he made the tackle. Quintin Mikell had to chase him down and remind him there was a game still going on. Earlier, he celebrated a pass deflection on a play where Rivers took a shot downfield, knowing the Eagles were offsides. Unbelievable. As for his play, Patterson was beat by Sproles for a third-down conversion in the third, and Jackson and Gates got the better of him on the game's final drive.

Ramzee Robinson - The newest Eagle was offsides on a 3rd-and-2 in the third quarter. Other than that, nothing notable.

Quintin Mikell - I think he was the only bright spot on defense. Mikell had one of his better performances of the season. He made a couple nice plays to break up passes and nearly had an interception in the third quarter. Mikell also had some highlights against the run. He stuffed Tomlinson for a loss on the play where Robinson was offsides.

Sean Jones - Pretty quiet overall. I mentioned the blitz problem earlier. Sean McDermott sent Jones on the touchdown to Naanee, and he didn't get there.

Macho Harris - He had a big-time hit on Sproles in the second quarter. That's about it.

The Eagles' offense could not get the job done in the red zone against the Chargers. (Ron Cortes/Staff Photographer)

Our weekly player-by-player look at the Eagles' offense:

Donovan McNabb - I've heard some rip him for the Eagles' red zone struggles. And others are going overboard since he threw for 450 yards. McNabb discovered after two drives that the Chargers were not going to let him hit huge plays down the field, but the intermediate passes would be there all day. He did a great job spreading the ball and had more ups than downs. He threw behind DeSean Jackson once, missed Leonard Weaver down near the goal line and really could have been picked off on three separate occasions when the Chargers defenders had drops. In terms of the red zone failures, he missed the Weaver throw, but the Eagles ended up getting six on that drive anyway. On the three drives where the Eagles settled for field goals, I didn't see a throw that he just missed. But then again, that kind of thing isn't always easy to gauge on TV. On the two touchdowns, McNabb bought time and had to improvise. It's not like the plays that were called worked to perfection. In other words, I wouldn't put the red zone failures squarely on his shoulders.

Michael Vick - He was only in on one play and looked frustrated afterwards. Vick threw to Jackson, who dropped the ball. The pass was behind him, but catchable.

Brian Westbrook - He took a screen 17 yards on the play where it is believed he sustained a concussion. Westbrook also had a nice run for 11 yards in the third quarter. In a rarity, he actually missed a blocking assignment in the second, trying to pick up a blitzer. We'll just have to see where his career goes from here. Obviously the first concern is his long-term health.

LeSean McCoy - He got a chance in short yardage on 3rd-and-2, but couldn't get it done. Like last week, it appeared he had some room but bounced it outside. McCoy also missed a blocking assignment. He did make a nice individual effort on a 5-yard screen in the fourth.

Leonard Weaver - Quiet day for the fullback. Just two carries for 2 yards. The big one was obviously the first-down try from the Chargers' 1-yard line. You just knew after he didn't punch it in that he probably wasn't going to get another chance all day.

Winston Justice - Another good effort in protection, for the most part. Defensive back Paul Oliver blitzed in between Justice and Stacy Andrews in the third quarter to sack McNabb. A lack of communication along the line. Justice was not particularly good in the run game. He didn't get a good block on the failed 3rd-and-2 attempt by McCoy in the second half.

Stacy Andrews - He was OK, but had probably the most trouble of any lineman in pass protection. Andrews was beat in the third quarter, as pressure caused a McNabb incompletion. Plus the sack mentioned above.

Jamaal Jackson - He was part of weak offensive line effort on 3rd-and-goal when they ran Eldra Buckley and got no push. Jackson was solid otherwise. He did a good job on a 7-yard Westbrook run in the second and delivered a nice block on a Westbrook screen.

Nick Cole - Buckley ran right behind him and got stuffed on the 3rd-and-goal play. The Eagles' line did a good job in pass protection, but couldn't get it done in crucial running situations.

Todd Herremans - I thought this was one of his better games overall. Herremans was by himself quite a bit in pass protection. He did a good job on a 7-yard Westbrook run in the second. He did a bad job against Shawne Merriman on the 2nd-and-goal Westbrook stretch run.

Brent Celek - The trust between he and McNabb was evident when the Eagles went to Celek on 4th-and-4 in the fourth quarter. He hauled in a 17-yard pass to keep the drive alive. Overall, six catches for 47 yards and a touchdown.

DeSean Jackson  - He had eight catches Sunday, more than the total in his previous three games combined. Jackson finished with 91 yards, and easily could have been up near 120 had McNabb and Vick not each thrown a ball behind him.

Jeremy Maclin - A nice bounce-back effort after he struggled against the Cowboys. Six catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. Maclin did a good job to pick up the first down and get out of bounds for a gain of 12 during the Eagles' drive at the end of the first half. I like his effort in downfield blocking. He was helping Avant along during the 58-yard play in the third quarter. It was close to a block in the back, but looked on the replay like Maclin got the DB on the side. An offensive pass interference negated a big catch in the third. Maybe he doesn't get flagged for that in a couple years.

Jason Avant - An MTC favorite, Avant led all receivers with eight catches for 156 yards. He had back-to-back 14- and 27-yard receptions in the second quarter, plus the big 58-yard gain in the third. Unbelievable catch on 3rd-and-18 for a first down. Has to be the team's best catch of the year, and among the league's best.

Reggie Brown - Let me take this opportunity to welcome Brown to Man Up. His only catch of the season had come in Week 4 against the Chiefs, but Brown made two receptions in this one, including a first-down grab on the second drive. Not sure about the plays that went deep to him with three DBs in the vicinity though.

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We forgot to do the weekly Eagles penalty count last week.

And it seems fitting to post the numbers right away after the Birds' 31-23 loss to the Chargers.

The Eagles were called for nine penalties, totaling 70 yards.

The breakdown was: four on defense, three on special teams and two on offense.

Ther personal foul on Moise Fokou is becoming a weekly staple. The rookie is now tied with Stacy Andrews for the team lead with five penalties on the season. He leads all Eagles with 58 penalty yards.

New Eagle Ramzee Robinson jumped offsides on a 3rd-and-2 in the third quarter when it appeared the Chargers would have to settle for a field goal. They went on to score a touchdown on the drive.

Against the Cowboys, the Eagles had eight penalties for 82 yards: five on offense, two on defense and one on special teams.

Here's the breakdown on the season:

Number of penalties

Moise Fokou - 5
Stacy Andrews - 5
Jason Peters - 4
Todd Herremans - 4
Nick Cole - 3
DeSean Jackson - 3
Darren Howard - 3
Asante Samuel – 3
Sean Jones - 2
Macho Harris – 2
Quintin Demps - 2
Jason Babin - 2
Donovan McNabb - 2
Jeremy Maclin - 2
Winston Justice - 2
Jason Avant – 2
Tracy White – 2
Trent Cole - 2
Juqua Parker - 2
Dimitri Patterson - 2
Chris Clemons - 1
Joselio Hanson - 1
Leonard Weaver – 1
Mike Patterson - 1
Eldra Buckley – 1
Chris Gocong – 1
Victor Abiamiri - 1
Sheldon Brown - 1
Jeremiah Trotter - 1
Ramzee Robinson - 1

Note: The Eagles' defense was called for an offsides in Week 1 (officially 6 yards), but it was not attributed to any one player. The 'D' was also called for a 5-yard illegal contact penalty in Week 6 and an offsides in Week 7. Penalties that were declined were not included in the breakdown.

Penalty yards

Fokou - 58
Samuel - 43
D. Jackson – 30
Harris – 30
Avant - 30
Andrews – 25
Maclin - 25
Peters - 25
Gocong - 24
Demps – 22
Herremans - 22
Babin - 20
Parker - 20
White - 16
Jones - 15
Howard - 15
N. Cole - 15
Abiamiri -12
Clemons - 11
McNabb - 10
Justice - 10
D. Patterson - 10
T. Cole - 10
Howard – 7
M. Patterson - 5
Hanson - 5
Buckley - 5
S. Brown - 5
Trotter - 5
Robinson - 5
Weaver - 3

By unit

Offense – 26 for 177
Defense – 24 for 199
Special teams – 17 for 147

The Eagles' offense couldn't get the job done in the red zone against the Chargers. (Yong Kim/Staff Photographer)

The Eagles made a late push in San Diego, but fell to the Chargers, 31-23, this afternoon.

If you have to point to the one thing that cost them a win, it's struggles in the red zone.

At halftime, the Eagles had outgained the Chargers, 188-149.

The makeshift offensive line had allowed zero sacks, and they did not commit a turnver.

Yet the Birds trailed, 14-6.

It started in the second quarter, with the Eagles facing a 1st-and-goal from the Chargers' 1-yard line.

A Leonard Weaver run up the middle. Stuffed.

A Donovan McNabb pass intended for Brent Celek in the corner of the end zone. Incomplete.

And in a puzzling call, Eldra Buckley charged up the middle for no gain.

Not Weaver again. Not Brian Westbrook. Not LeSean McCoy. But Buckley.

Andy Reid chose to settle for an 18-yard field goal, which put the Eagles on the board.

Later in the quarter, the Eagles faced a 1st-and-goal from the 9. This time, McNabb couldn't connect with DeSean Jackson on first down. Westbrook ran out of bounds for no gain on second. And McNabb hit Celek for a gain of two on third down.

Another field goal. And the Eagles went into halftime down 14-6.

In the third quarter, the problems continued. After a couple completions, including a big 58-yarder to Jason Avant, the offense was set up with a first down at the Chargers' 16-yard line, but had to settle for a field goal yet again.

McNabb couldn't connect with Celek on first down, but found Avant for 9 on second. The Birds once again made 3rd-and-1 feel like 3rd-and-21 as McNabb rolled out and threw incomplete in DeSean Jackson's direction.

They staged a comeback in the fourth, scoring a pair of touchdowns, but it was too late.

Three drives inside the 20. Three field goals. And a second straight loss.

At 5-4, the Birds travel to Chicago to take on the Bears on Sunday night next week before returning home to take on the Redskins.

Can Donovan McNabb and the Eagles bounce back Sunday against the Chargers? (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Our weekly look at who's picking the Eagles, along with some other links sprinkled in:

Les Bowen of the Daily News goes with the Chargers, 27-23.

Paul Domowitch of the Daily News has San Diego winning, 31-24.

SI.com's Peter King predicts a 26-13 Chargers win:

Philip Rivers has gotten much love for his clutch throw to beat the Giants, and rightfully so. But the San Diego defense is finally well in the team's three-game win streak, allowing 43 total points and only 13 of 42 third-down conversions. And Shawne Merriman's awake. He sacked Eli Manning to end the game at the Meadowlands. If I were Donovan McNabb I'd feel better if I got Brian Westbrook back, to help with blitz pickup in this one.

King has the Eagles ninth in his Fine Fifteen.

SI.com's Don Banks has the Eagles ninth in his power rankings:

I thought Donovan McNabb came up rather small in the Eagles' biggest game of the season to date -- Sunday night's home game against Dallas, which could have vaulted Philly into sole possession of first place at the season's midpoint. McNabb was back to his old habit of throwing low, uncatchable balls at times, and he didn't have much going in terms of his deep passing game either. The Cowboys pass rush got to him early, and it seemed to keep him from developing rhythm with his receivers. Now it's back to the West Coast for the Eagles (at San Diego), and things didn't fare so well the last time they headed that direction (see Oakland, Week 6).

Accuscore give the Chargers the edge, 23.2 to 22.4.

FoxSports.com's Peter Schrager predicts a 24-21 Chargers win:

Both the Eagles and 'Bolts are fresh off cross-country trips from the East Coast. The Chargers have won four straight games at home versus the Eagles and Philip Rivers is 22-6 in games played in San Diego. An interesting matchup to watch for? Surefire AFC Pro Bowl receiver Vincent Jackson vs. All-Pro Eagles corner Asante Samuel. Gimme the Chargers in this week's other premier NFL matchup.

Five of six FoxSports.com experts have the Chargers.

Adrian Hasenmayer of FoxSports.com has the Eagles ninth in his power rankings.

Five of eight ESPN experts are picking the Eagles.

CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco predicts a 30-26 Eagles win:

The last time the Eagles went to the West Coast, they were upset by Oakland. They will be much more focused here coming off that Dallas loss. The Chargers are playing much better, which should make for a heck of a game. Look for the Eagles to find a way, using big plays by DeSean Jackson.

Prisco has the Eagles ninth in his power rankings.

Matt Bowen of the National Football Post goes with the Eagles in a shootout, 33-30:

The Chargers made some plays on defense last week in their win over the Giants, but the Philly weapons will be too much on Sunday in a game that turns into a shootout between Donovan McNabb and Philip Rivers.

Pro Football Talk goes with the Chargers, 30-21.

Join me for a live Eagles-Chargers chat Sunday afternoon at 4:15:

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers put together a textbook two-minute drill to steal a win against the Giants last week. (AP)

I took a look at the Chargers' win over the Giants last week, and here are 10 things I noticed:

1. What a drive in the final two minutes by Philip Rivers and the offense. Textbook. Eight plays, 80 yards, 1:46 off the clock. Rivers went 6-for-8 for 75 yards, completing passes to five different receivers. The Chargers didn't even have to use their final timeout. If this one comes down to the final two minutes, look out.

2. The Chargers' defense wasn't really impressive. Eli Manning completed 25 of 33 passes for 215 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He was 15-for-17 for 129 yards in the first half. Most of Manning's throws were intermediate routes. The Giants really did not go down the field much. Their longest completion was a 29-yarder to Hakeem Nicks on a wide receiver screen. Steve Smith killed San Diego in the first half with seven catches, but made just one reception after halftime.

3. The Chargers looked vulnerable against the run also. Brandon Jacobs averaged 6.1 yards per carry. New York put together three long drives (12 plays for 60 yards and 7:23 off the clock; 16 plays for 76 yards and 10:35 off the clock; 10 plays for 60 yards and 4:42 off the clock).

4. San Diego did have five sacks. Shawne Merriman had two, including a big one late in the fourth quarter, rushing up the middle. Linebacker Shaun Phillips was also very impressive. He had a sack, blitzing Manning from the edge, and forced a fumble. Among the defensive linemen, Luis Castillo was probably the most effective pass rusher, although he has just two sacks on the season.

5. If you think Brian Westbrook has lost a step, wait 'til you get a look at LaDainian Tomlinson. The Chargers running back had 12 carries for 22 yards. His longest carry went for a gain of 5. Granted, there didn't appear to be a lot of room, but Tomlinson has averaged 3.1 yards per carry or less in four of six games this season.

6. Vincent Jackson, on the other hand, is a beast. It's one thing to be tall (6-foot-5). But it's another thing to know how to use that size. Jackson did an excellent job of getting in front of Giants defensive backs and making plays. Forty-two catches for 722 yards and seven touchdowns on the season.

7. Antonio Gates was the most-targeted receiver last weekend. He ended up with five catches for 67 yards, but should have had a bigger game. Gates had a couple drops in the second half or he could have easily hit the 100-yard mark. Still, a couple very impressive plays. One was a 30-yard gain, most of which were yards after the catch. The other was a ball he caught at the 45-yard line. Gates then dragged a Giants DB 6 yards to pick up a first down on the final drive. Gotta wonder how Sean McDermott plans on accounting for Gates, given the Eagles' injuries.

8. After the Eagles-Giants game, we talked about the difference in Donovan McNabb and Eli Manning in terms of throwing to receivers who are covered. Well, Rivers is more in the Manning mold of allowing receivers to make plays even if they're not open. But he's also much less prone to mistakes. Rivers was a plus-23 in touchdowns to interceptions last season and is a plus-eight this year (14 TDs, 6 INTs). Against the Giants, there were several instances where he let his playmakers try to win one-on-one battles.

9. The Chargers hit on some big plays, including their first TD, off play-action. Again, a big test for the Eagles' linebackers and secondary here.

10. Darren Sproles is another guy to account for. Probably the biggest play on the Chargers' game-winning drive was a 21-yard pass to Sproles. He went into his route out of the backfield, and Rivers found him to set up the score to Jackson.

Bonus: With 3:14 left in the game, the Giants had the ball at the Chargers' 4-yard line, up 17-14. From there, New York was whistled for a holding penalty, had to settle for a field goal and were gashed during the final two-minute drill. The Chargers flat-out stole that game at the end.