Eagles lose Cole, Peters, and Dixon to injuries

The answer to the question of whether it can get worse following the Eagles' devastating loss to the 49ers was a resounding yes after coach Andy Reid confirmed Monday that Trent Cole and Jason Peters have "fairly significant" injuries.

Cole has a calf strain, and Peters has a hamstring strain. The Pro Bowl starters - Cole at right defensive end and Peters at left tackle - had MRIs Monday.

Not only will the Eagles likely be without arguably their best defensive lineman and their best offensive lineman Sunday at Buffalo against the Bills, they also lost defensive tackle Antonio Dixon for the season. He tore his triceps against San Francisco.

Dixon will be placed on injured reserve within the next two days at which point the Eagles will add defensive tackle Derek Landri to their 53-man roster. Landri, who spent most of the preseason with the team only to be released on final cut-down day, agreed to contract terms Monday, NFL sources said.

Landri, a veteran of five seasons, still has to pass a physical.

Reid would not speculate as to how long Cole and Peters will be sidelined, but a team source said that both will be out for the next two games, against Buffalo and Washington. The Eagles then have a bye before hosting Dallas on Oct. 30.

"They're both very sore today," Reid said at the NovaCare Complex. "It's going to be a rough road for them this week."

It was a rough Monday for Reid, his staff, his players - not to mention the front office - following one of the worst defeats in franchise history. The Eagles led by 20 points midway through the third quarter before the 49ers reeled off 21 unanswered points on their way to a 24-23 victory.

For the third straight game the Eagles (now 1-3) coughed up a fourth-quarter lead, a development that has bloodthirsty fans calling for changes to the defensive staff led by coordinator Juan Castillo.

"I mentioned this after the game, each guy needs to take a close look at himself, and I've got to make sure I'm looking at it even closer," Reid said, "because we're not finishing games the way we're supposed to finish games. That's the bottom line."

Reid said that Castillo would remain his defensive play-caller and that all of his coaches would remain in place at their current positions. Reid did not rule out schematic tinkering or personnel shake-ups.

The injuries to Peters and Cole necessitate moves at offensive tackle and defensive end. Reid said that King Dunlap would "probably" fill in for Peters, but the fourth-year tackle said coaches told him Monday that he will start at Buffalo and Washington.

"I'll be up for a couple of weeks," Dunlap said. "About the same thing happened last year."

He started two games at left tackle a year ago after Peters underwent arthroscopic knee surgery. Dunlap also started three games at right tackle late in the season for the injured Winston Justice.

"The left side just feels more natural because I'm left-handed," Dunlap said, "but I'm still just as comfortable on either side."

While Justice was recovering from offseason knee surgery during the preseason, Dunlap was part of the merry-go-round of starters at right tackle. He held down the job for two games but was replaced by left guard Todd Herremans after it was clear the Eagles could not afford to have Dunlap and rookie Danny Watkins together on the right flank. Watkins lost his starting right guard spot to Kyle DeVan.

The offensive line, a chief concern entering the season, has been about as good as can be expected considering the late-in-the-preseason changes. Eagles quarterbacks have been sacked only seven times, and the run offense - bolstered by the scrambling Michael Vick - is second in the league.

The Eagles defensive line has been the lone bright spot on the other side of the ball. The unit's 15 sacks is tops in the NFL, but injuries have taken a toll on the group late in games. Jason Babin and Phillip Hunt were the only ends after Cole left Sunday.

Juqua Parker and Darryl Tapp, regular members of the end rotation, were not active. Parker has missed the last two games with a high ankle sprain and will try to practice Wednesday, according to Reid. Tapp sat out the last three games with a pectoral strain but "is very close to getting back," Reid said.

Landri, 28, should make a relatively easy transition into the Eagles defense.

"He would be a good choice if that's the way we went," Reid said of Landri on his radio show. "He sure had a good preseason for us."