Eagles bedeviled in close games

Thirty minutes after the Eagles' 20-16 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday night, quarterback Donovan McNabb was asked about the team's inability to overcome fourth-quarter deficits.

"Well, it's tough to win when you have a couple of calls where it's tough on you," McNabb said. "We have won games in the fourth quarter. I know that's something that everyone is going to talk about. Have fun with it I guess."

McNabb was still disturbed by the spot of the football on a fourth-and-1 sneak in the fourth quarter, so that explains the first part of his answer.

As for the second part, the Eagles have really struggled to win close games since going to the Super Bowl five seasons ago and particularly in the last three seasons. From 2000 through 2004, they were 21-12 in games decided by seven points or fewer. Since then, they are 13-23-1.

The subject was raised again yesterday at Andy Reid's day-after news conference.

"I think it comes down to putting the players in the right position and executing," Reid said. "We all have a piece of that pie."

Reid said he doesn't believe his players lose focus or become tense at crunch time.

"I didn't see that," he said. "I've seen guys battling and I didn't think that was the case. Maybe it's the other end - we're trying too hard. I've seen maximum effort out there, and it looked like the guys were pretty focused."

Told that his team is 1-8-1 in close games over the last two seasons, Reid said, "That's a pretty good stat, so there is probably some form of a link. I'm not sure exactly what that link is other than that stat. We have to do better in those situations on both sides of the ball and special teams."

The quarterback and the head coach always receive the bulk of the blame for close losses and Sunday night's four-point defeat wasn't any different. Reid lost two time-outs to replay challenges and watched helplessly as the Cowboys ran out the clock with a couple of first downs in the final minutes.

While it's true Reid's challenges cost the Eagles' two time-outs, it's also true that a great defense comes up with a three-and-out stop and gives the offense one more chance to win the football game.

There have been too many times in the recent past - last year's NFC championship game at Arizona and the 2007 playoff loss at New Orleans - when the defense hasn't been able to make a stand at critical times.

You got the impression that Reid still felt as though he should have won the fourth-quarter challenge of the spot on McNabb's quarterback sneak, but he refused to question the call any further.

"The only thing I can tell you is that they mentioned to me that [McNabb's] elbow was down at that spot," Reid said. "Whatever spot that is, that's where they marked it and that's what I know."

Reid pointed out that two turnovers proved critical in this close loss because the Cowboys converted them into 10 points. Both turnovers came off interceptions thrown by McNabb, but both could not be blamed on the quarterback.

The first interception slipped through the hands of rookie receiver Jeremy Maclin for an interception by safety Gerald Sensabaugh.

"That was on me," Maclin said.

McNabb's other interception was also sent in Maclin's direction. Reid said the veteran quarterback and rookie receiver could share the blame.

"When you get to that 10- to 12-yard area, you want to make sure you get your eyes back for the ball," Reid said. "Could it have been thrown a little better? It could have. At the same time, they have to get on the same page there with each other."

Rookie mistakes proved costly in other areas, too.

Linebacker Moise Fokou was flagged for holding, which negated a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Ellis Hobbs at the start of the second half, then was penalized for an illegal chop block on a 54-yard interception return by Sheldon Brown that would have given the Eagles the football at the Dallas 35-yard line.

"That guy wasn't going to make that tackle," Fokou said of his penalty on the kick return. "It was just me as a young guy trying to make the best play I could. That play hit me hard."

The illegal chop block on Brown's interception was more damaging.

"That was an aggressive rookie mistake," Fokou said. "I didn't know the ruling on that."

Reid said Fokou should have known the rule.

"The rule has been mentioned," the coach said.

Poor clock management, untimely penalties and costly turnovers. If there's a link to the Eagles' close losses over the last three seasons, it can be found in those kinds of mistakes.

Contact staff writer Bob Brookover

at 215-854-2577 or bbrookover@phillynews.com.