Here’s what the Eagles need to do to beat the Panthers in Sunday’s NFC Divisional Playoff contest down in Carolina.

Ok, that was the piece I had expected to be writing today. But the New Orleans Saints’ 26-24 victory last Saturday night at Lincoln Financial Field put an end to all that, leaving disheartened Birds’ fans to wonder what personnel changes will be made between now and July and whether Chip Kelly and Co. can build on his surprisingly successful first year in Philadelphia.

And, make no bones about it: The Eagles’ 2013 season was much better than almost anyone could have predicted. Most experts – as well as this writer (definitely not an expert!) – figured on a six- or seven-win season for the Birds in Year One of the Kelly Era. And that’s how it was shaping up when the team was 3-5 at the season’s midpoint. Little did we know what lay ahead!

Granted, Billy Davis’s defense had started playing better in October, but there was still loads of uncertainty at the quarterback position: Nick Foles had stunk up the joint in a Week 7 home loss to the Cowboys, and – in Week 8 – Michael Vick returned from a hamstring injury only to re-aggravate it in the Birds’ loss to the hapless New York Giants.

We all know what happened next. Second-year QB Foles returned to the lineup in Week 9 and threw an NFL record-tying seven touchdown passes in a blowout win over the Raiders in Oakland, the start of a five-game winning streak and a 7-1 second half that culminated in an NFC East Division title with a Week 17 win over the Tony Romo-less Cowboys in Dallas.  LeSean McCoy set a franchise record with a league-leading 1,607 rushing yards and 2,146 yards from scrimmage.  DeSean Jackson ended with 82 catches for 1,332 yards, the second-highest total in team history. And – oh yeah – Foles quietly put up some amazing numbers in his sophomore season: a 64% completion rate, 27 touchdowns with just two interceptions, and a passer rating of 119.2 – the third-best in league history.

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Tags: Alex Henery, Chip Kelly, Desean Jackson, Donnie Jones, Earl Wolff, jeremy maclin, Jim Chet Chesko, lesean mccoy, Michael Vick, Nate Allen, NFL, Nick Foles, Patrick Chung, Philadelphia Eagles, Philly Sports News, Philly Sports Talk, Riley Cooper