When does a tie feel like a loss?

When you're the Philadelphia Eagles, you're a 9-point favorite and you're in the cellar of the best division in football.

Nice going, Eagles.

Andy Reid's team blew any chance it might have had in the NFC East race. (Getty Images)

With their season heading downward quickly, fresh off their beat-down vs. the New York Giants, the Eagles played an overtime tie with Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, the score finishing 13-13.

That's a victory for the Bengals, who had only one win coming into the game. For the Eagles, it's the end of their division hopes.

Boy, how I wouldn't mind hearing those Philly talk shows Monday.

For that dismal showing in Cincinnati, the Eagles get an F in our grades this week. They played the first tie game in the NFL since 2002.

They say ties are like kissing your sister.

For the Eagles this was like getting a tongue smooch from grandma.

Yecch.

It's not good being Donovan McNabb these days. He was picked off three times and the Eagles managed only one touchdown on offense. With so many Philly fans wanting him gone, he will be seared like a piece of tuna this week.

It won't help that he admitted after the game he didn't know that NFL games can end in ties.

What else doesn't he know? That teams play 16 games? That you need 10 yards for a first down? That you need to have 11 men on offense?

How can a player with his experience not know there are ties?

Please.

McNabb and coach Andy Reid led the Eagles to four consecutive NFC Championship Games, one Super Bowl and plenty of drama the past 10 years. One has to wonder if this might be the beginning of the end for both in Philly.

Reid and McNabb have been resilient in the past, but a tie as a nine-point favorite against the Bengals might be too much. Will Reid go to Kevin Kolb at some point in place of McNabb? If he does, what happens in the locker room?

This is a tie that has to feel much more like a loss for the Eagles.

At least one good thing comes out of it: Their quarterback now knows games can end in a tie.

Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008
NY Jets 34, New England Patriots 31		Prev. Grade	GPA
B	Jets: Brett Favre had two nice drives to win it. The key play was the Leon Washington kickoff return for a touchdown. The defense gave up a lot of yards through the air, something that needs to be tightened up.	A	2.63
C	Patriots: Matt Cassel had a nice day throwing the football, going for 400 yards and three scores. But it just wasn't enough. That special-teams score was a killer. They do get credit for coming back from a big deficit.	B+	2.54
Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19, Minnesota Vikings 13		Prev. Grade	GPA
B+	Buccaneers: This one goes to the Tampa Bay defense. They had five sacks of Gus Frerotte and limited Adrian Peterson to 85 yards on 19 carries. Jeff Garcia made some nice plays in the passing game.	B-	2.77
C	Vikings: They had trouble throwing it again, which is why they had trouble scoring again. They can't rely on Adrian Peterson all the time. The pass defense gave up four plays of 20 yards or more. That's way too many.	C+	2.34
NY Giants 30, Baltimore Ravens 10		Prev. Grade	GPA
A	Giants: The Giants ran the ball right at a defense that came in ranked first in the league in run defense. That's instilling your will. The big plays came from Aaron Ross, who had two picks, one for a score.	B+	3.20
D	Ravens: They got pushed around on defense and Joe Flacco made two crucial mistakes. This was a tough spot for the Ravens -- playing the Super Bowl champs on the road, the second of back-to-back roadies -- but didn't we expect more?	A	2.53
Miami Dolphins 17, Oakland Raiders 15		Prev. Grade	GPA
B-	Dolphins: They should be thankful for this one. They dominated, yet found themselves down late. The game-winning drive was impressive. Ted Ginn Jr. had a big day and gets better every week.	C	2.57
C-	Raiders: They did little on offense and only Johnny Lee Higgins' punt return for a touchdown made it close. The defense bent, but didn't break. At least they battled.	D	1.37
New Orleans Saints 30, Kansas City Chiefs 20		Prev. Grade	GPA
B	Saints: Drew Brees had another good day and Pierre Thomas provided a spark at running back. The defense gave up some yards, but they had two stops inside the 10 that forced the Chiefs to settle for field goals.	C-	2.44
C-	Chiefs: Tyler Thigpen is getting better, which is a good thing to see. They are still fighting as a team. They are undermanned on defense, but the young players are getting valuable experience. They need to score touchdowns next time.	B-	1.71
Indianapolis Colts 33, Houston Texans 27		Prev. Grade	GPA
B-	Colts: Peyton Manning had a big day throwing it, and they needed it. The defense had a rough go of it, especially against the run. That has to be fixed down the stretch.	B+	2.37
C-	Texans: Steve Slaton had a big day running the football, but they didn't get much from Sage Rosenfels. The defense was dominated all day long.	D	1.87
Green Bay Packers 37, Chicago Bears 3		Prev. Grade	GPA
A	Packers: Give this one to the running game. Ryan Grant ran wild, going for 145 yards and a touchdown. The defense did the rest. This was a dominating show all the way around.	C-	2.61
F	Bears: The Chicago defense hasn't been right all season long. And Kyle Orton isn't good enough to bail them out. It was just a miserable day all the way around.	C-	2.51
Cincinnati Bengals 13, Philadelphia Eagles 13		Prev. Grade	GPA
C+	Bengals: For the Bengals, the tie is a victory. Sort of. The defense had a good day against the Philly offense. Ryan Fitzpatrick handled himself well against that Philly blitz. They're still playing hard.	A	1.71
F	Eagles: Like I said, this is a loss for the Eagles. They're supposed to win this game. Their offense isn't doing enough. Donovan McNabb had three picks and didn't get them into the end zone enough. This one will sting.	C-	2.48
Carolina Panthers 31, Detroit Lions 22		Prev. Grade	GPA
B-	Panthers: They ran for 264 yards, with Jonathan Stewart (130) and DeAngelo Williams (120) both going over 100. That's a franchise first. The passing game didn't need to do much. The defense struggled early but tightened up late in the game.	C	2.86
C-	Lions: They were scrappy, which is a good thing. Daunte Culpepper was better in his second start, which helped the offense. The defense? It's a mess and can't stop anybody.	F	1.21
Denver Broncos 24, Atlanta Falcons 20		Prev. Grade	GPA
B+	Broncos: The banged-up defense gave up some yards, but played much better than in recent weeks. Jay Cutler made some timely throws and Peyton Hillis scored two touchdowns. This is a big road victory.	B	2.37
B-	Falcons: They moved the ball, but settled for field goals early, and that hurt. Matt Ryan was solid, but the interception by Dre' Bly set up a touchdown. Roddy White needs to catch that pass at the end.	A	3.03
Arizona Cardinals 26, Seattle Seahawks 20		Prev. Grade	GPA
B	Cardinals: Kurt Warner had another huge day but his late-game fumble let the Seahawks back into it. The three interceptions by the defense, the last by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, were the big plays. They do always make it interesting.	B	2.93
D	Seahawks: They fell behind by a lot because of their turnovers. The return of Matt Hasselbeck didn't do much to help the offense. He struggled. The pass defense, a trouble spot all season long, had issues again.	C-	1.68
San Francisco 49ers 35, St. Louis Rams 16		Prev. Grade	GPA
B+	49ers: They jumped to a 35-3 halftime lead and were never threatened. The defense did the damage, forcing three first-half turnovers. Shaun Hill had a solid day throwing and Frank Gore was good running.	B-	2.14
F	Rams: Marc Bulger was a disaster in the first half. He turned it over three times, which set up three touchdowns for the 49ers. The defense was put in tough spots, but they didn't do much either. At least they didn't quit and played better in the second half.	F	1.27
Pittsburgh Steelers 11, San Diego Chargers 10		Prev. Grade	GPA
B	Steelers: The Steelers did what they wanted on offense, but couldn't score. Penalties and a failure on fourth-and-goal from the 1 hurt them. Ben Roethlisberger had a nice day throwing and the defense stuffed the San Diego offense.	C-	2.80
C-	Chargers: They didn't get enough going on offense, especially in the running game. Philip Rivers was picked twice, which hurt. The defense gave up a lot of yards -- as usual -- but they didn't give up points this time.	B	2.23
Tennessee Titans 24, Jacksonville Jaguars 14		Prev. Grade	GPA
B	Titans: Kerry Collins won this game with three second-half touchdown throws. He was very good in the second half. The defense, after a so-so first half, was dominant in the second half. They find a way to win, no matter what.	B+	3.26
C-	Jaguars: They played well for a half, and then collapsed. The offense was nonexistent in the second half. The pass protection wasn't good, they couldn't run and they couldn't throw. The defense gave up big plays in the second half.	B	1.94
Dallas Cowboys 14, Washington Redskins 10		Prev. Grade	GPA
B+	Cowboys: They didn't do a heck of a lot on offense except for Marion Barber's 66 yards in the fourth quarter. The defense had a nice day, limiting the Redskins to 10 points. They shut down the Washington passing game.	D	2.53
C-	Redskins: They couldn't get enough going on offense. Jason Campbell never got untracked. They had a fourth-quarter meltdown; the defense let them down.	C-	2.48
Monday, Nov. 17, 2008
Cleveland Browns 29, Buffalo Bills 27		Prev. Grade	GPA
B	Browns: Brady Quinn wasn't great, but he made some clutch throws. Jerome Harrison had the big play with his 72-yard touchdown run. The defense played the pass well, but the run defense wasn't very good. That was a clutch kick by Phil Dawson from 56 yards out.	D	2.07
C	Bills: Trent Edwards had a terrible day, getting picked three times. Marshawn Lynch ran wild. The defense was put in point-blank situations too many times, and they let down on the late drive.	D	2.33