NFL

Eagles QB problems ruining their season

PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles’ quarterback situation is a mess, and it’s threatening to take their entire season down with it.

With Nick Foles still sidelined with a concussion and Michael Vick battling what he described as the worst hamstring injury of his career, Philadelphia had to go with rookie Matt Barkley for much of Sunday’s NFC East matchup against the Giants.

The result was every bit as ugly as all of that sounds, as Barkley provided several moments of unintentional comic relief in a 15-7 Giants win at Lincoln Financial Field that dropped Philadelphia to 3-5 and extended its franchise record to 10 consecutive home losses.

Still gimpy from the hamstring pull he suffered against the Giants three weeks earlier, Vick started Sunday’s game when he probably shouldn’t have and lasted just four series — throwing an interception and losing a fumble along the way — before handing it over to Barkley.

The fourth-round pick from USC wasn’t anywhere close to being up to the task, throwing an interception and fumbling three times (losing one) as the Eagles failed to score an offensive touchdown at home for the second week in a row.

Barkley ended up completing 17-of-26 passes for 158 yards, but those were meaningless numbers next to the two turnovers, three sacks and general ineptitude the Birds showed with him at the helm.

Even worse for the Eagles: It sounded very much late Sunday afternoon as if they will have to stick with Barkley, at least through this week’s trip to Oakland.

First-year Eagles coach Chip Kelly said Foles still hasn’t been cleared to practice after the concussion he suffered two weeks ago, and Vick revealed ominously after the game that his hamstring is painful enough to require an MRI exam Monday.

“I’ve never had a hamstring injury this bad,” Vick said.

Speaking of bad, Barkley’s performance was so ugly it’s now difficult to believe he was being touted as the potential No. 1-overall pick just two years ago. Barkley isn’t very good at grading himself, either, saying after this disaster, “I thought I played all right.”

Back-to-back possessions midway through the game highlighted Barkley’s ineptitude.

The first ended at the Giants’ 2-yard line just before halftime, when Kelly bizarrely had Barkley throw instead of trying to run it in, and the young passer lost a fumble after a 12-yard sack by Terrell Thomas.

Another strange Kelly decision the next time Philly got the ball also ended in Barkley hijinks. After the coach passed up a field-goal try on fourth-and-10 from the Giants’ 32, Barkley fumbled the snap before hurriedly sailing a throw 5 feet over the head of wide receiver Jason Avant.

As a a result, the Eagles lost a game despite not allowing a touchdown. Kelly’s team has scored just 10 points in its past two games (both at home), and the only touchdown in that span was provided by their special teams.

“I’m [peeved],” tight end Brent Celek said. “The fans are [peeved], and I don’t blame them. Ten straight losses at home. It’s embarrassing.”