"The season died, just like that, so suddenly that fans who rose from their seats to cheer for a possible game-winning touchdown were able to quickly pivot and head for the parking lots when Green Bay cornerback Tramon Williams outfought Eagles rookie receiver Riley Cooper at the goal line for a jump ball.

The pass flew, rashly, unnecessarily, from Michael Vick's hand, on first down from the Packers' 27, with 33 seconds remaining, plenty of time to regroup and try again to win a game the Eagles had spent the entire late afternoon and evening losing, on merit. Plenty of time, if Williams hadn't expertly handchecked Cooper, then gone up and gathered in the ball, while Cooper watched, flatfooted.

"I could have checked it down to the back. I got greedy and took a shot at the end zone," Vick said afterward, as he and his teammates contemplated an offseason of unprecedented uncertainty, with a possible NFL lockout looming. "I didn't throw the ball I wanted to throw, and it got picked off. It's a bad way to go out, but, hey, I went out swinging."

Vick might have summarized for you, with the comeback he led, with that last disaster of a throw, and then with his reaction to it, what life with No. 7 is going to be like, assuming the Eagles find a way to get him under contract for next season. But that's a topic for another day.

Rest assured, there will be many topics for many more days, much chewing over exactly what this season meant and where the Eagles are headed. Right now, we know where they are not headed - Chicago and the divisional round of the playoffs, after yesterday's uneven, often inept 21-16 wild-card loss to a visiting Green Bay team that looked steadier and better-coached on both sides of the ball.

"I told the team I appreciate the fight that they gave, but we've got to do a better job as coaches and players, all the way around, but on third down in particular," said Eagles coach Andy Reid."