"Heavy snow didn't blanket the field. Wind didn't gust or swirl. And despite a frosty game-time temperature, conditions were ideal for a football game.

And yet the Eagles still played like they were slowed down, sloppy and unfocused with a chance to secure a first-round bye in the playoffs -- and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl -- still within reach.

The Eagles were already NFC East champions. But by losing 24-14 at Lincoln Financial Field to a Vikings team that had already been knocked out of the playoffs, they also guaranteed themselves a first-round matchup.

Nine days after their miraculous win against the Giants at the Meadowlands and two days after a major snowstorm postponed their Sunday night showdown against Minnesota, the Eagles committed three turnovers and couldn't summon the same fourth-quarter magic from their last game.

They lost to a rookie quarterback who was picked in the sixth round, almost converted to wide receiver and making his first NFL start.

More significantly, they can finish no higher than the No. 3 seed and will have to play a wild-card team in the first round, either Green Bay for the second time, the Giants for the third time or Tampa Bay for the fist time.

It was a long shot, but the Eagles went into the landmark Tuesday night game with a chance to capture the top seed if they could beat the Vikings and Cowboys in a six-day span and if the Falcons, Bears and Saints each lose their season finales on Sunday.

"We don't deserve it after that performance," coach Andy Reid said about the wasted chance to improve their playoff position.

Vick picked an inopportune time for his first bad game since being named the starter after Week 2. He passed for 232 yards and a touchdown and ran for 63 yards and a touchdown but was picked off once, nearly intercepted a few times, sacked six times and his lost fumble turned into the Vikings' game-tying touchdown.

The Vikings blitzed Vick like crazy and his protection couldn't handle the pressure."