How will they respond? How will they handle all this?
What happens Sunday at the Linc will reveal a lot about this 2018 Eagles team and how much fight they have left. How much pride they have left.
But more than that, it will tell us a lot about where the franchise stands just nine months after Super Bowl LII.
Beat the Giants and the Eagles can legitimately move into the last five games of the season with something to play for. Beat the Giants, and the Eagles can map out a route to the playoffs that's not all that far-fetched. Still a long shot but at least they'll be playing with a purpose.
Lose to the Giants? Then the Eagles will be staring at four straight home losses, a 4-7 record, last place in the NFC East, a December playing out the string with a series of meaningless games and some very serious questions about the overall direction of the franchise.
You learn a lot about football teams in these situations.
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A week ago in New Orleans, the Eagles were humiliated. Embarrassed. It's hard to forget the image of the Saints players dancing and carrying on along the sideline before the third quarter was half over while the Eagles stood and stared.
A year ago it was the Eagles dancing on the sideline, celebrating in the end zone, running up the score on everyone else.
Things change fast in the NFL, and Sunday will go a long way toward telling us exactly what the Eagles have left.
If anything.
On paper, this is a team the Eagles should beat. They beat ‘em by three touchdowns just six weeks ago in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and while the Giants have won their last two, they were over two teams - the 49ers and Bucs - that are a combined 5-15.
Does this team have the tenacity to bounce back from 48-7 in New Orleans and play hard for 60 minutes against a division rival?
Does this team have the mental toughness to set aside one of the worst losses in franchise history and play football the way it's capable of?
Does this team have the pride to play like champions?
We'll learn a lot about the Eagles Sunday.
This is a pivotal game not just for the 2018 NFC East race but for Doug Pederson's program in general.
If the Eagles can win, say four of their last six games and find their way to .500, even if they don't win the division, at least they've shown they're still willing to fight.
But if they lose Sunday and the thing starts to spiral out of control? If they become only the seventh Super Bowl champion in NFL history to finish with a losing record? If this thing snowballs?
Then the rebuilding project Howie Roseman faces this offseason is even more daunting than we ever dreamed.
Malcolm Jenkins talked about seeing guys who stopped trying Sunday while the Saints rolled up touchdown after touchdown, and if that mentality is permeating the roster, then it's Roseman's job to identify those guys and get rid of them, no matter the cap hit, no matter their resume, no matter the cost.
We remember the 2017 Eagles as a legendary team, a championship team, because of its ability to laugh at adversity and conquer it every time it was faced with impossible odds.
How will we remember the 2018 Eagles?
As a team that wilted when faced with adversity? A team that just didn't have the toughness to fight back when punched in the face?
After 2½ months, I don't like the answer. The 2018 Eagles are running out of chances to show us they're not who we think they are.
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