If the Eagles did anything last season, they went out and played with energy and focus and it was the driving force to their greatest season ever.

They’re playing this season with a decreased lack of energy and focus and a main reason for their 2-3 record in an NFC East Division that could be described as mediocre at best and weak at worst.

The latest example of this is Sunday’s 23-21 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in front of a home crowd of 69,696 diehard, bleed Eagles green fans. Those diehard, bleed Eagles green fans will stick by their team through thick and thin, not so for the casual fan who was caught up in last year’s Super Bowl run. This season the causal fan has turned off the Eagles  game and gone about his or her business on a Sunday afternoon as suitable for football as it is for gardening or shopping.

Who can blame them for that? Coaches, players and fans continue to search for answers as to what is wrong with the Eagles. They make the same, stupid mistakes repeatedly. Mistakes that are penalties before the ball has even been snapped. They fumble the ball over to the opposition and when a 6-foot-4, 329 pound defensive lineman picks up a fumble and begins to run the other way with it, an Eagle offensive player can’t even gather up enough speed to tackle him from behind and perhaps prevent a touchdown.

Is it the lack of energy or focus to be the cause for this. Before the season began, Coach Doug Pederson thought there was a chance they would lose their focus. Or else be focused on the opponent and not on themselves. Others might point to the absence of linebacker Michael Kendricks. He was a second-round draft choice of the team in 2012 and played six years.  He is now a member of the Seattle Seahawks but is indefinitely suspended for insider trading.

Whatever the reasons – and there are many – they’re reasons that are obstacles as they prepare for Thursday Night Football against the host New York Giants (8:15 p.m.).

They missed a golden opportunity to take over first-place by themselves. If they’d won, they’d be atop the division by a half-game following losses by Dallas (2-3) to Houston in overtime and Washington (2-2) getting blown out by New Orleans on Monday Night Football. The bottom-feeders in the division are the Giants (1-4) who lost to Carolina on a last-second 63-yard field goal.

The Eagles were down 17-3 at halftime but made a valiant  attempt at a comeback. With the score 20-6 in the fourth quarter, running back Wendell Smallwood caught a 12-yard TD pass from quarterback Carson Wentz. The Eagles were back in the game following Wetntz’s run for the two-point conversion with still a lot of time left.

After a Vikings (2-2-1) field goal, tight end Zach Ertz caught a seven-yard TD pass from Wentz and the kick after brought them within two, 23-21. with 1:09 left. That’s how it ended when the Vikings recovered the Eagles onside kick. The kick went off a Viking and there was a made scramble for it, but wide receiver Adam Thielen recovered for the Vikes.