Just when you think the Eagles season couldn’t get any worse, it just may have.

Add a Jalen Hurts “superficial” blood clot in his calf.

Huh?

His return is questionable, but Hurts may look around at the state of the team and decide to sit this one out longer than expected. There is no timetable for his return.

It’s now Tanner McKee’s show to run for a while. Rookie Cole Payton, whose claim to fame is being an alumni of Carson Wentz’s North Dakota State, is the backup. Andy Dalton threw an end zone interception in Chicago and was shown the door.

It is just another log thrown on a roaring fire that throws more sparks toward their first losing season since 2020 when they went 4-11-1, and Doug Pederson’s Super Bowl win two years earlier didn’t hold any more credibility.

Their sky-high expectations of easily winning the NFC East and getting past the first round of the playoffs have been wounded in flight. Even at 2-3, the panic has not just been pushed, it has been held down.

(Memo to Giants fans: Save some money for playoff tickets.)

It’s turning into a season that couldn’t be made up, and is gradually developing into a nightmare, ironically, with Halloween just around the corner.

The Birds are a 3.5-point underdog at home against Carolina Sunday at the time of this writing, which points to just how bad things actually are.

Eagles fans can only wish this is one of those TV dream scenarios.

Who is to blame?

There are the offensive issues with the new coordinator in which the offense has scored 23 of their 92 total points after halftime. Their overall total is the fourth worst in the league.

Is this all on Sean Mannion?

The multitude of injuries, along with the untimely retirement of offensive lineman Lane Johnson, is a state truly unfathomable five games into their season. Parting ways with veteran and respected offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland hasn’t exactly proven to be a wise move. He should have been able to suture the makeshift line back together.

Plus, their head coach Nick Sirianni’s string of questionable coaching decisions, making him a candidate for practicing “coaching malpractice,” a term echoed by the broadcasting and writing sports pundits.

Many are confident their debacle should be placed solely on Sirianni’s shoulders. His Super Bowl gratis ticket may be wearing thin.

Vic Fangio’s defense has played better since they were run over — literally — by the Bears in Chicago three weeks ago. Ironically, they have allowed the fourth-least amount of points in the league. But they still have some issues with their pass rush and secondary.

Apparently, that’s the least of their worries.

It currently all adds up to a potential disastrous second-half of the season for the Birds, either floating around .500 or sinking below it.

The Optimist View ... If there is any promise ahead, it will be getting Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith back. The Birds’ running game had just 22 yards on 18 carries last week.

The Eagles brass has always been high on McKee, who was subject to trade rumors in the offseason. It will be interesting to see how McKee adjusts to Mannion’s offense.

Also in the Eagles’ favor is their schedule. Carolina is a tough call because they had a bye week and Bryce Young has been throwing the ball well, and the Panthers are averaging 32 points a game.

If they can look respectable with McKee and the backfield of Dameon Pierce and Carson Steele along with a steady defense, they have winnable games ahead against Dallas and Washington, with Arizona and Indianapolis down the road. In between, they have home games with the Giants and the Steelers.

From there, the schedule takes on a bumpier road, possibly with Houston being the only gift on Christmas Eve.

Over the next three weeks, the direction of the season will be evident.

Not In The Nick of Time ... In a recent Times News Sports Facebook poll, the question was posed as to who is to blame for the Eagles’ slow start: Sirianni, Hurts, Mannion or Fangio.

Well, an overwhelming 80 percent cited Sirianni as the main culprit. Hurts drew 15 percent, and Mannion got five percent. Fangio was faultless.

Readers Write

London Wasn’t Calling

Dear Jeff,

I thought the loss to the Jaguars was due to a combination of factors including injuries, lack of second-half offense, and of course coaching.

Everyone is focused on the kickoff decision at the end of the game (which was terrible), but it never should have come to that. They had the ball with a 1st down at the 34-yard line with 25 seconds left, and the Jaguars had one timeout.

Instead of running the ball and forcing them to use that time out, they decided to throw on first and second down. First down was an incompletion, and second down was a tackle out of bounds, which left 12 seconds. Had they run on first or second down, they could have forced them to burn the timeout, run the clock down to one second after third down, kicked the field goal and the game would have been over. Poor clock management for sure, and something that needs to be addressed if they are going to salvage this season.

Ben Thomas

Bethlehem, PA

Calling Mr. McKee, Mr. McKee ... McKee was once held in high regard, but his shine was tarnished this offseason for whatever season. He will make his third NFL start, the first meaningful one Sunday. His other two were meaningless, last-game ones where his stats (48-of-81, three touchdowns, one interception) were overrated. He has played in six games overall.

In his first two seasons, his preseason stats often sparked a debate on whether there should be a quarterback battle. Now, McKee is in the saddle all alone, likely for a few weeks and with the season already on the line.

Still, McKee may be able to find some magic with Dallas Goedert, Darius Cooper and Dontayvion Wicks (if he’s healthy).

GM Howie Roseman will work the phones for some veteran help as a backup.

In This Corner ... Heading into Week Six, San Francisco, Kansas City and Minnesota remain the lone undefeated teams with the Chiefs a mild surprise, and the Vikings a major one.

The 49ers are probably the best team in the league, and the Chiefs appear to have regained their swagger. San Francisco has repeatedly shown they can play through injuries and still manage to get to the postseason (see Eagles playoff loss last year).

Patrick Mahomes is dancing, prancing and firing on all cylinders all over the field. We may be headed for another Mahomes-Josh Allen championship game showdown.

Kyler Murray is flourishing in Minnesota under Kevin McConnell’s guidance, and Brian Flores has a blitzkrieg of a defense. He should get another look as a head coach.

Still Worth The Watch ... These teams are worth a few minutes: Steelers (Aaron Rodgers), Raiders (when Fernando Mendoza plays), Giants (John Harbaugh), Jaguars (Trevor Lawrence and the defense), Bills (Allen) and the Rams (when they start clicking).

Seeing Plenty of Green ... Will Notre Dame be No. 1 this season? The Irish (5-0) climbed to No. 2 this week in the poll, and Georgia earned the top spot with its win over Alabama.

Notre Dame can control its destiny with a win at No. 8 BYU (5-0) Saturday (ABC, 7:30 p.m.) and then a victory at home over No. 3 Miami Nov. 7 (NBC, 7:30). That may draw as much hype as the old “Catholics vs. Convicts” games back to the Jimmy Johnson days.

However, if Notre Dame finishes in the Top 12 of the final College Football Playoff selection committee rankings, they are guaranteed a spot in the field.

Scrapbook ... In each column, I will reminisce about a former standout from the area.

Brayden Knoblauch helped lead Tamaqua to its first-ever District 11 championship in 2019, as the Blue Raiders won the Class 3A title with a 20-0 victory over North Schuylkill.

Knoblauch is the school’s record holder in passing yards with 4,609, and passing touchdowns with 42. He also holds the season record in passing yards with 2,121, completions with 138, and 18 touchdowns. Knoblauch also was named to the Class 3A state football team his senior year.

He continued his career at Susquehanna University, where he played briefly. He recorded 268 yards passing with four touchdowns and two interceptions, and also rushed for 64 yards.

Eagle Eye ... This is a tough call this week, and a lot depends upon who shows up. It’s really a must-win for the Eagles, and see if they can respond. Somehow, McKee, the defense, and Jake Elliott produce some magic ... Eagles, 20-18.

(Memo Two to Giants’ Fans: Still save money for the playoffs.)

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