Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Eagles coach Andy Reid's worst fears became reality earlier this afternoon. It's not so bad that his team lost to the Saints, it's that they were totally annihilated. The optimists will say that the Eagles will return to normal once Donovan McNabb returns from a rib injury, but there were deeper issues than how Kevin Kolb played.

In fact, Kolb may have been the best player on the field for the Eagles at times. I know the stats will show that he threw three interceptions, but the last two came after the game had already been decided. Kolb and the Eagles needed to lean on what some of us thought was one of the better defenses in the league to have a chance. But that defense allowed Drew Brees to have another huge game with 311 yards and three touchdown passes. Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg fancy themselves as innovative play-callers, but Sean Payton made them both look like dullards on Sunday.

Brees used his three-step drops to unload the ball quickly, and defenders rarely ended up in his face. And the Eagles had too many mistakes to have any chance at getting back in the game. The Ellis Hobbs fumble on a kickoff return was an absolute killer -- but it's not the reason the Eagles lost.

Now the Eagles will try to bounce back against the Chiefs. If Donovan McNabb can't go, Kolb will once again get the start.

At least Reid didn't try to minimize his team's performance after the game. He called it an "absolutely horrendous performance."

The Eagles also lost running back Brian Westbrook to a high ankle sprain. It may be a really, really good thing that the Eagles have an early bye week. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who actually had a pretty nice day, strained his groin.

Pretty awful day for a team that needed to rally around Kolb.