EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- On a day when their receivers dropped a half-dozen passes, by unofficial count, the Philadelphia Eagles probably bobbled an even more significant catch.

By virtue of Saturday's 10-7 overtime loss, a defeat that dropped the Eagles to 12-4, the club most likely allowed the all-important home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs to slip through its fingers. If the Green Bay Packers defeat the New York Jets here late Sunday afternoon, then they will own the home-field edge, and a leg up on a Super Bowl berth by getting to play its games at Lambeau Field.

	“	It's a hard pill to swallow. You don't want it to (detract) from all the other good things we've done this season. But, yeah, it hurts. We had our destiny in our own hands and we bungled it. ”
		— A.J. Feeley

"It's a hard pill to swallow," acknowledged quarterback A.J. Feeley, who was not as sharp as in his previous four starts, but who also got little help from his butterfingered teammates. "You don't want it to (detract) from all the other good things we've done this season. But, yeah, it hurts. We had our destiny in our own hands and we bungled it."

There is still a chance, with a Packers loss, that the Eagles will regain the chance to play all their postseason contests at Veterans Stadium. The aging and crumbling edifice will soon be demolished and Philadelphia wanted to do something special before the facility gave way to the wrecking ball.

Now the Eagles will have to rely on outside help from the Jets, who will know by the 4:15 p.m. kickoff if their own playoff aspirations are alive, and whose performance might reflect their postseason status at that time.

Despite allowing the New York Giants offense 461 yards, including tailback Tiki Barber's 203 rushing yards, Philadelphia successfully defended its end zone until midway through the final quarter. Most days, allowing 10 points would be enough to win, but the Eagles generated little offense of their own and the attack went into hibernation after its initial possession of the day.

In addition to the aforementioned dropped passes, the Eagles lost a critical third-down conversion when wide receiver Antonio Freeman was flagged for an illegal "pick" in the third quarter, they didn't protect Feeley nearly as well as in recent weeks, and they could not muster any semblance of a running game.

Tailback Duce Staley, who has become the offensive centerpiece in lieu of the injured Donovan McNabb, carried 17 times for a microscopic 28 yards. Philadelphia had just one rush of more than nine yards and that came on a 20-yard reverse for a touchdown by wide receiver James Trash, a play that culminated the game-opening 67-yard scoring march.

"No rhythm, none at all, and that isn't like us," said offensive left tackle Tra Thomas. "We had some chances and didn't take advantage of them. Maybe things just came too easily for us on that first series. I mean, we went right through (the New York defense) like it wasn't even there."

But after registering 67 yards and three first downs on the opening series, the Eagles never gained more than 29 yards or posted more than one first down on any of its subsequent 11 offensive series. In fact, of the 11 series, Philadelphia was held to fewer than 20 yards on eight occasions. And the Eagles failed to make even one first down on five of those drives.

The most glaring failure, however, was a missed 35-yard field goal by Pro Bowl kicker David Akers with 1:12 remaining in regulation. During the course of his brilliant four-year career, Akers has missed just one attempt shorter than Saturday's 35-yard try. He entered Saturday's game having converted 30 of 33 field goals and his previous three misses were from 39, 48 and 50 yards.

Akers injured his left shoulder making a tackle on a first-quarter kickoff, and when he came off the field the fear was he had dislocated the shoulder. Team doctors determined, though, the injury was a "stinger," essentially a pinched nerve, and teammates claimed Akers told them the injury did not play a part in his botched kick.

Obviously distraught, and staring at the floor, Akers declined to answer most of the questions directed at him. Finally, he sighed at the legion of inquisitors surrounding his locker stall and noted: "I've got one word to say to you. I missed."

Reminded that "I missed" was actually two words, Akers shrugged, then turned his gaze again at the floor.

There was, to be sure, plenty of that going on in the Eagles' locker room.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.