Eagles-Vikings talking points

What we're talking about after the Eagles' 24-14 loss to the Minnesota Vikings:

* Bye bye Birdies. Last night's loss ruined the Eagles' shot at securing a first-round playoff bye. Which means Sunday's game against the Cowboys is meaningless. Which means you're essentially going to be looking at a fifth preseason game.

* What to do with Stew. Eagles middle linebacker Stewart Bradley, who has missed the last two games with a dislocated elbow, should be ready to return either this week or for the first playoff game. Who will be the odd man out when he returns?

* Dimitri's inferno. Cornerback Dimitri Patterson, who gave up three touchdown passes to the Giants last week, had another tough game. He picked up a 46-yard pass interference and an unnecessary-roughness penalty, both on the first drive of the second half. At one point, Sean McDermott replaced him in his base package with Joselio Hanson.

* Vick's injury. Michael Vick suffered a bruised quadriceps on his game-opening 14-yard run. He played the whole game with it, but didn't play well. He had three turnovers, including two fumbles. Don't look for him to play a lot Sunday against Dallas.

* Celek's re-emergence. If you're looking for a bright side, it might be tight end Brent Celek, who had a season-high 10 catches for 97 yards.