A 36-31 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday night that all but eliminated the Eagles from contention for the NFC East title continued a disturbing trend. Philadelphia (5-4) can't win close games.

The Eagles are 1-9 over the last two seasons in games decided by less than a touchdown, including 0-4 this year. They're 12-3 in the other games.

"Each one is a little bit different," coach Andy Reid said Monday. "The bottom line, though, is that you have to win those games and you have to stay aggressive and know that you are going to put the ball in the end zone when you have an opportunity, and we can do a better job there."

In their six playoff seasons since Reid arrived in 1999, the Eagles are 17-13 in games decided by less than a TD. Overall, they're 27-35, including 2-3 in the playoffs.

The loss to the Super Bowl champion Giants (8-1) dropped Philadelphia into a tie with Dallas for last place in the East. The Eagles, 0-3 against division rivals, are among six teams separated by one game for the two wild-card spots. They'll need a strong finish to avoid missing the playoffs for the third time in four seasons.

"This wasn't a downer for this season," safety Brian Dawkins said. "We have to learn from these games because we're probably going to be in another game like this at some point and we're going to have to find a way to pull out these victories.

"I'm talking about a dogfight, grinding game like this was, a physical contest, and we're going to have to find a way deep down to pull out these victories."

The offense's inability to convert short-yardage situations in the fourth quarter has been a factor in three of Philadelphia's losses this season.

Trailing 24-20 against Chicago in Week 4, the Eagles had a second-and-goal at the 1 with 5:03 left. Three straight runs couldn't produce the go-ahead score.

The following week, the Eagles were down 23-14 against Washington with 9:08 left. They had a second-and-1 at the Redskins 2 and had to settle for a field goal. They never got the ball back.

Against the Giants, Brian Westbrook was stuffed on fourth-and-1 near midfield on the final drive.

"When you lose three games by three feet, you have to make sure that you work things out and you get that taken care of, and I have a lot of trust in the players and my staff that we will do that," Reid said.

Players normally take Mondays off, but they came in to watch film, try to learn from their mistakes and prepare for woeful Cincinnati.

The Bengals (1-8) are coming off a bye after earning their first win. At this point, the Eagles can't afford a letdown no matter the opponent.

"We put ourselves in a tight pinch, a very tight pinch," Dawkins said. "Basically, to us right now, every game will be a playoff game. For the other team it might not be, but for us it's going to be playoff intensity because that's where we put ourselves."