For Philly sports fans, welcome to the winter of our discontent.

At first, we smiled as the Vikings dismantled the Cowboys on Sunday. Then our frown turned upside down when we realized that what the game really underscored is just how far the gap has become between the Eagles and the NFL’s elite.

The Cowboys manhandled the Eagles on two successive weekends. In the process they became the so-called “hot” team in the NFL, and the darlings of the national media. Owner Jerry Jones and quarterback Tony Romo talked of how Dallas had finally exorcised the December and playoff demons that had haunted them for more than a decade. The Cowboys kicked the Eagles to the curb, and were now ready to reclaim their status among the NFL’s best.

Uh, not exactly.

But if Sunday’s game vs. the Vikings was humbling for the ‘Boys, it also should serve as an eye opener for Eagles fans. Just how big is the gulf that separates the Birds from the Vikings and the Saints, who will meet Sunday in the NFC title game? You might remember the Eagles crossed paths with the Saints in Week 2 of the NFL season and got blown out.

The thought was that Andy Reid and the rest of the self-proclaimed “Gold Standard” down at the Nova Care Center would have to devise a way to make the Eagles competitive with the Cowboys next year. They still do, if they expect to win the NFC East. But the Eagles now must come to the realization they’ve fallen behind the real powers in the NFC as well.

Of course, we can always turn to winter sports to ease our pain. Take the Sixers. Please.

All they did Monday was suffer what likely was their worst defeat of the season, blowing a double-digit lead in falling to maybe the worse team in the league, outside of themselves, of course.

The Flyers? They’re trying to figure out why the guy visiting tonight as the coach of the Columbus Bluejackets is still not standing behind their bench. And their captain is at war with the media.

How many days until spring training?