Philadelphia ? At least the Buffalo Bills made it to the Super Bowl before falling apart.

The Philadelphia Eagles can’t even get that far, and now they are facing some serious roster revamping after losing their third straight NFC championship game, 14-3, to the Carolina Panthers.

In the recent history of the NFL, the Bills are looked upon as successful losers. Sure, they didn’t win a Super Bowl, but making it there four consecutive times is unprecedented. So is losing four straight.

In the current climate of parity, free agency and impatience, it’s unlikely another team will make it to four Super Bowls in a row.

It’s just as unlikely the Eagles, as presently constituted, will be back next January for a fourth successive shot at their first Super Bowl appearance since 1981.

“We’re just trying to find a way to get over that hump,” cornerback Troy Vincent said Monday. “I’d like to believe we’ll have another opportunity in the future.”

Vincent is one of four free agents who will be coveted in the offseason. Fellow cornerback Bobby Taylor, running back Duce Staley and linebacker Carlos Emmons are the others.

Oddly, they represent areas of strength for the Eagles; those players are replaced more easily than others. Where they clearly need to improve is at wide receiver and on the defensive line.

That is one of the major differences between these Eagles and the 1990-93 Bills. This team has very few playmakers and certainly nobody to rival Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, James Lofton, Bruce Smith, Cornelius Bennett or even Steve Tasker, the wonderful special-teamer.

Putting Donovan McNabb in Hall of Famer Jim Kelly’s class is a stretch right now. So is regarding Andy Reid as anywhere close to Marv Levy as a coach.

So for the time being, the Eagles remain saddled with the stigma of being aggressive, tough-minded, rugged players who aren’t resourceful enough to be champions.

A lone Philadelphia fan sits in the stands at Lincoln Financial Field after the Eagles' 14-3 loss in the NFC championship game. The Eagles, who lost to Carolina Sunday in Philadelphia, have lost three consecutive NFC title games.

“Of course we would’ve liked to move on the last three years,” said Staley, who admitted Sunday’s game probably was his last with the Eagles. “We played to this point and then didn’t show up. We came out flat once again.”

To their credit, the Eagles fought off an 0-2 start and a debilitating string of injuries on the defensive line and in the secondary to finish 12-4. They won the NFC East again and were the top seed in the conference.

But they were outplayed for much of their 20-17 divisional-round victory over Green Bay, and then came Carolina.

Monday, the Eagles were making no promises to a city that has not cheered any pro sports champion since 1983, and none in football since 1960. Hey, even the Bills won AFL crowns in 1964 and ’65.

“Through the whole season and what we’ve been through and the things we were able to accomplish, and still fall short, it feels worse than worst,” said safety Brian Dawkins, the acknowledged leader of the defense. “The pain you never get over. You just hate it.”