A horror month has Collingwood in free fall down the AFL ladder and captain Scott Pendlebury says they have no one to blame but themselves.
With losses to Western Bulldogs, Hawthorn and Gold Coast in their last four games, the Bombers smelled blood ahead of Sunday's match.
Essendon served it up to a lacklustre Collingwood, winning by 64 points and giving coach Nathan Buckley a couple of unwanted benchmarks.
It was Collingwood's lowest total since a trip to Adelaide's Football Park in 1997, and their worst MCG score in 20 years.
On Monday, Pendlebury was at a loss to explain the result, saying the club's long injury list not a factor.
"Earlier in the year when we were playing good footy it was with the same names," he said.
"If you look at all the good sides, they can cover injuries."
Pendlebury said all the players must share responsibility but suggested his midfield pack needed the most improvement.
"Whenever you have 18-19 blokes that didn't win their position you're coming from a long way back," he said.
"The contested ball and clearances, we're just not getting it done there.
"All over the ground we were beaten yesterday."
The Magpies occupied one of the coveted top four positions as recently as last month, but have seen Geelong, Fremantle, North Melbourne and now Essendon hurdle them after a relapse of Colliwobbles.
Carlton are their sole conquest in five rounds, leading Pendlebury to the conclusion making the top four, earning a finals double chance that comes with it, was unrealistic.
But he insisted the club must play finals if younger players were to improve.
"I reckon one finals game is worth ten regular season games," he said.
"As a 19 and 20 year old I was playing lots of finals and it helped me so much to get used to the pressure."
With a week off ahead owing to the split round, Collingwood next hosts another finals aspirant in Adelaide.
Their challenging fortnight that follows, with back-to-back trips to Port Adelaide and West Coast, could well decide whether the Magpies' next generation gets the finals experience that their skipper craves.
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