What a season it has been for Eagles fans. Coming into the start of the 2017-18 season, hardly anyone, including Eagles fans, believed that this team was ready to make this much noise this soon. Yes, there were some good pickups in free agency, but the defense was still regarded as highly suspect in the secondary, and Carson Wentz was entering his second season in the NFL. For most people, a 9-7, or 10-6 record with a potential playoff appearance would have been seen as a successful season.
What a difference four months makes. The Eagles hit the ground running, and never really lost momentum. They overcame injuries at almost every key position, including quarterback, and now find themselves just one win away from their first Super Bowl title. They've been looked down on all season by national pundits and "experts," and even now, no one outside of Philadelphia is giving the Eagles much of a chance to beat the Patriots. Before the teams take the field, let's look back at some of the best moments of this season for the Philadelphia Eagles.
It's common knowledge throughout the NFL that Eagles fans travel well, but this year, they took that to a whole new level. In two trips to Los Angeles, and one to North Jersey, the Eagles found themselves surrounded by more of their own fans in an opposing stadium than the fans of their opponents. Sure, two of the games were against the then 0-3 Chargers and the hopeless Giants, but the fact still remains that the Eagles essentially played three additional home games based on the fan support that was waiting for them in those stadiums.
Eagles fans were so loud, that in all three instances, the Chargers, Rams and Giants all had to run plays during the game with a silent snap count, which is something that a home team rarely has to do under normal circumstances. The Giants even had a crucial false start penalty called against them on their final possession which was caused by the noise of Eagles fans. While Eagles fans do carry a bad reputation around with them at times, it truly was amazing to see how well they traveled this year, and it really made this season seem even more special.
9. The Eagles Crush Dallas on Jerry Jones Appreciation Night (Week 11)
Coming into Week 11 of the season, the Eagles and Cowboys squared off with Dallas' chance at the NFC East basically on the line. The Eagles entered the game with an 8-1 record, while the Cowboys were sitting at 5-4 and were in the midst of the Ezekiel Elliot suspension. If Dallas were to beat the Eagles on Sunday Night Football, they would move to within two games of the Eagles in the NFC East standings, while a loss would drop them back at .500 and place the Eagles firmly in the pole position for their first division title since the 2013-14 season.
The Eagles looked sluggish in the first half of the game. Carson Wentz was not sharp at all, and while the defense was handling Dak Prescott and the Dallas offense, Doug Pederson's play calling was leaving a lot to be desired. Dallas even took a 9-7 lead into the half. The halftime show was typical Dallas, as Jerry Jones held a halftime celebration honoring the Hall of Fame induction of...Jerry Jones.
Following the love fest, the Eagles came back onto the field and looked like a completely different team. Wentz led the offense on two scoring drives in the third quarter, including a drive that was bolstered by a 71 yard run from the newly acquired Jay Ajayi. By the time Dallas knew what was going on, the Eagles had scored four touchdowns in the second half, and were on their way to a commanding 37-9 victory. The defense continued its domination over the Dallas offense by forcing Dak Prescott into three interceptions and a lost fumble, while the pass rush sacked Prescott four times as well. What made the second half even more enjoyable was the fact that the Eagles had to go for a two point conversion after every touchdown. Jake Elliot was lost for the game in the first half with a concussion, and special teams linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill was handling kickoff duties. Grugier-Hill did an outstanding job, not just for a linebacker playing emergency kicker, but for a kicker in general, as he knocked one ball into the end zone for a touchback.
All in all, this game helped validate the Eagles season even more, and the fact that it came at the expense of Jerry Jones on his celebratory night was just icing on the cake.
8. Nick Foles Makes his First Start (Week 15)
When Carson Wentz went down in Week 14 against the Rams, it cast a shadow over this season. Sure, the Eagles had already clinched the NFC East, but now the offense was in the hands of Nick Foles, who hadn't started a game in Philadelphia since the 2014-15 season. Foles had come back to the Eagles as a free agent signing in the offseason, but he had only played a handful of snaps in the regular season, and it was always in a mop up role. Now, the keys were in his hands, and no one was sure what to expect going into Philadelphia's Week 15 game against the Giants.
Things did not start out that well for the Eagles that day. Yes, Foles drove the team down the field on their first possession for a touchdown, but the Eagles found themselves down 20-7 very early in the second quarter. It was up to Foles to get the offense going and get the Eagles back into the game, and he did just that. Nick and the offense took advantage of an interception from Ronald Darby and a blocked punt to score two quick touchdowns, and despite a late New York field goal, what once was a 13 point lead was now just two at the half.
Foles kept the positive momentum moving in the second half, as he led the Eagles on back to back scoring drives to give them a 31-23 lead late in the third quarter. After a New York touchdown cut the lead to two points, Foles guided the offense on a 14 play drive that took eight minutes of the fourth quarter off the clock. Foles converted three third downs on the drive, including two third and long situations, and Jake Elliot nailed a short field goal to give the Eagles a five point advantage. The Philadelphia defense, which had struggled throughout the day, put together one final stop against Eli Manning and the New York offense, and the Eagles survived their first test without Carson Wentz.
Nick Foles had an excellent day in his first start of the season, completing 24 of 38 passes for 237 yards and four touchdowns. For at least one day, the fears of seeing Foles at quarterback for the rest of the season were muted.
7. The Eagles Make Their Prime Time Debut (Week 6)
The Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles both experienced turn around seasons in 2017, and when they faced off in Week 6 of the regular season, expectations were high on both sides. The Panthers were coming off of back to back road wins against the Patriots and Lions, while the Eagles had demolished the Arizona Cardinals 34-7 the week before. Cam Newton was looking more like the MVP of two years ago, and while Carson Wentz certainly looked much improved upon his rookie season, very few thought that the second year quarterback was going to be able to lead the Eagles to a win in Carolina on a Thursday night. Add into the mix that Lane Johnson, Philadelphia's All Pro right tackle, was ruled out with a concussion, and the doubters were piling on the 4-1 Eagles heading into their first prime time game of the season.
The game was expected to be a bit of a defensive struggle, and it was at the beginning. The Eagles and Panthers traded field goals in the first quarter before Carolina found the end zone first on a run from Cam Newton. On the next Carolina drive, Newton was intercepted by Rasul Douglas, setting the Eagles up with the ball deep in Carolina territory, and Carson Wentz made the Panthers pay with a one yard touchdown pass to Zach Ertz. The Jake Elliot extra point tied the game at 10, and it stayed that way into the half.
The Philadelphia defense stepped up again on the first drive of the second half, as Newton was intercepted again, this time by Patrick Robinson. Robinson returned the ball to the Carolina 17 yard line, and it took just two plays for Wentz to find Ertz again. A penalty on the extra point by the Panthers convinced Doug Pederson to attempt a two point conversion, and the Eagles found themselves up 18-10. The teams would then exchange field goals before Wentz found Nelson Agholor for a 24 yard touchdown to give Philadelphia a 28-16 lead early in the fourth quarter.
While the defense would allow the Panthers to score and make the game a one possession affair, they didn't allow Cam Newton to get any closer than that. Jalen Mills intercepted Newton for the third time late in the fourth, and the defense stepped up with a tremendous stop on third and one, and then again on fourth and one to win the game. Heading into their matchup with the Panthers, the biggest criticism of the Eagles so far had been that they hadn't beaten a team with a winning record. Coming out of the game against the Panthers, there wasn't a single person that could say that. This game felt like a playoff game, and both teams gave it their all. In the end, the better team won.
6. The Eagles Clinch the NFC East (Week 14)
On their second trip of the season to Los Angeles, the Eagles were playing with the NFC East on the line. With a win against the Rams, the Eagles could clinch their first division title since the 2013-14 season. Los Angeles had embarked on a similar path to the Eagles during the regular season, as their second year quarterback had emerged as a bright star to lead a powerful looking offense with an up and coming defense. The Rams were locked in a battle with Seattle for the NFC West crown, and they could not afford to take a step back, even against a very tough Eagles team.
On more than a few occasions during the regular season, the Eagles had started games slowly on offense. Following an interception and a Los Angeles touchdown, Carson Wentz came out looking like the MVP of the NFL. He guided the Eagles on three straight touchdown drives to put Philadelphia up 21-7 early in the second quarter. The Rams were able to respond with a touchdown drive of their own, and then the two teams traded field goals to give the Eagles a 24-14 lead at halftime.
Though the defense and special teams had played well in the first half, it didn't take long for cracks to appear in both during the third quarter. Jared Goff moved the Rams down the field on their opening third quarter possession for a touchdown, and four plays later, Los Angeles took the lead thanks to a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown. Down for the first time since early in the game, Carson Wentz led the Eagles on a 15 play, 75 yard drive that would turn out to be his last of the season.
On first and goal from the two yard line, Wentz scrambled out of the pocket and ran for what would have been a touchdown, if not for a holding penalty on Lane Johnson. He was hit hard by two Rams as he dove across the goal line, but on the step before, his leg buckled slightly. On that step, Wentz tore his ACL. Despite the injury, Carson stayed in the game, and completed his last pass of the season to Alshon Jeffery for his 33rd touchdown of the year to set a new Eagles franchise record. Unfortunately for the Eagles, Wentz could not continue, and Nick Foles was slated to enter the game. To make matters worse, the defense put up little resistance against the Rams, and Todd Gurley scored on a one yard touchdown run to put Los Angeles back on top.
Enter Nick Foles. Foles did enough, as he got the Eagles into Jake Elliot field goal range on his first drive. On the ensuing Los Angeles possession, Chris Long stripped Jared Goff, and the Eagles recovered. Elliot kicked another field goal to put the Eagles on top, 37-35. After a Los Angeles punt, Foles was trying to run out the clock, but he and the offense faced a third down and eight with just under two minutes to go. Nick threw a very good pass to Nelson Agholor, who made an outstanding catch, and the Eagles were able to run the clock down to just seven seconds before having to punt the ball back to the Rams. Los Angeles's attempt at a miracle play resulted in a Philadelphia touchdown, and the Eagles were NFC East champions.
Though Carson was lost for the season during the game, the resilience of Nick Foles and the defense showed that the Eagles were still on the right path, and with the division in hand, anything was possible.
5. The Eagles Open the Season With a Win (Week 1)
Coming into the first week of the 2017 season, the Eagles hadn't beaten Washington since Week three of the 2014 season. Since that game, Washington had beaten the Eagles five straight times, and Eagles fans knew that if this season was going to be different than 2016, the first step was to take care of business on the road against their divisional rivals.
Carson Wentz came out firing on the first drive of the season. He needed only three plays to make his first highlight reel moment, as he weaved in and out of pressure from Washington defenders before finding Nelson Agholor for a 58 yard touchdown pass. After the teams traded fumbles and a punt by Washington, Wentz got to work again, thanks in part to a muffed punt by Jamison Crowder. With a second chance on the drive, the Eagles found the end zone again on a one yard touchdown catch by LeGarrette Blount. Washington was able to take the lead on an interception return for a touchdown by Ryan Kerrigan and a Kirk Cousins 29 yard touchdown to Chris Thompson, but Caleb Sturgis gave the Eagles a 16-14 halftime lead with a 50 yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter.
The Eagles found points on the opening drive of the third quarter, when Wentz led the team on a ten play drive that included a key third down conversion to Torrey Smith. Caleb Sturgis' second field goal of the game put the Eagles up 19-14, but Kirk Cousins led Washington into field goal range to cut the lead to 19-17, and it appeared as if Washington would take their first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter. A personal foul penalty on a punt return gave Washington excellent field position, and they soon found themselves deep in Philadelphia territory. Jalen Mills made his first big play of the season on the drive, as he was able to intercept a Kirk Cousins pass in the end zone to end the drive and give the ball back to the Eagles.
Though the ensuing drive didn't result in points, the Eagles were able to keep Washington from taking the lead, and after the two teams traded punts, Carson Wentz moved the Eagles into field goal range for Caleb Sturgis yet again. His 37 yard field goal gave the Eagles a six point lead with just two minutes to play. On the next Washington play, the defense stepped up yet again, and showed the ability to rush the passer that ended up becoming a staple for them all season long. Brandon Graham was able to sack Kirk Cousins and knock the ball loose. Fletcher Cox grabbed the loose football and ran it back 20 yards for a touchdown and the final points of the game. Washington was unable to fight back after the turnover, and the Eagles had their first win of the season by a margin of 30-17.
At that moment, you could tell that this team was going to be better than the 2016 Eagles. Last year's Eagles team would have found a way to lose that first game of the year. Maybe Jalen Mills doesn't intercept that pass, or maybe Nelson Agholor drops that first touchdown of the season. Instead, the team stepped up and turned the little differences into big plays, and a winning attitude was born.
4. Carson Wentz Makes a Great Escape Against Washington (Week 7)
Carson Wentz had a lot of incredible moments throughout the 2017 regular season. If he didn't get hurt against the Rams, he likely would have finished with over 40 touchdown passes on the season and been the easy choice for NFL MVP. Despite all of that, there was one moment of his that stood out above the rest on an individual level, and it came in Week 7, on Monday Night Football, during the rematch against Washington.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Eagles were up, 24-17 against Washington, but had faced their share of adversity throughout the game. Linebacker Jordan Hicks was lost for the season with a ruptured Achilles in the first half, and early in the third quarter, Jason Peters, the Eagles' All Pro left tackle, was lost for the season with a torn ACL. With backups in at both positions, the Eagles had the lead, but faced a third and eight deep in their own territory. Washington brought a blitz, and got to Wentz quickly. It looked like a sure thing that Carson was going to be sacked and that Washington was going to get the football back with excellent field position.
Instead, Carson Wentz made magic happen. Somehow, Wentz kept his forward momentum, despite having Washington defenders surrounding him. He managed to get free of the initial pass rush, and found himself free to run in the middle of the field. By the time he was brought down, he had picked up 17 yards, a first down, and had brought the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field to their feet. Six plays later, Wentz finished the drive with a ten yard touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor, and the Eagles never looked back. Carson finished the game with 268 passing yards, 63 rushing yards and four passing touchdowns as the Eagles won, 34-17. The win gave the Eagles their fifth in a row, and a lot of fans point to that moment where Wentz was able to escape a sure sack as the moment when they knew that this season could really be something special.
3. Jake Elliot Kicks a 61 Yard Field Goal (Week 3)
Be honest: heading into the third week of the season, you didn't think Jake Elliot was going to be on the Eagles for very long. After all, he had a rough first game in a loss against the Chiefs the week before, and after he missed a 52 yard field goal midway through the third quarter of a Week Three matchup against the Giants, the curtain looked to be closing on the young rookie's time in Philadelphia. While he appeared to have a strong leg, his accuracy through the first week and a half of his NFL career had left a lot to be desired, and with the Eagles suddenly locked in a fight with a desperate Giants team, a shaky kicker was the last thing that they needed.
Despite being down 14-0 heading into the fourth quarter, the Giants fought back against the Eagles, because they knew that an 0-3 start would doom their season. New York scored on three straight possessions to take a 21-14 lead, and held a 24-21 lead with under a minute to play in the game. Jake Elliot was brought out to kick a 46 yard field goal, and luckily for him, the kick was true and tied the game at 24. Just about everyone believed that the game would be heading to overtime, but the Giants committed three glaring errors on their next possession.
The first was an illegal shift penalty on second and three by Ereck Flowers. The shift forced the Giants to use a timeout, so that they could avoid a ten second runoff of the game clock. Following a holding penalty on Flowers that pushed the Giants into a second down and 18 situation, Eli Manning completed a three yard pass to Shane Vereen. Vereen committed the second error decided to run out of bounds to stop the clock, which allowed the Eagles to save a timeout. Evan Engram was able to pickup 14 yards on third down, but he was stopped just short of the line to gain, and the Eagles were able to use that saved timeout to stop the clock and force the Giants to punt. The final mistake came on the punt by Brad Wing, which was a short, angled punt that traveled only 28 yards to the Philadelphia 38 yard line.
With 13 seconds remaining, Carson Wentz was able to take two shots at getting into field goal range. His first pass fell incomplete, leaving just seven seconds on the clock. His next pass was a perfectly thrown deep out route to Alshon Jeffery for 19 yards. Jeffery was able to get out of bounds with just one second on the clock, but the ball was at the New York 44 yard line. A field goal from there would be 61 yards, and Doug Pederson elected to send Elliot out to try and kick the game winner. With Odell Beckham Jr. standing in the end zone, just waiting to run a miss back, Elliot stepped into the kick.
Come on now, you guys know the rest. The kick was good, the Eagles won, and at that moment, Jake Elliot became a folk hero in Philadelphia sports history. The 61 yard kick was the longest in Eagles history, and pushed the Eagles to a 27-24 win over the Giants. Since that kick, Elliot has been extremely accurate in long range situations, and while his short game needs a little work, if the Super Bowl comes down to a 45 yard field goal or longer, there aren't many better out there than Jake.
2. The Eagles Beat the Falcons (NFC Divisional Round)
The Eagles win against the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs was not a pretty win. That's not a problem though; not every win has to look good, especially in the playoffs, where you just have to win and advance. Had the Eagles not been playing in the game, it's likely that a lot of people in Philadelphia would have turned the game off. That's how ugly it was to watch at times. What might get lost in looking at the game in that way, however, is a dominant showing by the Philadelphia defense against the reigning NFC Champions and the 2016 NFL MVP.
It had been four years since the Eagles had played in a playoff game, and nine years since they had won a game in the playoffs. Very few people gave Philadelphia a chance against the Falcons, despite the fact that Atlanta was playing their second straight road game and the Eagles had the bye week to prepare. What people were focused on was that Nick Foles was starting at quarterback instead of Carson Wentz, and according to them, that made all the difference.
While Nick Foles didn't have the most impressive looking game from a touchdown perspective, he managed the game extremely well, completing 23 of 30 passes for 246 yards. More importantly, he didn't turn the ball over once, and even dove on a fumble at the two yard line to preserve a drive in the second quarter. On the next play, LeGarrette Blount scored the only touchdown of the day for the Eagles, and there's no guarantee that happens if Foles doesn't jump on that fumble. On three other drives, Foles was able to get the Eagles into field goal range, and Jake Elliot did the rest. Despite a missed extra point following the Blount touchdown, Elliot was perfect on field goal attempts during the game, and those three kicks were a big reason why the Eagles were able to win.
Another, even bigger reason for the success of the Eagles and the rise of the underdog masks was the defense. The Falcons weren't the same on offense as they were during their Super Bowl season last year, but they were still a powerful offensive team, as they showed the previous week against the Rams. The Eagles harassed Matt Ryan all night long, and while he didn't turn the ball over, he was under pressure for almost the entire game. Devonta Freeman had just seven yards on 10 carries, and while Julio Jones got his catches and yards, the rest of the Atlanta offense was held in check. In fact, the Eagles shutout the Falcons in the second half, but that, and the win, almost didn't happen.
With six minutes to go in the game, Matt Ryan seemingly turned back into the Matt Ryan from last season. A fourth down and six conversion to Julio Jones gave the Falcons the ball at the Philadelphia 38 with just three minutes to go, and everyone could feel what was coming. Four plays later, Atlanta had the ball at the nine yard line with 1:19 to go, and you could see Julio Jones catching the game winning touchdown pass and ending the season for the Eagles.
Then, it didn't happen. Matt Ryan's first pass to Jones was incomplete in the end zone. On second down, the Falcons attempted to run a shovel pass, which looked awkward and resulted in a second straight incomplete pass. A third down slant to Julio Jones pushed Atlanta to the two yard line, and everyone knew that the ball was going back in Julio's direction on fourth down. Sure enough, it did. The only problem was the Jones fell down running his route, and by the time he was able to get back up, Matt Ryan was on the run. His prayer to Jones missed by just inches, and after one more Philadelphia first down, the Eagles were able to run out the clock and head to their first NFC Championship game since the 2008-09 season.
It bears repeating that this game was not a pretty win, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that the Eagles, on the strength of their defense and the game management skills of Nick Foles, had won.
1. The Eagles Win the NFC Championship (NFC Championship Game)
While the win against the Falcons the week before was ugly, the game against the Vikings in the NFC Championship was the exact opposite. Just as they had the week before, most national pundits and experts picked against the Eagles at home. For the second week in a row, the Eagles were underdogs in their home stadium in the playoffs, but this week, it didn't take nearly as long for everyone to know what the result of this game was going to be.
Minnesota did get off to a fast start, scoring on their opening possession and stopping the Eagles on a three and out when Nick Foles got the ball for the first time. On the next Minnesota possession, the Eagles defense stepped up and changed the entire momentum of the game. On third down and eight from midfield, Chris Long was able to pressure Case Keenum. Keenum's pass was off target and intercepted by Patrick Robinson, who returned the turnover 50 yards for the tying touchdown. After a three and out by the Vikings, the Eagles got to work on offense, as Nick Foles began to carve up the Minnesota defense before LeGarrette Blount finished the 12 play, 75 yard drive with a punishing 11 yard touchdown run.
The Vikings had one last chance to make the game close again later in the second quarter, but Derek Barnett came up with the play of his rookie season when he strip-sacked Keenum at the Philadelphia 24 yard line. Chris Long recovered the loose football, and Nick Foles went to work again. On a third down and ten from his own 47 yard line, Foles managed to find Alshon Jeffery wide open in the Minnesota secondary, and he threw a perfect pass for a 53 yard touchdown that put the Eagles up 21-7. Following another Minnesota punt, Doug Pederson elected not to just run out the clock, and the decision proved to be a good one as Zach Ertz broke free for a 36 yard gain that allowed Jake Elliot to kick a field goal as time expired in the first half.
The second half was more of the same, only with a lot of smiles in the stands and from fans watching the game all around the world. When the first Philadelphia drive of the third quarter ended on a 41 yard flea-flicker touchdown from Foles to Torrey Smith, the result of the game was no longer in doubt. For the next 25 minutes of game time, everyone knew that the Eagles were going to the Super Bowl. Alshon Jeffery's second touchdown of the game, and Corey Graham's interception were just cherries on top of one of the best games that the Eagles had played all year long. Nick Foles had the game of his life, completing 26 of 33 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns. The running back trio of Jay Ajayi, LeGarrette Blount and Corey Clement finished with 114 combined rushing yards on 26 carries, and the defense shut down the Minnesota offense after their first drive of the game.
The Eagles won, 38-7, and are now playing the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
While this moment is clearly the best one this season (so far), there is no way that this could have happened without all of the other moments that came before it. In all honesty, this list probably could have been expanded to 20 moments, but that would have diluted things. Instead, those were the Top 10 Moments from the Philadelphia Eagles season so far. Hopefully, there will be at least one more moment to add to this list, and it will be taking it's rightful place at the top.
Fly Eagles Fly.
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