NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Philadelphia Eagles: Ranking the top 5 seasons of the Super Bowl era

By Carl Naimoli

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 8: A member of the Philadelphia Eagles staff runs with a flag after a score against the Detroit Lions at Lincoln Financial Field on December 8, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Lions 34-20. (Photo by Rich Schultz /Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 8: A member of the Philadelphia Eagles staff runs with a flag after a score against the Detroit Lions at Lincoln Financial Field on December 8, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Lions 34-20. (Photo by Rich Schultz /Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allspor
Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allspor /

5. 1988

Let’s go back to 1988. The Eagles were wearing those beautiful Kelly Green uniforms. The offense was led by quarterback Randall Cunningham, deemed “The Ultimate Weapon” by Sports Illustrated. Their head coach was Buddy Ryan, the defensive mastermind of the Chicago Bears famed 46 defense. Reggie White, arguably the greatest Defensive Lineman of all-time led the defense. Things were looking good in Philly.

At the start of the 1988 season this Eagles squad had a lot to prove. Buddy Ryan was entering his 3rd season as the team’s head coach. Cunningham was beginning his second full season as the team’s starting quarterback and everyone was expecting him to make the leap into stardom. And the defense was carried by a list of young stars in White, Jerome Brown, Seth Joyner, Eric Allen and Andre Waters, among others. It was finally time for the Eagles to make their mark!

That being said, the Eagles didn’t start off the season as planned. After losing three consecutive games, the Eagles saw themselves sitting at 1-3 through four games. Week 6 saw a bright spot as they were able to beat the division-rival Giants at home on Monday Night Football, but they weren’t able to build on that victory as they were just 4-5 through the first nine games.

Week 10 is where everything turned around. They defeated the Rams, which started a streak of four-straight wins and ended with six wins in their final seven games to finish the season at 10-6. That 10-6 record was good enough for the Eagles to claim their first NFC East title in eight years.

Unfortunately for the Eagles that magical 1988 season was stopped short in the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Chicago Bears in the infamous “Fog Bowl.” The Eagles lost, 20-12, to the Bears in one of the strangest games in NFL history. The fog was so bad at points that the coaches on the sidelines couldn’t even see the plays developing on the field.

That 1988 season appeared to be the beginning of a long stretch of success for the Eagles, but that was the closest the Eagles would get to winning a Super Bowl with Buddy Ryan as he went a combined 0-3 in playoff games as the head coach.

Home/Philadelphia Eagles