Philadelphia Eagles: Ranking the top 5 seasons of the Super Bowl era
By Carl Naimoli
1. 2017
No shocker here, at the No. 1 spot in the countdown. 2017 became the year that all Eagles fans had been waiting for since 1960. This version of the Eagles was led by second-year coach and former Eagles player, Doug Pederson. Along with him was the second-year quarterback, Carson Wentz. The Eagles had high hopes for 2017 after a 7-9 record the year before and showing consistent progress.
The offense was led by the aforementioned Wentz. He had many weapons to choose from thanks to the Eagles big offseason. They were able to acquire LeGarrette Blount at running back, along with adding Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith at receiver. And with Zach Ertz at tight end, they had one of the most formidable offenses in the league.
On defense, the Eagles had arguably the best line in all of football with Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and Timmy Jernigan, among others. The linebacker group was solid with Jordan Hicks and Nigel Bradham. Causing some havoc in the secondary was veteran and team leader Malcolm Jenkins.
After a 1-1 start, the Eagles hit the gas pedal. They reeled off nine wins in a row, including five-straight wins by double digits. At 10-1, the Eagles were flying high, but it was in Week 14 against the Rams where the team hit some big turbulence.
An MVP candidate at the time, Wentz had to leave the game with an ACL and LCL injury that kept him out the rest of the season. The Eagles were still able to win the game behind the arm of backup quarterback Nick Foles to clinch the NFC East title. Although they were able to clinch a playoff spot, the hopes of reaching the ultimate goal seemed dismal.
Foles was able to guide the Eagles to a 2-1 record in the final three games, even though he had less than convincing performances against Oakland and Dallas. With home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, the Eagles were shockingly an underdog in their Divisional Round matchup against Atlanta.
After a sluggish first half, Foles and the offense were able to get things moving just enough to pull off a 15-10 victory. They did get a lot of help from the defense as the game ended with Julio Jones of the Falcons unable to bring down a pass in the end zone that would have ended the Eagles season early.
The NFC Championship Game the next week was the Nick Foles Show. Foles was able to quiet all the doubters by throwing for 352 yards and three touchdowns in the 38-7 rout of the Minnesota Vikings.
Up next in Super Bowl LII were the New England Patriots and the duo of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady yet again. This game was a shootout from the start. The key play of the first half being a touchdown reception by Foles, deemed the “Philly Special.” That play would give the Eagles a 22-12 lead going into halftime.
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In the second half the Eagles didn’t do much to stop Tom Brady until they absolutely had to. Leading 38-33 in the final minutes of the game, Graham was able to strip Tom Brady of the ball and it fortuitously bounced into the hands of Eagles rookie Derek Barnett. With another field goal to make the score 41-33 and a missed Hail Mary attempt by the Patriots, it was the Eagles’ time to be champions.
The 58 years between championships and the first Super Bowl in franchise history makes the 2017 season an easy choice as the greatest season in Philadelphia Eagles history!