January 22, 2023
For the first time in five years, the Eagles have won a home playoff game, as the raucous crowd at Lincoln Financial Field watched the Eagles destroy the New York Giants 38-7. Coming on the five-year anniversary of their previous 38-7 onslaught against the Vikings, it's quite fitting.
Seeing the Birds get out to that 28-0 first half lead, I was left wondering where this game would rank among the best home playoff wins in team history.
I'm going Super Bowl-era only here, leaving off the Birds' 1948 and 1960 Championships that were won at Shibe Park and Franklin Field, respectively.
Recency bias? Probably, but this city is electric right now with the Birds on the way to the NFC Championship Game, so let's have some fun.
In the first playoff game of the Andy Reid/Donovan McNabb era, the Birds has a strong showing with No. 5 throwing two TDs.
The Eagles would go on to beat Tampa Bay in the Wild Card round again in 2001.
I couldn't find any info online about whether the Birds played the Bucs in the 2002 playoffs. Weird!
A first quarter Bobby Taylor 39-yard pick-6 gave the Eagles a lead they would never relinquish.
It was the last Eagles win at Veterans Stadium.
If Freddie Mitchell scores two touchdowns against you in a playoff game, your franchise should be forced to move to London.
Perhaps if the Vikings did that, they would not have to suffer the colossal embarrassment that would befall them 13 years later.
An errant pass that went off the knee of Falcons safety Keanu Neal into the hands of wideout Torrey Smith for a 20-yard gain led to a field goal before halftime for the Birds that made it a 10-9 game. It was the turning point of that whole playoff run.
This game is more important than some that come after on this list because the Eagles, of course, went on to win the whole damn thing, but it was a pretty ugly, brutal game to view.
Fireworks. Absolute fireworks. Rodney Pete took over as the Eagles' starter in Week 5 and led the Birds to a playoff berth in Ray Rhodes' first year as head coach. Pete threw for three TDs and posted the highest single-game passer rating in Eagles postseason history (143.1).
The Eagles led 38-7 (!!!) at halftime and 51-7 in the third quarter.
A quick note: this was the Eagles' last win in their kelly green uniforms. They'd lose to Dallas the following week and then make the switch to midnight green in 1996.
The Lions haven't won a playoff game since 1991. Oof.
This was the first playoff game for a new era of Eagles football. One win away from the fourth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, the Eagles demolished a bitter division rival who were getting way too much hype this week. The fans were alive. It was a perfect night of football in South Philadelphia.
It'll be forever known for the miraculous 4th and 26 conversion, but I always think of Brett Favre's duck of an interception in overtime that fell into Brian Dawkins arms like it was a punt return.
Hey, they finally won the NFC in the 21st century!
The Andy/McNabb Eagles finally get over the hump and make the Super Bowl.
Don't ask me what happened in Jacksonville two weeks later.
Wilbert Montgomery's iconic touchdown run set the Birds on the path to their first Super Bowl berth, even more sweet because they beat "America's Team" while doing it.
I just wrote 1,000-plus words about this entire game. Read that.
A beatdown of the highest proportions!
Perhaps I'll be do an updated list after the NFC Championship Game next Sunday...
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