January 15, 2024
Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports
It was another brutal night for James Bradberry and a disappointing end of the line for the 2023 Eagles.
A few months ago, when the Phillies fell in Game 7 of the NLCS, I contemplated whether it was better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.
The teams playing pro sports in Philadelphia have put that idiom to the test over the past 12 months, as the Eagles, Phillies and Sixers have all collapsed in epic and dramatic fashion.
The wound is still fresh, but the Eagles have not really played a real football game in two entire months — crumbling in a very public way and leaving many wondering whether a massive overhaul to the city's beloved football team is necessary. It's an idea that was unthinkable back in October.
Are you a glutton for punishment? If so, here's a look at how we rank the trio of painstaking collapses fans have been forcibly subjected to:
The start: Winning the top NL Wild Card, winning 7-straight home playoff games
The collapse: Blowing 2-0 then 3-2 series leads in the NLCS
There may never have been better vibes in South Philly than there were early in the NLCS against the Diamondbacks. The bats were on fire, the Phillies' pitching staff was on point, and the crowd was so loud it felt more like Philadelphia International Airport than a ballpark. Bryce Harper had yet another unforgettable moment versus the Braves a series earlier, and the top teams had dropped like flies from the Dodgers to the Rays to the Astros.
But for some reason, the Phillies everyone came to know and love didn't show up in Phoenix. And never returned to Philly. The offense vanished as Arizona adjusted, and took advantage of the free-swinging Phils' bats. And the players' manager Rob Thomson made some tough but questionable decisions, costing them a sure second trip to a Fall Classic.
The start: 10-1 in the regular season
The collapse: Losing 6 of 7, Wild Card playoff exit
After nearly winning a Super Bowl last February, the Eagles burst onto the scene boasting a solid defense and a top-tier offense en route to the NFL's best record through 11 weeks. Jalen Hurts had MVP buzz, and Howie Roseman once again looked like a team-building genius.
But the "gauntlet" in the schedule undid the Eagles in ways that were unfathomable. After handling the Dolphins, the Cowboys, the Chiefs and then the Bills — all eventual playoff teams — the Birds lost to the Niners and Cowboys by a combined score of 75-32. And then they lost to a backup quarterback in Seattle. And then, after barely beating the Giants, they blew a 17-point lead to the 2-win Cardinals and were embarrassed again by the Giants.
And then they looked like a team on total fumes in Tampa, ending their season with a deflating 32-9 playoff loss. A lot will be written about what the future holds for this franchise, but it's got to be close to the worst-case scenario for a team that looked like an annual Super Bowl contender.
The start: No. 3 seed, sweep in first round
The collapse: Blew 3-2 series lead at home, Lost Game 7 by 24 points
The Sixers not only fought to a 3-2 series lead with a chance to close out the Celtics at home, but Boston was essentially handing Philly the opportunity of a lifetime as Jason Tatum had scored just two points through three quarters. Philly got out-scored 24-13 in the fourth quarter and then were blown apart in Game 7 back in Boston.
Adding insult to injury was the rest of the playoff field, which saw two of the top seeds — the Bucks and the Cavaliers — fall as well. The path to a Finals was there for Joel Embiid, who once again failed to rise to the occasion.
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