After a 11 start, winning opening day against the Redskins and losing week 2 at the Chiefs, the Eagles won a close home opener against the Giants on a last second 61-yard field goal by rookie kicker Jake Elliott 2724. In week 16, the Eagles played the Cowboys in Philadelphia having lost to Dallas in their previous four matchups. However, the team fell to the-then Chicago Cardinals 2821 at Chicago's Comiskey Park. Kelly was fired as head coach with one game remaining on the season.[33][34]. In the NFC Divisional Round match with the Saints, the Eagles ended the first quarter with a 140 lead. Philadelphia beat Kansas City (which had the best record in the AFC a year before) 2120 and Houston 1817 on six field goals by kicker Tom Dempsey. Let's look at the top Super Eagles players and their state of origin: 1.Stefano Okaka Chuka (Italy): Stefano Chuka is a super eagles player who was born in Robert Jennings. Week 4 saw the return of McNabb to Philadelphia. The game would end up being a surprising blowout with the Eagles dominating the Vikings 387 to go to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2004 season. But first, they would have to overcome a laundry list of hurdles brought on by the NFA, such as pay and benefits that players including Ikpebasay went unpaid to the squad and coach Jo Bonfrre, as well as the associations interference in picking the team (based on tribalism, again according to Ikpeba and other players) and inadequate provisions for the teams preparations. However, the Browns lit up the Eagles' vaunted defense for 487 total yards, including 246 passing yards, in a 3510 rout. Regardless, the Eagles broke away from the Giants in the third quarter with a touchdown following a fumble recovery by Fletcher Cox. Despite injuries, McNabb led the Eagles to a 124 season in 2002. considers himself a Nigerian because his parents are from Osun state, and that After two more second-place finishes (in 1945 and 1946), the Eagles reached the NFL title game for the first time in 1947. On offense, the Eagles were led by quarterback Cunningham, one of the most exciting players of his generation; tight end Keith Jackson; and running back Keith Byars. His potential MVP season came to an end though during Week 14 against the Los Angeles Rams where he tore his ACL, and would be out for the rest of the year. They got off to a good start, winning three of their first four games. The Eagles proceeded to fire Andy Reid, the longest-tenured and winningest coach in team history. The nickname came about because a certain Eagles trainer had been preparing for the projected high temperatures by having the players drink the juice from jars of dill pickles in order to retain body moisture and stave off cramps and heat exhaustion. Running back Brian Mitchell, who would later be signed by the Eagles, was forced to play quarterback for the Redskins. The Eagles do not claim the Yellow Jackets' history as their own, and the NFL officially regard the two franchises as the same, citing the aforementioned period of dormancy. They were ranked dead last in numerous offensive statistics. They then began their playoff run with the Divisional round at home against the sixth-seeded Minnesota Vikings. Ownership, however, opted to promote assistant Nick Skorich instead, and Van Brocklin quit the organization in annoyance, instead becoming head coach of the new Minnesota Vikings. Their 127 victory in this game gave them home field advantage throughout the conference playoffs for the third year in a row. He went on to feature in In the 3rd quarter of the game against Miami, when the Eagles were leading, Sam Bradford exited the game with an injury that would sideline him for the remainder of that game and for the next two games. [41] In their Week 8 matchup against the Cowboys, despite another poor performance from Wentz, the Eagles held on and defeated the Cowboys at home, on Sunday Night Football, 239. On July 21, 1996, Hungary's Tamas Sandorduring (C, 8) fights for the ball with Nigeria's Azuka Okocha (10) during the first half of their 1996 Summer Olympic match in Orlando. Williams and Khayat were hampered by Retzlaff's decision to trade longtime starting quarterback Norm Snead to the Minnesota Vikings in early 1971, leaving the Eagles a choice between journeyman Pete Liske and the raw Rick Arrington. After a hard-fought game, the game came down to the final two minutes, with the Cowboys down by 2 and having possession of the ball. The Week 5 game, on Sunday, October 10, 1999, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, saw Dallas WR Michael Irvin suffer a career-ending spinal injury where Eagles fans stood up and cheered as he lay on the field. After the lockout ended in July, the team embarked on a rash of high-profile free agent signings, including Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown, Giants wide receiver Steve Smith, Packers tight end Donald Lee, Titans defensive end Jason Babin, Packers defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins, and Cardinals cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Who saw their stock rise? The team followed with an injury-plagued 412 campaign in 2012, which led to Reids firing at seasons end. Sydney Sam was born in the United A two-point conversion attempt after the touchdown failed, and Washington won 1612. From that talented Super Bowl roster, only five players remain employed by the Eagles. His shaky performances during the end of the regular season made the team become underdogs during the playoffs despite being the number one seed. A feeling of complacency after winning the franchise's first Super Bowl Championship (and 4th NFL championship) had set into the team and fanbase, giving them a lack of urgency through the beginning of the season. The 2005 season began in a strange and erratic fashion with a 1410 road loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football, a game in which Donovan McNabb suffered a chest bruise. Meet the players from Pa. suiting up for Super Bowl LVII between Eagles and Chiefs. The Chiefs played their starters and lost in both Week 17 and the first round of the playoffs. He By 1968, fans were in full revolt. He returned to play in the Week 10 game against San Diego, but was felled by a second concussion. In Week 15, the Eagles beat New York in a shocking upset by overcoming a 21-point deficit in the second half. The Birds' 31 record set the stage for Terrell Owens' return to Philadelphia. Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has called up 30 players for September opening rounds of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers with Liberia and Cape Verde. The Nigerian community in the U.S. rallied around them, and it didnt stop there. ": Chuck Bednarik, Philly booed Santa, but Santa still smiles-ESPN, Ravens, Niners compensated in settlement-ESPN, Eagles suspend T.O. In 1931, Philadelphia's NFL franchise, the Frankford Yellow Jackets, who had won the NFL Championship in 1926, went bankrupt and ceased operations midway through the season. But McNabb surprised everyone and led the Eagles to what was perhaps one of the greatest games in franchise history, a 4821 blowout in which McNabb threw for four touchdowns. Despite winning 3424, Philadelphia's defense turned in a relatively mediocre performance, which may have had to do with the fact that the team had played four games in a 17-day stretch. The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will face off in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on Sunday, Feb. 12. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. However, their stellar individual play never translated to team postseason success, as the Eagles won only one of the five playoff games in which the pair played between 1988 and 1992. Every player is either a starter or has played significant snaps this season for the Eagles, who clinched a playoff berth Sunday after beating the Washington Football Team 20-16. The continued early playoff exits led to fans and local media blaming the high priced free agent signings (Irving Fryar, Watters, Troy Vincent, and Guy McIntyre) for not stepping up in big games, most notably the postseason. McNabb returned, and Vick also began playing (as he had been barred from the first two games). You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. And a new generation was inspired by those victories and the players star power, fostering a wave of soccer talent throughout Africa. In Paraguay, he is presently The Eagles would finish the season without at least eight of their projected starters heading into the season, including Pinkston, Hank Fraley, Dirk Johnson, and Pro Bowlers McNabb, Brian Westbrook, Lito Sheppard, Tra Thomas, and the exiled Owens. In a surprise free agent signing, Chip Kelly also acquired the previous season's rushing yard leader, DeMarco Murray, from the rival Dallas Cowboys. During the start of the season Michael Vick got injured, and backup Nick Foles took over. Germany in a friendly against Ecuador. The 2000 regular season opener in Dallas (September 3), became known in NFL lore as the "Pickle Juice Game". The divisional game in Atlanta ended with a 4th down stop at the goal line as Matt Ryan's pass sailed through star WR Julio Jones' hands (under Jalen Mills' coverage) after having been stopped on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. The latter game became known as the "Johnny Rodgers Bowl", because the loser would finish with the worst record in the league and obtain the #1 draft pick of 1973, which was then assumed to be Nebraska wingback Johnny Rodgers. At a home game on December 5, on Monday Night Football, the Eagles retired #92, which had belonged to the late Reggie White. Tose also selected former Eagles great Pete Retzlaff as General Manager. It includes players that have played at However, the lack of weapons for Carson Wentz and his lack of experience would catch up to them as the Eagles would go 49 in their final 13 games, and end the season 79 again and miss the playoffs. Under rising scrutiny and deflating optimism, he sold the team to film producer and current owner Jeffrey Lurie. The Eagles rebounded with a Thursday game against Houston. The season saw some notable changes to the roster, including the addition of Jalen Hurts from the draft who was controversially selected in the second round, and the absence of Nelson Agholor due to free agency. Read more: 48 Athletes to Watch at the Tokyo Olympics. (The current Nigerian Football Federation opted not to comment for this article. Drawing inspiration from the insignia of the centerpiece of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, specifically the National Recovery Act's "Blue Eagle," Bell and Wray named the new franchise the Philadelphia Eagles, with Bell as president and general manager and Wray as head coach. Documenting his professional career in the book, Oliseh paints a damning portrait of that eras NFA. Bednarik lined up at center on offense and at linebacker on defense. The Eagles were eliminated from playoff contention (for the first time since 2016) after a Week 16 loss on the road to the Cowboys, 3717, after leading at the end of the 1st quarter, 143. Nigeria won 4-3. In 2014 a lot of expectations were set on the team after what seemed like a successful first year for Chip Kelly. Carson Wentz improved drastically during the season in which he threw for 33 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions. Because of his parents' Italian citizenship, Okaka was granted Italian citizenship in In Thompson's final draft, Chuck Bednarik was selected as the first overall pick in the 1949 NFL Draft. [4] After more than a year searching for a suitable replacement, the NFL granted an expansion franchise to a syndicate headed by former University of Pennsylvania teammates Lud Wray and Bert Bell. Backup Josh McCown stepped in for Wentz, becoming the oldest quarterback to play their first playoff game. The teams would have to go into extra time. The Eagles lost the next two games against the Steelers and Ravens, mounting comebacks against the favorites by the ends of both games but not doing enough to win. The beginning era of the Eagles history from 1933 to 1939, was influenced by its owner, and coach, Bert Bell. Although the Eagles won their 2011 opener against the St. Louis Rams, the Dream Team failed to deliver as Michael Vick fell victim to injuries and turnovers. The Eagles drafted quarterback Kevin Kolb from Houston, signaling a possible life beyond Mcnabb.