Throwback Thursday: Eagles get a big win in Foxborough
We look back at the Eagles’ recent history to examine one of the franchise’s most unexpected wins ever.
There isn’t a Philadelphia Eagles fan on the planet who isn’t waiting on this team to put it all together. The Eagles have a unique history. Fans, to some extent, are still in mourning over a stretch where we saw the team make five NFC Championship Game appearances over the course of a 14 year stretch and lose four times. There only Super Bowl appearance was a three-point loss to the New England Patriots. The Eagles have three championships in their team’s history, the last being in 1960, but watching the Eagles come up short two Super Bowls makes the desire for a Lombardi Trophy grow more and more by the year.
What’s even more unusual is when you see this team elevate their level of play in down years. Yes, we all know, on any given Sunday, anything can happen, but the Eagles have often beaten teams who won the Super Bowl, represented the NFC in the Super Bowl or made the playoffs and was seen as one of the favorites.
December 5th, 2015:
Take a game played on December 5th, 2015 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Eagles entered a late-season contest against a heavily favored Patriots team. This team had never beaten Tom Brady. The team appeared to have given up on their coach, Chip Kelly, but on this particular Sunday, a team that hadn’t clicked all year saw it all come together.
It’s certain that this team didn’t do it for Chip Kelly. Maybe they did it for each other. Maybe they did it for pride. Whatever happened, this game wasn’t a fluke. The Eagles truly beat the Patriots, Brady and their future Hall of Fame coach Bill Belichick. Special teams coach Dave Fipp, in one day, became a Philadelphia sports icon.
There was a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown. Then, Darren Sproles fielded a punt and took it the distance. It was almost as if an avalanche of good fortune started (minus a Kenjon Barner fumble and an onside kick recovery by New England), and there was nothing the Patriots could do.
Then it happened.
Jenkins becomes a fan favorite:
In arguably the most exciting moment in Eagles football over the last few years, Brady, with the game still in doubt, drove his team into the red zone in an attempt to break a 14-14 tie. On third down, he attempted a pass into the end zone. The pass was tipped into the air, picked off by safety Malcolm Jenkins and Jenkins went 100 yards in the other direction for six.
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As exciting as it was, it makes you think. The Eagles beat the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 2008 season, and the Steelers went on to win the Super Bowl. They’ve typically had the New York Giants‘ number, even in the Giants’ championship seasons. Last year, they throttled the champions of the NFC, the Atlanta Falcons. If they can do it against the league’s best, they should be able to do it crunch time right? We know it doesn’t work that way, but it’s still nice to dream.
Hey, there’s always next season. We’ll get them next time. Maybe.