5 Best Philadelphia Eagles teams to miss the NFL Playoffs

The 1991 Philadelphia Eagles housed the greatest defense in franchise history.

Picture it. It was 1991, the Eagles’ first season under Rich Kotite. We’re talking about the greatest single-season performance in the history of the NFL. Randall Cunningham was seen as a potential NFL MVP after what he had done in 1990, but he was lost for the season once his knee was shredded thanks to a low hit by the Packers’ Bryce Paup in Green Bay on opening day. Just like that, the season was in jeopardy.

Enter Jim McMahon, who Sports Illustrated would go on to dub as ‘The Masked Marvel’ that season. The former Chicago Bears Super Bowl champion had a career renaissance. He went 8-3 in 11 starts. He won the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award. The thing was this. The oft-injured McMahon was sidelined in Week 5 and didn’t return until Week 10 only to be lost again, this time for the season. You’ll never guess what happened in his absence.

With one of the most historically great defenses of all time backing them, one that was ranked number one against the run, against the pass, and overall, Philly fielded three quarterbacks during McMahon’s absences. During his first, all the combination of Pat Ryan, Brad Goebel, and Jeff Kemp had to do was get their act together at quarterback for five games until McMahon could get back on the field for Week 10. They couldn’t.

This trio of terrible quarterbacks went 11 straight quarters without throwing a single touchdown pass. McMahon would return and play well, but by then, it was too late. The damage was done, and there was nothing he could do to salvage things.

The 1991 Eagles defense would be the last to complete their defensive trifecta. They also led the NFL with 55 sacks and 43 forced fumbles. Opposing quarterbacks completed 44.1 percent of their passes against them. That was the best any NFL defense had done since 1978. As mentioned, no one could run the ball either as opposing teams’ ground attacks averaged 2.97 yards per rush.

Three members of the defensive line, Reggie White, Clyde Simmons, and Jerome Brown, were all named as All-Pros. Linebacker Seth Joyner and cornerback Eric Allen joined them as Pro Bowl nods. This Eagles team would also finish at 10-6, but thanks to their legendary defense, a unit still near and dear to the hearts of Eagles fans everywhere, they are without a doubt the greatest team in Eagles history to miss the playoffs.