The Eagles and Packers, have a long history that includes one another as they tend to re-write history whenever they cross paths.
One of the things that make covering the NFL fun is every team, every rivalry, and every game carries an accompanying story. The Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers aren’t rivals per se. Birds fans don’t hold the same angst towards Green Bay that they carry for the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, or Dallas Cowboys, but this still feels like a rivalry. It may as well be. These are two of the NFL’s most storied franchises who at times are companion pieces in some well-known NFL moments.
The Pack was born in 1919. The Birds began their NFL journey 14 seasons later in 1933. Guess who their first road game was against.
They don’t meet every season, but they meet often enough. More often than not, they provide some great theatre having seen each other in the regular season, during the postseason, and though it will never happen again, during a game to decide the NFL’s king.
Gather around the campfire ladies and gentlemen. We have a handful of stories to tell. Two storied brands with two die-hard fan bases, here’s a look at six unforgettable tales involving two of the game’s most popular franchises.
6. Carson Wentz’s Eagles story all but ends with the beginning of the Jalen Hurts era at Lambeau Field… ten years after Mike Vick replaced Kevin Kolb.
Once upon a time, the Eagles were in a unique situation, they had hitched their wagon to what they thought would be their franchise quarterback before unforeseen circumstances led to a change at signal-caller.
Gosh, we thought Kevin Kolb would be pretty good too.
What’s that? Oh, you thought we were talking about the Jalen Hurts and Carson Wentz thing? Well, that was quite the moment as well. Still, as they say, history has a way of repeating itself, and the decision to shift gears and hand the keys to the franchise to Jalen (in Green Bay at Lambeau Field of all places) came ten years after there was a seismic shift for Philly at home versus The Pack on opening day in 2010.
Seriously… You can’t make this stuff up.
As stated, the Birds had entered some unfamiliar territory in 2010 as they were beginning a new chapter. Long-time starter Donovan McNabb had been traded to Washington, and Kevin Kolb was named Philadelphia’s new QB1. Unfortunately, Kolb would suffer a concussion early thanks to a Clay Matthews tackle. That’s when Michael Vick found himself back in the spotlight.
Vick threw for 175 yards and a touchdown on that day and picked up another 103 yards with his legs. Unfortunately, the Eagles fell to the visiting team by a 27-20 margin much as they fell to Green Bay when the decision was made to bench Carson in favor of Jalen during Week 13 of the 2020 season.
Much has changed since then. Carson has played football in two more cities. Jalen’s number has changed, and we’re glad it has. He couldn’t keep calling himself ‘Number 2’ now, could he?
Still, it’s rather unique that two huge days in Eagles lore and the corresponding quarterback changes that came along with them both occurred during games between these extended rivals, but while we’re discussing the quarterback position, we’d be remiss if we didn’t bring up
5. A weird head-coaching carousel leads to a Green Bay assistant Andy Reid becoming the Eagles’ 20th head coach.
Eight players have played at least 32 games for both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers. They’ve also shared coaches.
Jon Gruden was a part of Ray Rhodes’ staff as Philly’s offensive coordinator from 1995 to 1997 before landing his gig in 1998 as the Raiders head coach. He was also Green Bay’s offensive quality control coach in 1992 and their wide receivers coach from 1993 to 1994. Rhodes was fired three days after Christmas in 1998, but he landed on his feet, taking over as, you guessed it, Green Bay’s leader in 1999.
Philly, now in need of a leader of their own, hoped to land now-Packers legend Mike Holmgren. He had led the Cheeseheads to two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl win, but Holmgren elected instead to take his talents to Seattle. The Birds decided to hire his quarterbacks coach, a much younger version of the Andy Reid that we know today.
That decision worked out for them.
Andy led the Eagles to a 130-93-1 regular-season record during 14 seasons. He also led them to five NFC Championship Game appearances and a Super Bowl appearance. It was, in many ways, the most successful run by an Eagles coach ever and the most successful stint of Eagles football ever, minus never winning a Super Bowl of course.
Andy tutored one of the greatest Eagles quarterbacks of all time, Donovan McNabb. He had earned a lot of practice, guiding the career of a guy who will forever be remembered as a Packers legend, a man that Eagles fans know well.
4. Brett Favre is one of the greatest QBs ever, but, he was rarely so when he faced the Eagles.
Who knows how things would have shaped out had Brett Favre never left the Atlanta Falcons? What if Green Bay had never gone with Brett and Andy had never been his quarterbacks coach? Thankfully, we don’t have to answer any of those questions, but here’s what we do know.
As great as Brett Favre was, he may have never been a Hall of Famer had he played the Eagles more often.
In total, 12 of the Eagles’ 45 meetings with the Packers came with Brett Favre at the helm of Green Bay’s offense. In the process, the legend wound up with a sub-.500 record (5-7). He also crafted his lowest passer rating versus Philadelphia than against any other NFL team that he faced. Try 63.5 on for size.
In 12 games versus the Birds, he completed just over 53% of his passes while tossing 20 interceptions versus only 12 touchdown throws. That passer rating ranks as the sixth-lowest when we stack 41 opposing signal-callers who have thrown at least 200 passes versus Philadelphia, and get this because this might be the best part about all of this.
Brett Favre never won a game in Philly at Veterans Stadium or Lincoln Financial Field. He was 0-6 during the regular season, and he came up short in a playoff game back in January of 2004.
3. Come on. Eagles fans would have never forgiven an omission of ‘4th and 26’.
Well, you had to know that this was coming. The Eagles and Packers have seen their fair share of battles over the years, but games take on a different level of intrigue when played during the postseason, especially when those games are remembered by a few short words or phrases that are familiar to both of the participating parties.
Close your eyes and mention a few of the following: The Music City Miracle, The Drive, and The Comeback. Sure those were all fine and dandy, but in Eagles lore, none of those can hold a candle to ‘4th and 26’, and if you find yourself around Birds or Packers fans (or both) and if those words ever cross your lips, both sides of this extended rivalry know exactly what you’re talking about.
After falling behind by a 14-0 margin IN THE FIRST QUARTER during an NFC Divisional Game in 2004, the Eagles battled back, scoring 14 points to tie the game before a Ryan Longwell 21-yard field goal gave the lead back to Green Bay (17–14) late in the fourth quarter. There isn’t an Eagles fan in the Delaware Valley or anywhere else on Planet Earth that doesn’t know what happened next.
Philly’s final drive of regulation began with a 22-yard run by Duce Staley, but Donovan threw a pass on the next play that fell incomplete. On second down, Philly was penalized for a false start and moved five yards in the wrong direction. With the yard marker still reading second down, a sack pushed the Eagles back to their 26-yard line. McNabb’s third-down pass fell harmlessly to the turf. Philly, in a flash, needed 26 yards to move the chains and keep their dreams of winning alive.
Again, there isn’t an Eagles fan breathing that doesn’t know what happened. Here’s where the man with a million nicknames, Freddie Mitchell, enters our tale.
McNabb found Freddie Mitchell deep to pick up what looked like 26-and-one-half yards on fourth down. Eventually, they’d drive into field-goal range. David Akers would even the point tally at 17. A Brett Favre interception thrown to Brian Dawkins in overtime and Weapon X’s return helped set up another field goal by Akers. This one would serve as the game-winner.
‘4th and 26’ is sometimes overlooked because the Eagles didn’t ‘seal the deal’. Their season ended one week later with an NFC Championship Game loss to the Carolina Panthers. Had it not and had Philly won the Super Bowl, this might have turned out to be one of the most iconic plays in league history, but as it stands, this is still one of the greatest moments in Eagles lore and one of the most memorable moments of the Eagles-Packers series.
It does, however, pale in comparison to two other moments, one we look upon favorably. The other… not so much.
2. Reggie White leaves the Eagles, joins the Packers, and wins, a Super Bowl.
His name makes all of us smile. Reggie White is, without question, one of the greatest Eagles to ever don the kelly green. His number is retired by both Philadelphia and Green Bay, but who are we kidding? This one still hurts.
If you think Howie Roseman catches unfair portions of hell from time to time, one can only imagine what former Eagles owner Norman Braman might have endured had social media popped up around the mid-eighties or early nineties. Then again, Braman may have deserved the barrage, especially when you think back to 1993, one year after the NFL would change forever as unrestricted free agency began looking more like it looks today.
Unrestricted free agency led to a more competitive balance in the league. Players whose contracts had ended were able to sign with the team of their choosing. Dynasties began to disappear as this was a far cry from the Rozelle Rule or “Plan B” free agency when owners could protect 37 of their players (often the guys that would strike huge deals by leaving).
To make long stories short, at the dawn of this new era in free agency, Braman refused to play the game so to speak, and many of Philly’s best players simply left.
In 1993, Reggie White signed a four-year contract worth $17 million. Can you imagine what he would have made today?
After earning an NFL Defensive Player of the Year nod (1987), six First-Team All-Pro designations (1986-1991), a Second-Team All-Pro nod (1992), and seven trips to the Pro Bowl (1986-1992) as an Eagle, he earned another NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award (1998), two more First-team All-Pro designations (1995,1998), four more Second-Team All-Pro nods (1993,1994,1996,1997) and six more appearances on the Pro Bowl roster.
Allowing Reggie White to leave is, without question, one of the worst mistakes that the Eagles ever made. Again, this one still hurts, so how about we end this one on a high note? What say ye?
1. The Eagles topple Vince Lombardi’s Packers to win the NFL Championship.
The Eagles/Packers feud wasn’t much of a rivalry in the 1930s… or the 1940s… or even the 1950s or 1960s… Truthfully, it wasn’t much of a battle at all.
Green Bay won the first nine meetings and 17 of the first 20 from 1933 to 1976. Philly wasn’t able to brag about consecutive wins in the series until 1979.
No one knows what got into the Eagles one day after Christmas in 1960, but thank goodness it did. They beat Green Bay when it counted, toppling Vince Lombardi’s Packers in the NFL Championship Game as ‘Concrete Charlie’, Chuck Bednarik tackled Jim Taylor at the Eagles’ eight-yard line as time expired to preserve a 17-13 win and give Philly its third championship in franchise history.
In the process, Bednarik became the only Eagles star to win two championships during two different eras (1949 and 1960). The Packers’ loss doubled as the lone postseason loss of Lombardi’s head-coaching career. His team went on to win five World Championships in a seven-year span. That feat still remains unmatched in NFL history. Still, Philadelphia’s championship-winning victory will never be forgotten, nor should it, especially because it helped steady the ship to some degree.
The Eagles would lose three consecutive games to The Pack from 1962 to 1970, but from 1974 until 2020, they won more than half of their 27 meetings, 15 to be exact. They still have a lot of work to do to battle their way back to .500 versus their extended rivals from Wisconsin. Trust us. They’re working on it, but even though their next meeting most certainly won’t be their last, you’d be wise not to miss it.
After all, whenever these two meet as you’ve no doubt seen here, you never know when they’ll re-write the NFL’s history books. That’s just what they do when they meet up to play a football game.