Ranking Every Eagles Playoff Loss by Postgame Depression Since I’ve Been a Fan: Part 2
In the fall of 2003, I became emotionally invested to a concerning degree about a team named the Philadelphia Eagles. I’ve experienced the highs of seeing my team hoist the Lombardi Trophy for the first two times in its franchise history. For fans of other NFL teams, the lows typically take form in the shape of a twelve-loss season or an injury to a star player. For Philadelphia sports fans, the lows regularly question your dedication and, more often than not, your sanity. These include the palpable dread of never feeling like a substantial lead is safe, a season with high expectations quickly turning into a season from Hell, and perpetually worrying about the cloud of drama that casts its shadow over the team. But, to be a devout Philly sports fan, one must be willing to be a masochist. The recent loss to the 49ers in the Wild Card round ended a season that featured all three of these lows in some capacity. So instead of going to therapy or finding a more productive hobby, I have decided to rank the Eagles’ playoff losses during my time as a fan from the least to most depressing. This four-part series will highlight the emotional turmoil I endured throughout each playoff loss and all the awful plays that still infuriate me years later.
Criteria:
For Part 2, these games left me upset for a few days. None of them would rank high in the greatest teams in Eagles history, but they still provided enough hope to believe in them having a shot at finally winning the Super Bowl. These specific Eagles teams mostly featured unlikely playmakers and their seasons of surprising success hold a special place in my heart for the memories they provided me. Their playoff downfalls also left a deep impact on my Birds fandom formative years.
Again, only playoff losses are included, so the Super Bowl wins and losses that eliminated the Eagles from playoff contention in the regular season will not appear in these rankings.
#9: 2013 Saints 26 Eagles 24
The 2013 season was a wild ride. After a poor start, Nick Foles led the Eagles to a division title and a Snow Bowl victory over the Lions that’s in my top five favorite Eagles regular season victories of all time. But, that’s a list for another day. As a believer in fan jinxes and the Eagles trailing 20-7 late in the 3rd quarter, I knew my team needed a jolt from a fan two hours away with an action that would have zero impact on the outcome whatsoever. However, there was no time for logic. I started to pet Sunny (pup pictured below), aka Sunny Doosker, the dog my family was pet sitting. I also continuously serenaded the poor Labrador retriever with the song Edelweiss from The Sound of Music. It worked. The Eagles took a one-point lead with less than five minutes remaining. Then, fellow short king and future Eagle, Darren Sproles returned the ball on a kickoff to midfield and the Saints were in business. Despite a few more desperate renditions of Edelweiss that Rodgers and Hammerstein would not be proud of, Drew Brees could not be stopped. The Eagles lost on a field goal with no time left. I wanted to cry after the loss, but remained hopeful about the future under Chip Kelly. Surely, he’ll lead them to a playoff game again, right?
Interestingly, he had trouble getting up the stair but no problem getting on couches.
#8: 2009 Cowboys 34 Eagles 14
A week after losing to the Cowboys in the regular season finale for the NFC East crown, the Eagles got a rematch with their division champion rivals. This game was over by the half. While the end lacked drama and heartbreak, the pain of losing this embarrassingly to your biggest rival in the playoffs overwhelmed me. Fortunately for me, the only Cowboy fan in my life, my Uncle Frankie, only gave me a light ribbing over it. On a positive note, this game included a preview of what fans could expect of Mike Vick in the 2010 season. I think Eagles fans will remember this game primarily as Donovan McNabb’s final game as an Eagle. With his time in Philly coming to a close, I witnessed the second end of an era for one of my sports teams. The first being the 76ers’ Iverson era, which probably got as far as they could with a run to the NBA Finals in 2001. The McNabb Eagles, however, should have won a title with their ample amount of playoff opportunities and successful seasons. Ultimately, that’s what will always make this loss sting just a bit more.
#7: 2006 Saints 27 Eagles 24
On the night of this game, my family attended a party at a neighbor’s house. I was in a den surrounded by a pack of Eagles haters. While I didn’t have much support around me in the crowd, I did have a few childhood friends by my side. After cracking a few cold mountain dews, we played outside vigorously for an hour or so and missed a couple of quarters. Despite a fun and intense session of hide-and-seek, this loss still found a new way to hurt a young, husky Ev Dog. A bizarrely entertaining season with one-year wonders like Jeff Garcia and Donté Stallworth leading the way, the 2006 season featured a dominant Christmas Day win over the Cowboys and a walk-off field goal against the Giants in the Wild Card round. This game against the Saints also started off in a bizarrely entertaining manner with cornerback Sheldon Brown annihilating Reggie Bush, the former Kim Kardashian boyfriend and Heisman winner. Trailing by three with under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Eagles converted a long play on third down to put them in field goal range. A delayed false start quickly nullified the play and my hope. After another incompletion, Andy Reid decided to punt for some reason and the Saints earned a first down that allowed the boys from the Big Easy to run out the clock. The hating-ass neighbors laughed at my team as I remained in disbelief.