13 Under Appreciated Moments From the Eagles Super Bowl Season
A new season of Eagles football is officially upon us and training camp opened up this week. With the new season comes less opportunity to gloat about our victory in Super Bowl LII. Before the race to repeat begins, we take one last trip down memory lane and highlight some of the less appreciated yet still awesome moments of the Super Bowl season:
13) Carolina 126 to 1 Game
Many people point to Jake Elliot’s 61 yard field goal as the turning point of the season, which is obviously fair. But, this game was also one of the early signs that this team was special. They weren’t supposed to win this game. On the road, on a short week, without Lane Johnson and the refs against you. They were setup for failure, and left with their first marquee win.
12) Jason Peters…NO.MORE.MISSES.
I love watching SoundFX on NFL Network and hearing what the players are saying while the game is going on. With all due respect to, “they gon lower my speed on Madden”, my favorite sound bite was Jason Peters telling Jake Elliot never to miss again…and then he went ahead and never missed again (well, for a long time at least)
Can see why Jake Elliott nailed 61 yard game winner
I'd be scared of Jason Peters
"No more misses bro" 😳
From @nfl 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/20gD09fQx3
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) September 27, 2017
11) Applause For Jason Peters as He’s Carted Off
Speaking of Peters, I thought him going down with injury was going to be the biggest guy punch injury of the year (more on depressing injuries later). In the game that will be known as the Wentz coming out party, I’ll never forget the ovation for Peters on the injury cart. With Chase Utley back in town, the radio stations have been going over the most beloved athletes in Philly sports history. When it’s all said and done, Jason Peters is a surefire on that list.
10) Cardinals First Half
We never played down to our competition. We never let bad teams stay in games. We showed up, kicked their ass and then bounced. The first sign of that was against the Cardinals. The Eagles 21’d Arizona and the Cardinals had to pass the sticks before the first quarter was even over.
9) Carson to Alshon to Set up the 61 yard Field Goal
How the clock was left with one second, I don’t know. But, it’s not my business to care. Carson hits Alshon on the sideline, he gets out of bounds…the rest is history.
8) Doug Getting Criticized For Passing Too Much…Runs the Ball Down San Diego’s Throat
I LOVED this game. It was one of those games you should win, but going across the country is never fun and playing without Fletcher Cox is not very fun either. In the second half, Doug Pederson made sure we didn’t have to worry about that. The offensive line was opening up gaping holes as big as the potholes in this city while Legarette Blunt provided the meanest stiff arm since that rugby kid went viral. They controlled the clock, they controlled the line, they won the game.
7) Malcolm Jenkins Strips the Raiders in the Red Zone
Whew, this was a close one. We probably should have lost this game. Thankfully, the Raiders jus wanted to get out of the brick cold and head home for Christmas. The offense couldn’t get anything going because it was impossible to move muscles when it’s a whole degree outside. Thankfully, the defense, especially Malcolm Jenkins, was there to lift us up.
6) Doug “Losing His Freaking Mind”
https://twitter.com/nickpiccone/status/926070306451742720
Remember how we said “the Eagles never played down to their competition”? Well, they got off to a rocky start with that in this one. It was a torrential downpour that can only be compared to the weather in the Philadelphia area the past week. SoundFX got another great clip in this one, Doug lighting a fire under his players’ ass. They beat the 49ers, 31-3. It never got close.
5) Nelson Agholor Conquering His Demons in Seattle
This is the only loss that makes the list. But, for Nelson Agholor it was probably the biggest mental victory of the season. He couldn’t even line up right in Seattle a year ago. This year: 7 receptions, 141 yards, and a 1 TD. The Agholor turnaround was one of many feel good stories throughout the year. I can’t wait for Markelle to have the same moment.
4) Down 9-7 to the Cowboys at Halftime, The Eagles Score 30 Unanswered
I remember not even being nervous at halftime. I knew our guys had this. 30 minutes of football later, they had put up 30 straight points. The Eagles moved to 9-1 while the Cowboys fell to 5-5. It was the nail in the coffin, guaranteeing another mediocre football season in Dallas.
3) Nick Foles “Bounce Pass” to Torrey Smith
The Divisional Round matchup against the Atlanta Falcons still gives me anxiety. Like, that could’ve gone very poorly about one million different times. One of those times being later in the second half, as Nick Foles unleashed a wobbly change-up. It bounced off a Falcons defender and fell into the lap of Torrey Smith, setting up the Eagles for a key field goal. Nick Foles never looked back, he found a rhythm even Tom Brady couldn’t match. Thank God Julio Jones did not catch that football.
2) Corey Clement’s 55 Yard Catch On 3rd & 3 to Set Up The Philly Special
As the Founder and CEO of the Corey Clement fan club, his Super Bowl performance was huge for the brand. Late in the first half on 3rd & 3, Clement proved why the wheel route is undefeated. He beats his defender, stiff arms another and gains 55 yards to set up the Eagles in a goal-to-go situation. This play was the alley, the Philly Special was the oop. It was like the real life version of that picture where D Wade tosses it up to Lebron while Wade stands there with his hands up.
1) The Rams Game. The Whole Thing.
The Super Bowl was perfect. I throughly enjoyed beating the shit out of the Vikings in the NFC Championship. But, if I had to pick my favorite, season changing game…it would be December 10th against the Los Angeles Rams. Heading into halftime, the Eagles had the lead. The Rams come out in the second half and score almost immediately, they block a punt they score again. The pendulum was swinging. Wentz leads the team down to the goal line…you know what happens next. I remember sitting with my jaw dropped and tears in my eyes listening to Erin Andrews report that the Eagles locker room though Wentz’ injury “did not look good”. Back to the game. Nick Foles, before he becomes the legend that is Nick Foles makes some unreal passes to set the Eagles up for a field goal. He makes another to Nelson Agholor for a game sealing first down. The defense holds their own, stripping Jared Goff and setting the Eagles up in opponents territory. With one final chance, the Rams lateral it right to Brandon Graham. The team celebrates with our well traveled fans as the sun sets in Los Angeles, none of us knows what the future holds with Wentz but we were all there to enjoy the day. We were back in the playoffs. I remember crying out of happiness, I thought it was the last time I’d get to enjoy this team’s glory for the season. It was really only the beginning.