Ranking All 9 Playoff Games Played At The Linc
This Sunday’s NFC Wild Card matchup against the Seattle Seahawks will mark the 10th playoff game ever played at Lincoln Financial Field. In almost two decades since the stadium open, the Linc has provided plenty of playoff memories for Eagles fans both good and bad.
What’s impressive about the Eagles success during the Linc Era is that in 32 seasons at Veterans Stadium the Birds hosted a grand total of 11 playoff games including 2 NFC title games. In just 17 seasons at their current home the Birds have hosted just one less postseason game and one more NFC championship game.
So before we take on what’s left of a Seattle Seahawk team that somehow brought back Beast Mode, lets rank every playoff game ever played at the Eagles glorious home stadium.
This list is ranked based on how much Eagles fans enjoyed them. A back-and-forth thriller that winds up being a loss will be below an Eagles blowout win. Feel free to reach out if you would like a ranking of every playoff game played at the Vet, but just know that Number 1 and Number 11 are beyond obvious on that list.
9. 2003 NFC Championship Game vs. Carolina Panthers
If you’re an Eagles fan, the worst playoff game you’ve ever experienced at the Linc is hands down the 2003 NFC Championship game against Jake Delhomme and the Carolina Panthers of all teams.
Coming off the high of “4th and 26”, Eagles fans hopes for a Super Bowl crashed and burned once again to this small market team that wasn’t even in existence for 10 years. For once, the Eagles had things go their way in a playoff game, and then rookie corner Ricky Manning Jr. picked off Donovan McNabb thrice(!) in a 14-3 disaster.
What’s somewhat weird about this NFC title game loss is that it’s nowhere near talked about as much as the Tampa Bay NFC championship the previous year. The Tampa Bay game is described by fans as a funeral, a bitter ending to their beloved Veterans stadium. The fans old enough to remember that game didn’t fully recover from the Tampa game until the Birds won Super Bowl LII. The Carolina game? Just another black mark on the eternally frustrating Reid/McNabb era.
8. 2010 NFC Wild Card vs. Green Bay Packers
The Eagles had some incredible wins during the 2010 regular season such as Mike Vick’s Monday Night Massacre in Washington and Miracle at The Meadowlands II, but people forget how the season went all downhill following Desean Jackson’s walk-off punt return.
The fun season came to an end the way it started: A home loss to the Packers. The high-powered Eagle offense cooled off against Green Bay along with two brutal missed field goals by David Akers in his Eagles finale. The lasting image of the game was Tramon Williams intercepting Michael Vick in the endzone with the great Riley Cooper behind him. It would also be Andy Reid’s last playoff game as Eagles head coach and the first win for Aaron Rodgers.
Considering how the Packers were in the beginning of their remarkable run to winning Super Bowl XLV, this loss doesn’t look as bad as it did at the time. Green Bay’s defense would record a Pick Six in every playoff game following this Eagles win.
7. 2013 NFC Wild Card Game vs. New Orleans Saints
Nick Foles’s playoff debut was on the heels of his ridiculous 27-2 breakout campaign in the exciting first season of the Chip Kelly era. Kelly’s high-octane offense was coming off a strong 2nd half of the season leading to a surprise division title. However, the strong offense led by Foles and Shady McCoy weren’t as dominant as expected as they dueled against Drew Brees and the Saints in their bounce-back year following Bounty-Gate.
Stop if you heard of this before: Foles connects to (baby) Zack Ertz for a go-head score and leads the field with the lead. The only difference being no turnover forced in the next possession as Saints return-man Darren Sproles (Eagles fans would become familar with that name later) gave New Orleans great field position on the following kick-off return. Brees would drive down the field for the game winning-field goal, pre-maturely ending a fun first season to the Chip Kelly era. (Another key Saints player was on the field that day in safety Malcolm Jenkins.)
This game remains the first and only road playoff win for Drew Brees and the Saints franchise in general. Another fun fact: Sean Payton is the only head coach to earn three playoff wins over the Eagles and no other head coach has more than one.
While the ending was disappointing, their was still optimism that the Birds were going to return to the playoffs and go on deeper run with Foles and Chip Kelly.
Well, it took four years, but Foles did indeed get back to the playoffs with the Eagles. But that’s another story…
6. 2004 NFC Divisional Round vs. Vikings
Freddie Mitchell signed picture, any takers?
While the 2004 Eagles were much better than the Daunte Culpepper-led Vikings, there were still some concerns the Birds had to address:
Could the Eagles offense be as effective without T.O. on the field?
Could the team shake off 3 weeks of rest having clinched home-field advantage in Week 16?
Those questions were answered quickly thanks to the likes of Brian Westbrook and Freddie Mitchell stepping up and taking care of Minnesota 27-14.
More fun facts: This was the Vikings first game since Randy Moss gave his “moon” at Lambeau Field, it was also Moss’s last game of his first stint with Minnesota as he was traded to the Raiders in the off-season. Despite taking a step back in Oakland before returning to form in New England, Moss as a Raider looks like Cliff Branch compared to Antonio Brown.
5. 2006 NFC Wild Card Game vs. Giants
Before Nick Foles, there was Jeff Garcia who came to the rescue after the starting quarterback got injured and led the Eagles to the playoffs. Who else remembers going to school with kids having Garcia’s name taped over the back of their McNabb jerseys?
Considering how their first game against the Giants went at the Linc earlier this season, getting back at them in the playoffs had to feel really good. Eli Manning showed signs of his future 4th quarter greatness when he led the G-Men on a 17 point comeback in Week 2 of the regular season, winning in Overtime on a Plaxico Burgess touchdown.
Jeff Garcia and Eli Manning battled in this underrated classic but the real duel was between star running backs Tiki Barber and Brian Westbrook who each recorded over 130 yards on the ground. Plaxico Burgess also scored two touchdowns, confirming his status as an Eagle-killer which lasted until. . .well you know. . .
In the end, as plenty of 2000s Eagles games did, David Akers delivered with a game-winning field goal.
Fun Fact: Having announced that this will be his last season, Giants running back Tiki Barber finished off his career with a 137 rushing yards. He would be universally loved by the Giants and their fans ever since. Brian Westbrook however would out-gain Barber by 4 yards in one of the best games of his career.
But don’t worry Giants fans. This loss marked the point where head coach Tom Coughlin was the hot seat and had to prove a lot the next season. Something something something 3 straight playoff road wins something something something 18-1 Pats something something Helmet Catch.
4. 2017 NFC Divisional Round vs. Falcons
The Eagles first playoff win in 9 years and first home playoff win in 11 was worth the wait in this low-scoring thriller against a Falcons team trying to overcome the 28-3 game the previous year.
Fans weren’t that confident in Nick Foles and an Eagles offense that struggled mightily in the last two regular season games, and they were solid but not spectacular in this first playoff game. Despite a sloppy first half, the Birds only trailed by 1 point at halftime thanks to a knee bounce catch by Torrey Smith which led to a Jake Elliot field goal to make it 10-9.
While the defense shut out Atlanta in the 2nd half, the Birds could only muster up two more field goals for a 15-10 lead. In the closing minutes the Falcons drove down the field in arguably the most nail-biting drive in the history of the Linc. With the season on the line at the 2 yard line at 4th and Goal, Jalen Mills made the play of his career in containing Julio Jones long enough for Matt Ryan to throw the ball to his direction as it just missed his hands (Not to mention that it would’ve been tough to land with both feet in bounds.)
The Eagles escaped with a win and fans were both relieved and excited to see their team back in the NFC Championship game. The visual of seeing Lane Johnson in a dog mask for the first time was probably a trippy experience.
3. “4th & 26”: 2003 NFC Divisional Round vs. Packers
The Eagles have played in a lot of games with nicknames, but how many of those are playoff games?
Miracle at the Meadowlands? We see it all the time. House of Pain game? Cool. Body Bag Game? Fun but don’t forget the Redskins got back at them in the playoffs and ended the Buddy Ryan Era.
4th & 26? Now that’s a classic playoff game. Not to mention that it was the first playoff game in the first season of Lincoln Financial Field.
You know the story: The Eagles overcame a 14-0 deficit against Brett Farve and the Green Bay Packers and trailing 17-14 the Birds faced a seemingly impossible 4th and 26 with 1:12 remaining.
Remarkably, Freddie Mitchell stamped his place in Eagles lore with a stunning catch that barely got by the first down marker, leading to a game-tying field goal.
And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, Brett Farve launched a duck softly into the arms of Brian Dawkins on his first pass of overtime. A few plays and a field goal later and the Eagles headed to their 3rd straight NFC title game (See Number 9 on this list).
Weird Fact: For some reason the NFL Network did not in the 4th and 26 play as a Top 100 play of all-time but thought the game itself was good enough as a Top 100 game of all-time. This league.
2. 2004 NFC Championship Game vs. Falcons
“First of all, HALLEUUUJAAAAH!!!”
While the Falcons version of Michael Vick and the rest of Atlanta were decent opponents, there was no way, and I mean NO WAY, the Eagles were going to let this game get away from them again.
Either they win this game and exercised “some” demons from previous years (even though those demons weren’t really exercised until 2017), or they become a way lamer version of the early 90s Buffalo Bills.
Thankfully, the real Eagles finally showed up to the Conference Championship Game and dominated the 2nd best team in the NFC. There are a few images that stand out in that game: Brian Dawkins signature hit over Alge Crumpler, Chad Lewis scoring the game-sealing touchdown while ironically broke his foot, and Freddie Mitchell’s fro-(just kidding)- Donovan McNabb and Brian Dawkins on the podium holding the George Halas trophy while yelling to the Heavens.
Even though we all know what happened two weeks later in Jacksonville, this was still a special game for a generation of Eagles fans who knew nothing but heartbreak in the NFC Championship Game, this would be their sweetest win until . . .
1. 2017 NFC Championship Game vs. Vikings
Even though “4th and 26” and the goal line stand against Atlanta were nail biting thrillers, don’t you just love big blowouts?
That was exactly the case in the 2017 NFC Championship game against Case Keenum and the Minnesota Vikings, even though it didn’t start that way.
I don’t about you, but I was thrilled when seeing the Minneapolis Miracle occur the previous week against the Saints. This meant that, instead of Drew Brees, the Eagles were going to take their chances at home against . . . Case Keenum.
As we also know, the party that was didn’t look like it was going to happen at first. On the first drive of the game Minnesota took their “team of destiny mojo” carried on from the miracle win (and the fact their stadium hosts the Super Bowl) and found the end-zone immediately.
The Linc was briefly quiet with ghosts of NFC Championship Games past in their minds featuring Marshall Faulk, Joe Jurevicius, Ronde Barber, Ricky Manning Jr. and Larry Fitzgerald. And then . . . PATRICK ROBINSON.
Pressure from Chris Long forced a Keenum pass to the hands of Robinson as he ran all over the field to the end-zone for a Pick Six as the Linc exploded louder than it ever has in it’s history.
The party was on as B.D.N. was born with an epic onslaught against one of the best defenses in the NFL. Alshon Jeffrey, Legarrate Blount and Torrey Smith all turned up their dials as well and within a couple of hours 0-7 turned into 38-7.
The best part of this game however wasn’t anything on the field, it was the whole city walking away realizing that not only are the Eagles going to the Super Bowl, but the Eagles actually have a decent shot at WINNNING THE SUPER BOWL.