57 Moments that Led the Eagles to Super Bowl LVII

This Sunday evening the Philadelphia Eagles will be playing in the Super Bowl for the 4th time in franchise history. And the team they’re putting on the field is possibly the best in their near 9 decade history.

Before the national anthem, coin toss and ceremonies, let’s take a look at how the Birds got here. The twists and turns along the way that make the formation of this incredible team even more remarkable than we initially thought.

Here are 57 moments from over the years that led us to this game in Super Bowl LVII.

 

1. Jeffrey Lurie bought the team in 1994

Why are we going all the way back to nearly three decades ago? Because the one constant for the Eagles over that time has been owner Jeffrey Lurie. The track record with Lurie speaks for itself, as the three greatest eras in franchise history (Andy Era, Doug Era and Sirianni Era) have all been under his watch.

 

2. Jeffrey Lurie hired Joe Banner as Eagles president in 1995

Why are we bringing up longtime Eagles executive Joe Banner in this list? Because we wouldn’t have his successor Howie Roseman without him.

 

3. Joe Banner hired a persistent and ambitious football fan named Howie Roseman

We’ll let Joe tell the story about how Howie entered his business life. It’s incredible.

 

4. Jeffrey Lurie and Joe Banner hiring Andy Reid as their head coach in 1999

People forget that Andy Reid had only been a positions coach for the Green Bay Packers throughout the ’90s and was virtually an unknown when Jeff Lurie and Joe Banner hired him in 1999. Things didn’t start off well as they opted to draft quarterback Donovan McNabb instead of Ricky Williams which was met to a chorus of Boos by a group of Eagles fans known as the Dirty 30. But by Season 2 Reid and McNabb led the Eagles to the playoffs and you know the rest of the story.

 

5. Andy Reid selected Brandon Graham (instead of Earl Thomas) in 2010

It’s the all-time example of a draft pick initially considered a disaster that paid off tremendously. So much so it gave us hope that Markelle F**** and Jalen R***** would turn it around (spoiler alert, they didn’t.) Even though Earl Thomas was a leader of the Seahawks legendary Legion of Boom, he flamed out of the league while Brandon Graham continues to serve as an Eagles legend and locker room leader today.

 

6. Dream Team

You know the story of the “Dream Team.” We won’t bore you with the details. Next:

 

7. Jason Kelce saving the 2011 Eagles Draft class in the 6th round of 2011

Have you seen the Eagles 2011 draft class? It’s HORRENDOUS…outside of their 6th round pick from Cincinnati.

 

8. Andy Reid’s last first round draft pick Fletcher Cox in 2012

What’s amazing is that 3 of the 4 members of the Eagles Core Four (Lane, Kelce, Graham and Cox) were all taken by Andy Reid’s regime. Cox may not be as dominant as he used to be but he remains a staple of the Birds D-Line and could end up in the Hall of Fame one day.

 

9. The Eagles don’t get Russell Wilson, but get Nick Foles in the 2012 draft

Russell Wilson may have become a joke last year, but before that he carved a Hall of Fame career in Seattle. Reid and the Birds eyed Wilson for the 3rd round of the 2012 draft, but unfortunately John Schneider, Pete Carrol and the Seahawks snatched him before the Eagles had their chance. It remains a huge What If in team history, but their consolation prize wasn’t so bad in Arizona quarterback Nick Foles.

 

10. The Eagles fire Andy Reid

After 14 seasons of success but no Super Bowl wins, and dealing with the loss of his son, it was time for the Eagles to let Andy Reid go. When it comes to firings it was about as gracious a firing as one could be. But Andy wasn’t done coaching. Just days later he became the head coach of the Kansa City Chiefs and remains so to this day . . .

 

11. Howie Roseman succeeds Joe Banner

In 2010 Howie Roseman succeeded Tom Heckert as the Eagles general manager and Joe Banner passed the title of President to Don Smolenski in 2012. But with Banner moving on to become CEO of the Cleveland Browns (which predictably didn’t work out) Howie now became the man in charge of operations for the Eagles.

 

12. Lane Johnson is drafted 4th overall in 2013

The 2013 NFL draft class is notoriously weak with no stars at the skill positions, but the Eagles scored by taking the best player from that draft at 4th overall: Oklahoma Tackle Lane Johnson.

 

13. The Eagles hire Chip Kelly 

Urban Meyer may have taken the cake as the worst College-to-Pros hire in NFL history, but the Chip Kelly Era in Philadelphia had its fair share of drama. But his first season was an impressive success, turning the Birds around from 4-12 to 10-6 and the playoffs. However the cracks were starting to show in his 2nd season which produced the same record, but the team wasn’t playing as well. So Chip decided to take over the front office . . .

 

14. Chip Kelly and the Eagles hire Jeff Stoutland

It’s easy to forget that the most popular member of the Eagles coaching staff goes all the way back to Chip Kelly’s first year. Say what you want about Chip, but at least he gave us the Dean to Jeff Stoutland University.

 

15. The Eagles let Chip Kelly take over as General Manager

It’s crazy to think how a head coach took control of the entire executive branch after just 2 seasons, but that’s what happened when Jeff Lurie gave the keys to Chip as the new general manager. As Jason Kelce said in his iconic parade speech “I didn’t see Howie for a year!” as Roseman was reassigned to a smaller rose. However it turns out he was biding his time.

 

16. The Eagles Fire Chip Kelly

They don’t get talked about as much as the 2011 Dream Team, but the 2015 Eagles were a Frankenstein-like science experiment that went horribly wrong. This team with new acquisitions like Sam Bradford, DeMarco Murray, Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonso had high expectations, but quickly became the laughing stock of the league. They played like a 4-12 team but the defense and special teams single handedly won them 3 extra games to be a more respectable 7-9. Despite a good start, Jeff Lurie and president Don Smolenski were fed up with Chip and fired him outright with a game left in the season.

 

17. Howie Roseman being brought back to his role as GM after Chip Kelly’s firing

One of the great comeback stories in Philly sports history. Just when we thought we saw the last of Howie Roseman, he came back with a plan and with a vengeance.

 

18. The Eagles trade up to get Carson Wentz in 2016

The Birds actually resigned Sam Bradford to a 2 year deal in 2016, but everyone knew he wouldn’t be the future of the franchise. So in a bold move, the Eagles went all in on North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz with the 2nd pick of the 2016 draft. Little did we know that Bradford would be shipped to Minnesota before the regular season started thanks to an abrupt Teddy Bridgewater injury and the Wentz Era quickly began.

 

19. The Eagles hire Doug Pederson

It wasn’t the most popular hire, but it was fitting since Doug Pederson was the first quarterback of the Andy Reid era and was his offensive coordinator in Kansas City. Who would have thought that in just 2 years he would outcoach Bill Belichick in the Super Bowl?

 

20. Nick Foles returns to Philly for a 2nd stint

Remember when we had to worry about quarterbacks like Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez and Chase Daniel? Well luckily before the 2017 season the Eagles decided to bring back their old friend Nick Foles as Carson Wentz’s backup. Foles’ career went on quite an odyssey after being traded for Sam Bradford in 2015. He was ready to quit football after a miserable season in St. Louis, but his old head coach Andy Reid helped convince him to come back for a year in Kansas City. Then he came back to the team that drafted him for some unfinished business.

 

21. Howie Roseman builds the 2017 team 

I can go into more detail about every key signing for the legendary 2017 team but this list is about 2022, and most of the 2017 roster isn’t on the team anymore. Both the 2017 and 2022 are proof that Howie and company are excellent at building title contending teams fairly quickly.

 

22. Jake Elliot is brought in as kicker in 2017

Although David Akers title as the GOAT Eagles kicker may never be relinquished, Jake Elliot has been creeping closer to that status throughout his career. We all remember his coming out party when kicking a 61 yard field goal to beat the Giants in Week 3 of the 2017 season. This was shortly after being let go by the Cincinnati Bengals who drafted him in the 5th round that same year. Elliot has been nothing but dynamite the past two seasons and missed just 3 field goals and 2 extra points in 2022 *knock on wood he has a good Super Bowl*

 

23. Carson Wentz tears his ACL

Carson Wentz’s ACL tear on December 10, 2017 that ended his likely-MVP season was not only the most consequential injury in Eagles history, but one of the most consequential in NFL history. Wentz was actually viewed in 2017 the same way we view quarterbacks like Joe Burrow and Josh Allen today. But after that injury he was never the same and has dwindled into a joke.

 

24. Tua Tagovailoa replaces Jalen Hurts in 2018 College Football National Championship Game

It’s one of the most dramatic championship games in college football history. After nearly winning the title for Alabama last year, Jalen Hurts was determined to do it against the Georgia Bulldogs. Unfortunately not a lot was going right for Hurts and the Crimson Tide in the first half as they went down 13-0. Coach Nick Saban felt that the offense needed a spark so he put in Hurts’ young backup Tua Tagovailoa in at quarterback instead. The rest was history, as Tua won the game in overtime when connecting to a fellow freshman named DeVonta Smith.

 

25. The Eagles Win Super Bowl 52

Even if the Eagles win Super Bowl 57, their win in Super Bowl 52 will always be the first time. And there is no feeling like the first time. If there was a single negative to the event it’s that it made Frank Reich a desirable coaching candidate after Josh McDaniels left the Colts at the altar.

 

26. Jason Kelce becomes a Philly icon at the parade 

The city of Philadelphia spent their whole lives imagining what an Eagles Super Bowl parade would look like, and the parade more than lived up to the hype. The standout moment will always be Jason Kelce showing up in a mummers outfit to give the speech to end all parade speeches. From then on Kelce was The Man in Philly the same way Chase Utley was with the Phillies. Lets hope he gets a chance to top that speech . . .

 

27. David Akers announces Dallas Goedert’s drafting…in Dallas

It’s the sweetest moment in Eagles draft history. Jerry and the Cowboys decided to take the NFL draft to their building, only to give the Eagles an opportunity to flex their status as Super Bowl champions in their arch rival’s stadium. The representative for the Birds in the 2nd round seemed odd at the time, but it turned out to be perfect as Eagles kicking legend David Akers was the awesomely sneering Heel that got booed in front of that crowd of millions. Forgotten in that epic speech was his announcement that the Eagles had drafted tight end Dallas Goedert, who picked up where Zach Ertz left off as one of the better tight ends in the league.

 

28. Drafting Josh Sweat

As much criticism as Howie’s gotten for certain draft picks, he’s scored more times than his critics care to admit. One of the times he’s scored was Josh Sweat in the 4th round of the 2018 draft. Sweat continues to get better each year and made the Pro Bowl in 2021. This year he gained a career high 11 sacks.

 

29. Nick Foles saves the 2018 Eagles title defense

Even though the last month of the 2018 season was pretty epic, everything before that was pretty miserable. The Birds went from poised to repeat to quickly turning into a shell of their former selves. All hope seemed lost when Carson Wentz’s season ended with a back injury, but then Nick Foles returned and suddenly the Birds were revitalized. They snuck into the playoffs, squeezed out an epic playoff win over the Bears in the Double Doink game, and put up an admirable fight against the top seeded Saints, the same Saints who humiliated them just a month prior.

 

30. Jalen Hurts transfers to Oklahoma

Although it became Tua’s team, Hurts supported Alabama and Tua the following season. It paid off as he came in relief for Tua in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia. But if Hurts was going to fulfill his NFL aspirations then he needed to transfer, and he did that by going to Oklahoma for his final season. Hurts would become a Heisman finalist for the Sooners and his NFL Draft stock rose up.

 

31. The Eagles decide to let Nick Foles walk after the 2018 season

It was a pretty exhausting conversation topic at the time: Do you keep Foles, who led the Birds on two dramatic playoff runs, but has never been able remain a starter for a full season? Or do you keep Wentz, who the team invested a lot of draft capital and energy on and looked like the future of the league in 2017? In the end the organization banked on the belief that MVP Carson would return and let Nick Foles find his own team to start. They backed up that belief by giving Wentz a big second contract that was supposed to keep him in Philly long term.

 

32. Drafting Miles Sanders

With key running backs like LeGarrette Blount, Jay Ajayi and Corey Clement on the way out, the Eagles needed to find their next ball carrier. In the 2nd round of the 2019 draft they went with Penn State running back Miles Sanders, who famously succeeded Saquon Barkley after his legendary college career. Sanders was solid in his first three seasons, but saved his best for 2022 with a career high 1,269 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.

 

33. Jadeveon Clowney knocks Carson Wentz out of the Playoffs

In a league where defenders get penalized and fined just for looking at a quarterback funny, it is shocking that Jadeveon Clowney faced absolutely no consequences for using the crown of his helmet to knock Carson Wentz out of his playoff debut. That moment ended that playoff game against Seattle, and essentially the Carson Wentz era itself. 2019 was another tough season with the Birds trying to live up to 2017, but Wentz did at least start all 16 games and rallied the team to the playoffs with a hot last month. It seemed like maybe Wentz got his team back and his career was back on track. But no, December of 2019 was the last good moment for his complicated legacy. The freak injury also set up the Birds decision to get another quarterback on the roster . . .

 

34. Acquiring Darius Slay

Trading for a cornerback near the age of 30 usually ends up being disastrous, but Darius Slay has proven to be the exception. Slay has been a Pro Bowler the past two years as the leader a much-improved Eagles secondary and is going a Super Bowl ring.

 

35. Drafting Jalen R***** in the 1st round of the 2020 draft

I don’t like ripping open old wounds, but this colossal mistake may have been a blessing in disguise. Had Howie and company drafted future Offensive Player of the Year Justin Jefferson from LSU then both Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni probably don’t get their chance to lead the Eagles. Jefferson was that special a player and probably would have saved Carson Wentz and Doug Pederson’s jobs. How good would the Birds be with Wentz, Jefferson and Doug? Pretty good, but probably not as good as the real life iteration of the 2022 team.

 

36. Drafting Jalen Hurts in the 2nd round of the 2020 

The Eagles have had some shocking draft decisions over the years, but the most stunning of them all was in the 2nd round of the 2020 draft. Held virtually with Roger Goodell announcing it from his basement, he uttered the words “The Philadelphia Eagles select: Jalen Hurts.” It took a split second for us to realize that they drafted the same Jalen Hurts who was a Heisman finalist for Oklahoma and was the Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback before Tua took over the job. Nearly everyone in Philadelphia was shocked and angry by the decision. Not that they didn’t think Hurts was without talent or skill, but that by drafting a quarterback this high it felt like we were going on a big quarterback controversy all over again. And that’s exactly what happened . . .  but thank goodness it did!

 

37. Incorporating Jordan Mailata into the Offensive Line

Drafting a player with little pro football experience usually leads to disaster, especially when said player misses the 2018 and 2019 seasons due to injury. However Jordan Mailata stepped up in 2020 and is now one of the most prized students of Jeff Stoutland University.

 

38. Signing Javon Hargrave

Another Eagle with double digit sacks, Hargrave signed on in 2020 and is another key piece to that monster D-line.

 

39. Benching Carson Wentz for Hurts in the final month of the 2020 season

When Carson Wentz was benched for Jalen Hurts during the last month of 2020, we thought it was temporary, but it turned out to be the end of the Wentz era. As soon as Wentz was put on the sideline, he was done with the Eagles. He hasn’t looked back, and neither have the Birds.

 

40. Putting Nate Sudfeld in the final game of the 2020 Season

Benching Jalen Hurts for Nate Sudfeld in the 2020 regular season finale turned out to be Doug Pederson’s final act as Eagles head coach. The event also happened on Sunday Night Football and the response was too freakin’ much. Did the Eagles tank? Yes. Do we care. No! And what’s great is that it helped us draft DeVonta Smith.

 

41. Firing Doug Pederson

2020 was a terrible season, but most of us didn’t think it was going to get Doug Pederson fired just 3 seasons removed from winning the Super Bowl. But for various reasons, whether it was clashing with the front office and backstage politics, the front office decided it was time to move on.

 

42. Trading Carson Wentz to the Colts

It’s easy to forget now, but after the 2020 season the saga of what will happen to Carson Wentz took a long time. Clearly both sides wanted a divorce, and the team we suspected the most of wanting him got him in the Indianapolis Colts. Thanks to Wentz remaining healthy and playing well enough to start, the Birds got a 1st round pick from Indy. This helped them get AJ Brown and the 10th pick in this year’s draft from the Saints.

 

43. Jason Kelce deciding not to retire

People forget, but near the end of 2020 there were rumors that Jason Kelce was ready to retire. And who could blame him? The 2020 COVID season was miserable for everyone, especially the Eagles. He got his ring, accolades from his peers, and was starting a family. Thankfully his teammates and new coaches convinced him to come back and it paid off quickly. Kelce has never played better these last two seasons and has all but sealed his place in Canton.

 

44. Hiring Nick Sirianni 

We all know the Nick Sirianni era got off to a rough start. His press conference was obviously not a great first impression. And in the first month of the season the Eagles looked more like their 2020 selves and many Philadelphians felt that Sirianni was Nathaniel Hackett before Nathaniel Hackett. But midway through the 2021 season Sirianni started to figure things out and suddenly he fits the city’s culture perfectly.

 

45. The Eagles move up 1 draft spot to get DeVonta Smith

After a disappointing rookie season from Jalen R*****, it was clear that the Birds needed to go back to the draft again for a playmaker receiver. And they managed to do it by trading with the Cowboys of all teams to leap frog the Giants and get reigning Heisman trophy winner DeVonta Smith from Alabama. It became crystal clear from Day 1 that Smith was the Bird’s best home grown receiver in decades and he keeps getting better and better.

 

46. Drafting Landon Dickerson in 2nd Round of 2021 draft

After the splash of getting DeVonta Smith, the Eagles followed that up with getting Alabama guard Landon Dickerson, one of 8 Eagles who made the Pro Bowl in 2022.

 

47. The Eagles trade for C.J. Gardner-Johnson

One of the better trades the Birds made this year was getting Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson from the Saints. CJ got a career high 8 interceptions this season along with 8 pass deflections and should be ready to go for the Super Bowl.

 

48. Signing James Bradberry

An unlikely hit in free agency for the Eagles was getting former Panthers and Giants cornerback James Bradberry. Bradberry faced a resurgence in 2022 gaining 2nd team All-Pro honors.

 

49. Signing Haason Reddick  

It has gone down as one of the best free agent signings in Eagles history. Reddick came from Temple and was a 1st round pick by the Cardinals in 2017. He was always a solid player but didn’t start reaching the level of great until 2020. He spent one season with the Panthers before signing a deal with the Birds this year and had a career year. His 16 sacks and 5 forced fumbles earned him a 4th place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

 

50. Trading a 1st round to the Titans for AJ Brown

Even today, it still seems too good to be true. The Tennessee Titans struck gold in the 2019 NFL draft getting AJ Brown in the 2nd round from Mississippi. Brown instantly became a key cog in the Titans offense along with Derrick Henry that led them to 3 straight playoff berths and a trip to the AFC championship game. When the other wideout studs from that 2019 draft class (except for JJAW *shivers*) tried to get their 2nd contracts, AJ Brown joined in. While the others got a deal from the team that drafted them, Brown instead got traded for a 1st round pick to the Birds. Rather than pay big money to their homegrown star, Tennessee decided to go scratch another lottery ticket in 2022 with Treylon Burks. While Burks has shown potential, the Titans were asking for too much expecting him to be as good as Brown. The Titans have predictably slid down back into irrelevance while AJ Brown is in the Super Bowl as the Eagles most talented receiver since Terrell Owens.

 

51. Eagles Hang on Against Lions in 1st Game

The Eagles were pretty dominant in their first game in Detroit, but the pesky Lions made things uncomfortable with a stunning comeback in the 4th quarter. Luckily Hurts came through on a quarterback sneak on 4th and 1 to seal the win and give everyone a sigh of relief.

 

52. Kyler Murray Slides and Matt Ammendola Misses Kick

The Eagles were 4-0 and on the cusp of 5-0 in Arizona. It seemed inevitable that the Cardinals would force overtime with a field goal, but Kyler Murray slid just before crossing the first down marker and forced Kicker Matt Ammendola to attempt a 43 year field goal. Had Murray gotten a first down the field goal could have been easier, but Ammendola went wide right and the Birds were 5-0.

 

53. Jalen Hurts Scores Go Ahead Touchdown Untouched against Colts

Coming off their first loss to Washington the Eagles didn’t look great against Jeff Saturday’s Colts. But in crunch time Jalen Hurts came through with a go-ahead rushing touchdown, followed by the defense stopping Matt Ryan to win the game and get the season back on track.

 

54. AJ Brown Puts away Da Bears

Although the Bears had the worst record in 2022, they put up a decent fight against the Eagles. But AJ Brown made a huge gain to put the game away and give the Eagles some cushion in the NFC 1 seed race.

 

55. Hurts and Smith Set the Tone Early Against Giants

Nerves about the Giants coming to the Linc and upsetting the Eagles were quickly washed on Hurts’ first throw of the game. They set the tone early with a deep bomb to DeVonta Smith and the Eagles were off to the races with an easy win over the G-Men.

 

56. Knocking Brock Purdy out of the NFC Championship Game

Who knows how the NFC Championship game would have gone had Brock Purdy didn’t get hurt? But Haason Reddick made the 49ers pay for having a backup Tight End try to block him.

 

57. Jalen Hurts sings Fly Eagles Fly

What moment was more entertaining than Terry Bradshaw handing the mic over to Jalen Hurts and having him sing the Eagles Fight Song? The usually robotic sounding Hurts turned on the charm and sung along with the crowd. Who would have thought Marvin Gaye reincarnated could also play football?

 

By Mike McCarrick | February 11, 2023