PHILADELPHIA − There haven’t been many losing seasons since the Eagles opened Lincoln Financial Field in the fall of 2003.
In the 20 seasons, the Eagles have made the playoffs 12 times and hosted four NFC championship games, winning two, most recently last January when they beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-7.
The Eagles have had legendary games and legendary players at the Linc. In all, they’re 108-73-1, including playoffs.
That’s why it’s easy for Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham, the longest-tenured Eagles player, to come up with his favorite Linc memories.
“It’s always great to celebrate on that field, knowing you’re going to the Super Bowl,” Graham said. “So I would have to go with when we beat Minnesota the first time (in January 2018). That was the hypest I had ever seen the stadium. Then, of course, last year, I stayed a little longer because you don’t always get to that moment.”
Here, then, are the top 20 Eagles memories from 20 years at the Linc:
20. Linc’s opener vs. Buccaneers
Date: Sept. 8, 2003
There was not much to remember for the Eagles in a game they lost 17-0. What made it even crueler was that Tampa Bay closed out Veterans Stadium by beating the Eagles 27-10 (Ronde Barber, anyone?) in the NFC championship game. The Eagles also played at home the following week, losing 31-10 to the Patriots under a young Tom Brady. Somehow, they finished 12-4 and hosted the NFC championship game that season.
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19. Loss to Carolina in 2003 NFC championship
Date: Jan. 18, 2004
The Eagles, heavily favored for the second straight year in the NFC championship game, fell 14-3 to QB Jake Delhomme and the Carolina Panthers. Donovan McNabb had a horrible game, going 10-for-22 for 100 yards with three INTs.
18. ‘Tank’ game vs. Washington
Date: Jan. 3, 2021
It was a good thing fans weren’t allowed into the Linc because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the last game of the Doug Pederson/Carson Wentz era, and it was a brutal finish to a 4-11-1 season. The Eagles were trailing 17-14 heading into the fourth quarter when Pederson benched Jalen Hurts in favor of Nate Sudfeld. The Eagles lost and ended up improving their draft position from No. 9 to No. 6.
17. Jalen Hurts’ first start as Eagles run over Saints
Date: Dec. 13, 2020
Wentz was benched in the second half the week before, so Pederson gave Hurts his first NFL start at home, against the Saints, who came into the game having won nine games in a row. Hurts ran for 106 yards and Miles Sanders added 115, making them the first Eagles duo with at least 100 yards rushing in seven years. The Eagles won 24-21.
16. A.J. Brown’s revenge game vs. Titans
Date: Dec. 4, 2022
All week long, A.J. Brown said he had nothing against the Titans, the team that traded him to the Eagles the previous spring. Then Brown had TD catches of 40 and 29 yards, and Hurts threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-10 rout that wasn’t that close.
15. Jalen Hurts goes toe-to-toe with Patrick Mahomes
Date: Oct. 3, 2021
This was Hurts’ fourth game as a full-time starter, and no one thought the Eagles would have much of a chance against the reigning Super Bowl champs. But Hurts had the Eagles down by just 5 points early in the fourth quarter while Mahomes was dicing up the Eagles’ defense. Hurts threw for a career-high 387 yards in the 42-30 loss. That was a prelude to how Hurts would perform the next time he faced Mahomes − in the Super Bowl in February.
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14. Burying the Lions in a complete-game rout
Date: Sept. 23, 2007
The Eagles won this one 56-21, still their highest-scoring game at the Linc, and third highest in team history. McNabb threw for 381 yards and four TDs, Kevin Curtis had 221 yards receiving, and Brian Westbrook had 221 total yards (110 rushing, 111 receiving). The Eagles also sacked beleaguered Lions QB Jon Kitna 10 times.
13. The Joe Webb snow-delayed game
Date: Dec. 28, 2010
The game was played on a Tuesday, the first ever in Eagles history because of an expected snowstorm that Sunday that wasn’t as bad as originally feared. It was supposed to be an easy win for the Eagles, but Webb, the Vikings’ third-string QB, had other ideas in a 24-14 Vikings win.
12. Nick Foles throws the Eagles into the playoffs and sets a record
Date: Dec. 23, 2018
It was the second straight year in which Nick Foles relieved an injured Wentz and led the Eagles to the playoffs. This time, in a must-win Week 15 game vs. the Texans, Foles threw for a team-record 471 yards in the 30-23 win. The record still stands.
11. Carson Wentz announces his arrival with authority
Date: Sept. 25, 2016
It’s hard to believe that one month earlier, Wentz was the third-string quarterback. But the Eagles traded Sam Bradford to Minnesota just before the season started, and Wentz became the starter. After leading the Eagles to two straight wins, Wentz dismantled the Steelers in Week 3, completing 23 of 31 passes for 301 yards and two TDs in the 34-3 win.
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10. The most unlikely playoff scenario, capped by burying the Cowboys
Date: Dec. 28, 2008
Any win over the Cowboys is relished by Eagles fans. But a 44-6 dismantling, coming on the heels of two scenarios in earlier games the Eagles needed to make the playoffs, made it all sweeter.
9. A Giants dismantling despite an ailing Hurts
Date: Jan. 21, 2023
Hurts still had his ailing shoulder facing a Giants team in the divisional round that had just beaten the Minnesota Vikings on the road. Many Eagles fans bought tickets to a Wings lacrosse game that afternoon so they can begin tailgating 10 hours before the start of the game. If there were any doubts about Hurts’ shoulder, he hit DeVonta Smith for 40 yards on the second play of the game and the Eagles cruised 38-7.
8. The record field goal in which Jake Elliott almost got squashed by Jason Peters
Date: Sept. 24, 2017
It’s easy to forget that the Super Bowl season could have been derailed in Week 3. The Eagles were tied before Jake Elliott hit a franchise-record 61-yard field goal as time expired. Elliott, recently signed as an injury replacement, missed a 52-yard field goal earlier in the game. Jason Peters, who at 330 pounds, weighs twice as much as Elliott, told Elliott before the kick, “No more misses.”
7. A wild wildcard win over Giants
Date: Jan. 7, 2007
The Eagles had to turn to the run game, and Brian Westbrook delivered with a 49-yard TD run in the second quarter to help the Eagles build a 20-10 lead in the fourth quarter. But the Giants managed to tie the game with 5 minutes left. Then a heavy rain started falling as David Akers made a 38-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Eagles a 23-20 win.
6. Hanging on for dear life against Falcons’ Julio Jones
Date: Jan. 13, 2018
The Eagles’ Super Bowl run almost ended before it really began. They were clinging to a 5-point lead with the Falcons facing a fourth-and-goal from the 2 with a minute left. That’s when Falcons QB Matt Ryan threw into the corner of the end zone for Julio Jones. But Jalen Mills had tight coverage and the ball somehow sailed through Jones’ hands.
5. Eagles knock out Brock Purdy and the 49ers in NFC title game
Date: Jan. 29, 2023
The 31-7 outcome became a fait accompli in the first quarter when Haason Reddick sacked 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, causing a fumble and knocking Purdy out with an elbow injury. But Purdy had to return in the second half even though he couldn’t throw because his backup, Josh Johnson, left with a concussion.
4. LeSean McCoy found his footing in famous ‘Snow Game’
Date: Dec. 8, 2013
An unexpected snowstorm during the game blanketed the field with about 7 inches. That’s when LeSean McCoy found his footing. He ran for 149 yards in the fourth quarter and set the franchise record with 217 yards rushing in the Eagles’ 34-20 win over the Lions.
3. The miracle of 4th-and-26 and FredEx
Date: Jan. 11, 2004
The Eagles were facing a fourth-and-26 from their own 26, down by 3 points, with about 2 minutes remaining against the Green Bay Packers. That’s when Freddie Mitchell caught McNabb’s pass just past the first-down marker. The Eagles got the game-tying field goal, then won in overtime. After the game, Mitchell said: “I want to thank my hands for being great.”
2. Of dog masks and dominating the Vikings for Super Bowl berth
Date: Jan. 21, 2018
Despite having the No. 1 seed, the Eagles were underdogs for the second straight home playoff game, this time with a Super Bowl berth on the line. Patrick Robinson broke open a 7-7 game with an interception return for a TD, and the 38-7 rout was on. For the second straight game, Lane Johnson and Chris Long broke out dog masks to mock their underdog status.
1. Eagles finally break through in the snow in NFC championship game
Date: Jan. 23, 2005
A foot of snow fell the day before, and the temperature at game time was 17 degrees. Yet Eagles fans screamed from the top of their lungs from the opening kickoff right until the 27-10 win over Michael Vick and the Falcons was secured, sending the Eagles to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1980. It was also their fourth straight NFC championship game, the first three being losses.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
