It’s such a great Eagles story — we just have to tell it again.
This weekend, the Eagles will begin what will hopefully be a deep run through the NFC Playoffs and an opportunity to advance to their third Super Bowl in seven seasons. The journey to another Lombardi Trophy may well see the #1 seeded Detroit Lions and the #2 Eagles face each other. Wildcard weekend has seen some amazing games, and the Eagles have had their share. None were as good as this one.
Twenty years ago at Veterans Stadium in South Philadelphia in 1995, first year Head Coach Ray Rhodes had second-year owner Jeffrey Lurie’s Eagles in the playoffs. The opponent was the Detroit Lions. Even though the #4 Eagles were the higher seed against the #5 seeded Lions, Detroit offensive lineman Lomas Brown chose to assure a win in Philadelphia. What the Lions would encounter in South Philadelphia was anything but a sure win.
The Eagles offense — coordinated by a young Jon Gruden — broke out in the second quarter. After an Eagles field goal, Barry Wilburn intercepted Detroit quarterback Scott Mitchell and brought it back twenty-four yards for a touchdown. After additional touchdowns by Ricky Watters and Fred Barnett — Eagles quarterback Rodney Peete connected with Rob Carpenter on a 43-yard Hail Mary as the South Philadelphia crowd went wild and the Eagles claimed a 38–7 lead at intermission.
If the Lions looked to regroup after halftime, they never had the chance. A forty-five yard touchdown pass from Peete to Ricky Watters and a pair of Gary Anderson field goals put the Eagles up 51–7. A William Thomas interception return for another score would then put the Eagles up 58–21. National television cameras captured Lions quarterback Scott Mitchell screaming at the referees and then uttering expletives as Head Coach Wayne Fontes benched him. A jubilant Eagles crowd began to fill Veterans Stadium with chants of “Lomas, Lomas.”
The 58–37 Eagles thumping of the Lions still stands as the most points ever scored by an Eagles team in the NFC Playoffs and tied for the most points ever in one half of an NFC playoff game.
The post A Bad Guarantee Against Philly appeared first on Philadelphia Sports Nation.