The Philadelphia Eagles have called Lincoln Financial Field home since 2003, and they’ve had quite a bit of success there. It has seen 12 playoff games, and it is destined to see another when the 2024 Birds take the field later this January.
As Philadelphia, the second seed in the NFC, prepares to take down whoever comes to the City of Brotherly Love, here is their playoff history in the stadium.
January 11th, 2004: 20-17 OT Win vs. Green Bay Packers (Divisional Round)
In their first-ever playoff game hosted at the Linc, the Eagles had one of their most iconic wins in franchise history. Just the down and yardage “4th-and-26” is instantly recognizable.
The Eagles went toe-to-toe with Brett Favre, who was chasing his second Super Bowl championship. Philadelphia trailed 14-0 at one point and came back to tie it, but the Packers got a fourth-quarter field goal to make it 17-14. This lead change came when the final quarter was still fresh, but neither side was able to put together a great drive.
This got us down to 2:30 remaining when the Packers punted to the Eagles, relying on their defense for one last stop to advance to the NFC Championship Game. A disastrous 16-yard sack on second down put the Eagles in some trouble—a third-down incompletion didn’t help.
So, there they were. Despite having one down to advance the ball a minimum of 26 yards, that’s exactly what quarterback Donovan McNabb did. A dart over the middle to Freddie Mitchell got the Birds just enough yardage to keep their season alive. Philadelphia pushed for a touchdown but settled for a David Akers field goal to force overtime.
While the Eagles won the toss, they were forced to punt. With a chance to advance his team, Favre was pressured into a gift of an interception for Philadelphia with no Packers receiver in sight. Brian Dawkins’ takeaway put the ball inside the Packers’ 35-yard line, setting Akers up with a more-than-manageable game-winner when all was said and done.
January 18th, 2004: 14-3 Loss vs. Carolina Panthers (NFC Championship)
Following back-to-back heartbreakers in the NFC Championship, the Eagles got a chance to right their wrongs against the Carolina Panthers. They did not.
A third-down sack allowed in field goal range took potential points off the board in the first quarter for the Eagles. A third-down drop that would’ve put them in field goal range in the last minute of the same quarter also took points off the board. Quarterback Jake Delhomme and the Panthers made it 7-0 on the next drive.
A third-down interception in the red zone took yet another three (or more) points off the board in the early stages of the second half. Cornerback Ricky Manning had a thing for third-down picks off of McNabb, as he ended up with three in the game: one late in the second half, the one aforementioned, and another at about the halfway point of the third quarter.
All of this is to highlight the Eagles’ missed opportunities. They lost by just 11.
January 16th, 2005: 27-14 Win vs. Minnesota Vikings (NFC Divisional Round)
Off yet another devastating postseason exit, the Eagles were back for more a year later. They hosted the 8-8 Minnesota Vikings, who clinched a wildcard spot in an unusually weak NFC. They upset the Packers, though, leading to their date with Philadelphia. It didn’t go so well for them.
Midway through the first quarter, the Eagles capped off a touchdown drive with a short Mitchell catch and score from McNabb. He mocked Randy Moss’ “moon” celebration from the week before, perhaps knowingly with Joe Buck on the call.
The Eagles soon increased their lead to 21-7 before both sides settled down for a bit (minus a fourth-down fake field goal attempt from Minnesota in the red zone that failed). Philadelphia led 27-7 late in the fourth quarter before a long-range touchdown pass from Daunte Culpepper made it a bit closer with 1:59 left. Ultimately, though, Philadelphia came out on top, 27-14.
January 23rd, 2005: 27-10 Win vs. Atlanta Falcons (NFC Championship)
The Eagles finally got over their woes in the NFC Championship with a win over the Atlanta Falcons. The first half saw Philadelphia take advantage of their opportunities more, going up 14-3 in the second quarter. This was despite a failed fake field goal attempt and a goal-line opportunity for Atlanta.
Late in the half, however, Atlanta showed life. Quarterback Michael Vick threw a strike down the field to Alge Crumpler (who was punished by Dawkins with a brutal hit) for a red zone opportunity. Atlanta made quick work of this, scoring a touchdown immediately after. But those were the last points the Falcons scored.
The Eagles put up two field goals in the third quarter to give themselves a two-score cushion. The defense did a terrific job of holding onto that lead, allowing the Falcons to get nothing. A touchdown dagger with 3:21 left put it out of reach. Thanks to their defensive excellence, the Eagles were headed to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1980 season.
Of course, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots were too much for Philadelphia. But at this moment, a curse had been broken.
January 7th, 2007: 23-20 Win vs. New York Giants (NFC Wildcard Round)
The Eagles had a drama-filled 2005 season that saw them miss the playoffs, but they returned back home for a playoff match with the New York Giants in January 2007. The back-and-forth matchup saw Philadelphia get out to a 17-10 lead at halftime, led by quarterback Jeff Garcia (who went 5-1 in the regular season to make this all possible).
The Giants tied the game 20-20 with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, giving Garcia a legacy drive of sorts. He and running back Brian Westbrook answered the bell, getting in field goal range.
A day prior, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo infamously botched a snap on a chip shot that, if successful, would’ve put his team up 23-21 in the late stages of the fourth quarter. But that had no impact on the Eagles, as Akers nailed one as time expired. Both of the Eagles’ biggest rivals were sent home in a one-day span.
The Eagles were just 10-6, so they were on the road to face Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints the next week. Philadelphia’s magic came to an end, losing 27-24.
January 9th, 2011: 21-16 Loss vs. Green Bay Packers (NFC Wildcard Round)
That’s right, it took another four years for the Eagles to host a playoff game. With Garcia (and McNabb) long out of the picture, this was Vick’s team. Now with Aaron Rodgers under center, the Packers were a bit different, too.
Rodgers and the Packers were superior to the Eagles in the first half, getting out to a 14-0 lead off of two solid drives. Despite an Akers field goal toward the end, Philadelphia was booed off of their own field. To be fair, he missed one, too.
This tough love seemingly worked. On the first drive of the second half, Rodgers fumbled on his side of the field, which led to a touchdown pass from Vick shortly after.
Green Bay scored hastily, though, and it wasn’t until the four-minute mark of the final quarter that Philadelphia responded. The score was now 21-16 in favor of the visitors.
Despite a relatively tall hill to climb, the Eagles got the ball back with ample time to score a touchdown and come out on top. A big first-down completion put the Birds inside the Packers’ 40-yard line with over a minute-and-a-half to go, making the Packers sweat it out. A clutch third-down completion kept the sticks moving, with the Eagles now inside the Green Bay 30-yard line.
But it was all for naught, as an interception in the end zone ended the Eagles’ comeback attempt. A month later, Rodgers won his first (and only) Super Bowl while in Green Bay.
January 4th, 2014: 26-24 Loss vs. New Orleans Saints (NFC Wildcard Round)
Another three years passed before the Eagles were able to appear in any playoff game at all. Fortunately for them, this was again at the Linc. With Andy Reid out as head coach and Chip Kelly in, the Birds took on Brees and the Saints for a rematch from seven years ago.
The first half was a low-scoring one, seeing a 7-6 lead for Philadelphia once it was finished. Their touchdown strike came inside the two-minute warning, a pass from Nick Foles to Riley Cooper.
The Saints started to pull away in the third quarter, going up 20-7 toward the end of it. With hope dwindling for Philadelphia, Foles threw a much-needed deep ball to DeSean Jackson to set up a red zone opportunity. Though it took four downs, LeSean McCoy punched it in to make this contest a close one. The teams traded fourth-quarter field goals to make it 23-17 Saints.
From midfield, Foles threw a deep pass to Jackson in the end zone that was incomplete. However, a pass interference call set them up with an easy touchdown strike to Zach Ertz, tying the game up. The extra point put the Eagles out in front 24-23.
The Saints drove down the field for a game-ending field goal, though. The 32-yard buzzer-beater was right down the middle.
January 13th, 2018: 15-10 Win vs. Atlanta Falcons (NFC Divisional Round)
This was similar to when the Eagles lost McNabb and ran with Garcia, only this year’s team had their MVP quarterback, Carson Wentz, go down late in a brilliant season. They rode Foles into a matchup with the Falcons, one that was very tight.
The first half saw the Eagles trail 10-9, with a fourth-down touchdown run accounting for six points and a last-second field goal accounting for the other three.
Much like what occurred 13 years prior, the Eagles didn’t allow the Falcons to muster a single point in the second half. Two field goals put Philadelphia up 15-10, but that was far from a stress-free lead. Atlanta drove to the Eagles’ red zone with a minute showing on the clock, giving them four chances to strike. However, the Birds shut the door at the final hour, with a fourth-down pass attempt from Matt Ryan to Julio Jones sailing out of bounds. Philadelphia hung on.
January 21st, 2018: 38-7 Win vs. Minnesota Vikings (NFC Championship Game)
It might’ve seemed like it was going to be another close game entering the NFC Championship, or perhaps a blowout in the other direction when the Vikings got out to a 7-0 lead and got the ball back on top of that midway through the first quarter.
Everything changed when quarterback Case Keenum threw a pick-six to Patrick Robinson. The Eagles didn’t look back after that moment, shutting down the Vikings’ offense and taking a 24-7 lead at halftime. Philadelphia never took their foot off the gas, not afraid to throw deep balls or run trick plays. This resulted in a 38-7 clobbering of Minnesota. The defense was clutch in this contest, but Foles and the offense also had their way.
This sent the Birds to the Super Bowl for the first time in 13 years. Only this time, against the same quarterback and foe, they got the win. Philadelphia won its first Super Bowl, 41-33, over the Patriots despite their MVP, Wentz, not playing a single snap in the postseason. Foles won Super Bowl MVP.
January 5th, 2020: 17-9 Loss vs. Seattle Seahawks (NFC Wildcard Round)
The Eagles saw their dominance dampen following their Super Bowl win, not winning the NFC East in 2018 and losing to the Saints in the Divisional Round. The good news was that Wentz, while not his MVP self, was back to playing.
But he was concussed in the first quarter, knocking him out of a 0-0 ballgame. With the defense holding strong in his absence, the game was actually close, but a 40-year-old Josh McCown in his first-ever playoff game didn’t move the needle enough.
The Eagles could’ve won, especially in the fourth quarter, where they got inside Seattle’s 25-yard line twice in a 17-9 contest. They turned the ball over on downs for their first attempt, and the second attempt, which got inside the 10, resulted in another turnover on downs. Thus, the Seahawks came away with a win.
January 21st, 2023: 38-7 Win vs. New York Giants (NFC Divisional Round)
Advance yet another three years, and the Eagles had returned to their early-mid 2000s and 2017 time of glory. At 14-3, they had the best record in franchise history entering a home-field bout with the Giants. Led by quarterback Jalen Hurts, the Eagles had a Vikings-esque beatdown of the Giants. Only this time, it was never close.
Hurts threw a touchdown pass on his first drive, setting the tone for the rest of the half. By the midway point of the second quarter, the Eagles led 21-0. By the end, they were up 28-0. The Eagles were content to lay a little low and allow their defense to seal the victory. They did, and it meant the Birds got to stay on their home field for another week of football.
January 29th, 2023: 31-7 Win vs. San Francisco 49ers (NFC Championship Game)
In their most recent playoff matchup at home, the Eagles put on a dismantlement of the San Francisco 49ers to book a trip to the Super Bowl. Hurts led another clutch touchdown drive to open up, giving his team a 7-0 lead in what was the biggest game of his life to that point.
On his first drive, the 49ers’ Brock Purdy fumbled to give Philadelphia possession at midfield. He got injured on that play, too, leaving backup Josh Johnson out there to try and mount a comeback. A journeyman quarterback in his first playoff game, there were quite a few parallels to the dilemma the Eagles faced at the Linc three years prior. Only, this was benefitting the home squad.
The 49ers tied it at 7-7 in the second quarter, but those were the last points they’d put up. The Eagles ran away with the contest after that, and their defense held strong. Their 31-7 victory put them back in the Super Bowl.
The Eagles lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in February, which was perhaps even more devastating than their loss to the Patriots 18 years before.
All in all, the Eagles are 8-4 in the postseason at Lincoln Financial Field and possess a plus-101 point differential. They have allowed more than 21 points once, with the maximum being 26.
Unless the Packers win and the Washington Commanders lose on Sunday, Philadelphia will be hosting Green Bay for the third time in this stadium, and with a different quarterback for both sides every time (Favre, Rodgers, and now Jordan Love for Green Bay; McNabb, Vick, and now Hurts for Philadelphia).
Both contests came down to the wire, so will this be the third that does so?
PHOTO: Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
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