Little-known fact: The Philadelphia Eagles have been a wild-card team more times than any other team in NFL history.
From 1989 to the present day, the Eagles have finished as the division runner-up, still qualifying for the playoffs, eight times. They’ve also had a number of division titles in which the team found themselves hosting a home playoff game on wild-card weekend: four times, to be exact.
Below I will take a look at my all-time favorite wild-card moments as a Philadelphia Eagles fan. They are in reverse order.
5 – Brian Westbrook reverse field touchdown vs NY Giants in 2006
Although the Giants won just eight games and barely snuck into the playoffs in 2006, they dominated the Eagles in the first quarter of their wild-card battle. The Eagles went three-and-out on each of their first three possessions and trailed 7-0 entering the second quarter. Then Brian Westbrook took over, scoring on a highlight-reel 49-yard touchdown run to even the game at 7. Westbrook would finish the day with 141 yards and a touchdown, as the Eagles came away with a 23-20 victory.
4 – Asante Samuel interception touchdown vs Minnesota in 2008
Taravis Jackson was no match for the NFL’s fourth-ranked defense. To be fair, he probably shouldn’t even have been starting for Minnesota, as veteran Gus Frerotte was the better of the two quarterbacks in 2008. Against the Eagles, Jackson turned in a disastrous performance, completing just 15 of 35 passes for 164 yards and no touchdowns. The signature play came when Asante Samuel returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown midway through the second quarter. At the end of the play, defensive end Chris Clemons picked up Jackson, who foolishly attempted to make the tackle, and body-slammed him into the ground.
3 – 31-point second quarter against Detroit in 1995
My first Eagles memory involves looking at the scoreboard in the third quarter as the Eagles held a ridiculous 51-7 lead against a Detroit Lions squad that had finished the season with seven straight victories. The Eagles scored 31 points in the second quarter alone, including a 43-yard Hail Mary from Rodney Peete to Rob Carpenter on the final play of the half. Add in interception touchdowns by Barry Wilburn and William Thomas and you had the makings for one of the most dominant victories in Eagles’ postseason history.
2 – Brian Westbrook 71-yard screen pass touchdown clinches victory vs Minnesota in 2008
The Eagles needed a miracle on the season’s final day to even reach the postseason, where they were installed as 3.5-point road favorites against the Minnesota Vikings. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Eagles were clinging to a 16-14 lead before Donovan McNabb dumped off a screen pass that Brian Westbrook took 71 yards for a touchdown. Westbrook broke a couple of tackles on the play as he weaved his way through a series of Vikings defenders to give the Eagles an insurmountable 23-14 lead.
1 – David Akers walkoff FG knocks off NY Giants in 2006
The best wild-card moment of my lifetime as an Eagles fan came on the final play in 2006, as David Akers connected for a walkoff 38-yard field goal to send the Eagles to New Orleans. After an Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress touchdown tied the score at 20 with 5:08 remaining, Jeff Garcia and the Eagles drove 46 yards in nine plays to set up Akers’ walkoff kick. It was Brian Westbrook who contributed 33 of those yards on the ground, as the Eagles finished Tiki Barber’s career in dramatic fashion.
