It was a disappointing season for the defending Super Bowl champions. Or was it? That’s a legitimate debate and I can see an argument for both sides.
The negative spin is how obviously the Eagles were affected by the Super Bowl hangover, as they suffered a number of heartbreaking last-second losses. They didn’t win consecutive games until December. And their franchise quarterback was again lost for the season with three games left to play.
But then the magic of Nick Foles happened, and the Eagles won their final three regular season games to clinch the NFC’s final wild card spot. In the end, a 9-7 record and a single playoff victory was disappointing when compared to August, but when compared to November, it’s safe to say the Eagles successfully salvaged their season.
Below is my list of the 30 most memorable moments of the 2018 season for the Philadelphia Eagles. These are the moments, both good and bad, that you are most likely to remember in the future.
1. Double Doink
The most memorable moment for the 2018 Eagles involved one of the strangest plays you’ll ever see in a football game. It’s known simply as Double Doink. You know what happened. After a last-minute touchdown gave the Eagles a 16-15 lead against the Chicago Bears in their wild-card playoff game, the Bears were lining up for a walkoff 43-yard field goal. Their kicker, of course, was former Eagle Cody Parkey, who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2014 but was released following an injury-plagued 2015 campaign. Parkey’s kick somehow managed to hit the left upright before bouncing off the crossbar and into the field of play in the end zone. Later it was revealed that Eagles’ defensive tackle Treyvon Hester had partially tipped the kick, which may (or may not) have caused the miss. The incredible moment gave the Eagles a playoff win that would have seemed stunning considering their 4-6 record just two months earlier.
2. The Drop Heard Round the World
The stage was set. Eagles were going to pull off the impossible and stun the New Orleans Saints in their home stadium with a last-minute touchdown drive. Then they were going to travel to Los Angeles and handle the Rams again, setting up yet another Foles vs Brady matchup in the Super Bowl. Yet the season ended for the 2018 Eagles in a way no one expected, as the normally sure-handed Alshon Jeffery let a Nick Foles pass go right through his hands, which was grabbed for a game-clinching interception by Marshon Lattimore. Jeffery was later revealed to have played through broken ribs, and after catching a touchdown in the previous year’s Super Bowl despite a torn rotator cuff, it’s not surprising that the fan base gave their team’s top receiver a complete pass for his errant play.
3. Back injury ends Wentz’s season
Carson Wentz was arguably the best quarterback in football throughout the first three months of the 2017 season, leading the Eagles to an 11-2 start and breaking the franchise’s single-season record with 33 touchdown passes. After his torn ACL set the stage for backup Nick Foles’ MVP performance in the Super Bowl, it’s safe to say Wentz was under a tremendous amount of pressure heading into 2018. He did not deliver. Although Wentz’s numbers (21 touchdowns, 7 interceptions and an even higher passer rating than his 2017 campaign) passed the eye test, his play did not. Wentz was clearly hampered all season by his torn ACL before a broken bone in his back ended his year after Week 14 for the second straight season.
4. Foles to Tate is golden on fourth down
The Eagles’ midseason trade for Golden Tate yieled disappointing results. It’s impossible to deny that. The former Pro Bowler caught 30 passes for 278 yards and just a single score during his eight regular season games in an Eagles uniform. However Tate did provide one memorable moment, as his game-winning two-yard touchdown reception on fourth and goal gave the Eagles a 16-15 lead with just 58 seconds remaining in their wild-card game against the Chicago Bears.
5. Amari Cooper Game ends season
If the Eagles had missed the playoffs in 2018, their overtime loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14 would have gone down as one of the worst regular season losses in franchise history. Although Carson Wentz threw a game-tying touchdown on each of the Eagles’ final two drives in the fourth quarter, the difference proved to be midseason trade acquisition Amari Cooper, whose third touchdown, this one in overtime, proved to be the difference. In a play that seemed to summarize the first three months of the Eagles’ season, Cooper’s walkoff touchdown came on a perfect bounce after a deflection by cornerback Rasul Douglas, Cooper’s 10 catches for 217 yards and three scores, all after the midway point of the fourth quarter, will go down as one of the best games ever by an Eagles opponent.
6. 4thand 15
The first sign that the 2018 Eagles just didn’t have the same magic from the previous year came in their epic Week 4 meltdown against the Tennessee Titans. Not only did the Eagles blow a 17-3 lead, they actually led in overtime 23-20 before surrendering an almost incomprehensible 18-play touchdown drive to ultimately lose the game. The Titans converted three fourth downs on their game-winning drive, a first ever in an overtime period, but the signature play came when veteran safety Corey Graham somehow allowed Taywan Taylor to get behind him and catch a 19-yard pass to give Tennessee a fresh set of downs. Four plays later, the Titans passed up a potential game-tying field goal, converting yet another fourth down on a 17-yard completion from Marcus Mariota to Dion Lewis. The inevitable occurred three plays later, as Corey Davis’s ten-yard touchdown reception provided the winning score with just five seconds remaining in overtime.
7. Jake Elliott walkoff vs Houston
The entire Eagles season came down to the right leg of second-year kicker Jake Elliott. Trailing 30-29 with just three seconds remaining, the Eagles needed a routine 35-yard field goal to complete a second straight upset win and salvage their still slim playoff hopes. Although Elliott’s struggles on mid-range kicks was well-known by that point, his kick was essentially perfect, moving the Eagles a game above .500 for the first time all season. The kick marked the first come-from-behind walkoff field goal for the Eagles since 1997.
8. Foles leads biggest upset in Eagles history
The Eagles’ season was essentially over after their Week 14 overtime loss to the Dallas Cowboys. At 6-7, the Eagles needed to win each of their final three games, two against quality competition, to even have a shot at the postseason. Oh, and they needed to win despite Carson Wentz’s season-ending back injury. Enter Nick Foles. The previous season’s Super Bowl MVP led the Eagles, who entered the game as 13.5 point road underdogs, to a 30-13 lead entering the fourth quarter, and an eventual 30-23 victory. Talk about a team win. Wendell Smallwood and Josh Adams combined for three rushing touchdowns, Alshon Jeffery caught eight balls for 160 yards, and the Eagles’ defense collected three turnovers. The win vaulted the Eagles back to a .500 mark at 7-7, opening the door more so for the Eagles’ once seemingly-dead playoff chances. And by point spread, yes, this was the largest upset in a single game in Eagles history.
9. Eagles win in Carson Wentz’s return
Carson Wentz made his much-anticipated return to the Eagles from a torn ACL in week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts, and although he didn’t exactly light it up, he did lead a tremendous 18-play, 11-minute touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to give the Eagles a 20-16 lead. Needing a touchdown to win, Andrew Luck led the Colts to the Eagles’ four-yard line with just over a minute left in the game, but a 16-yard sack by Derek Barnett on fourth down sealed a dramatic victory for the Eagles.
10. Kirk Cousins pulls a Kirk Cousins
The Eagles needed some help to make the playoffs heading into Week 17 of the 2018 season. And while it wasn’t quite on the 2008 level of miracles, the Eagles did catch the breaks they needed. The Chicago Bears easily handled Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings, despite the Bears knowing they would face the Eagles the following week in the playoffs if they emerged victorious in Week 17. Oh, and it’s worth mentioning that the Eagles did need to win against the lowly Redskins, who were starting journeyman Josh Johnson. And when the Eagles did so by a 24-0 score, they had secured their second straight trip to the postseason.
11. Saints blowout ends season
The Eagles’ struggles in 2018 hit a new low against the New Orleans Saints in Week 11, in the form of the worst loss the Eagles had suffered in 13 years. The 48-7 loss to the Saints was as bad as it gets, with Carson Wentz’s three interceptions repeatedly stalling the Eagles’ offense. Drew Brees threw four touchdowns, while the dynamic duo of Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram rushed for 174 yards and a pair of scores. With the Eagles dropping to 4-6 and Wentz clearly playing through an injury, the defending Super Bowl champions appeared to be all but eliminated from playoff contention.
12. Golden Tate trade
The defending Super Bowl champions were struggling offensively at the midway point of the season, and the team desperately needed a weapon either in the ground game or at the receiver position. A year after shipping a fourth-round pick to Miami for disgruntled running back Jay Ajayi, Howie Roseman was at it again, sending a third-round pick to Detroit for slot receiver Golden Tate. The trade for the former Pro Bowler never panned out quite like the Eagles had hoped, as Tate caught 30 passes for 278 yards and a touchdown in eight games. It’s looking more and more likely that the 30-year-old will leave via free agency, although there’s a good chance the Eagles will be able to recoup some value for Tate back in the form of a mid-round compensatory draft pick.
13. Julio Déjà vu
It’s simply unbelievable how identically the Eagles’ divisional round game against Atlanta in 2017 and their season opener against Atlanta in 2018 ended. Each time, the final play of the game for Atlanta was a fourth down incompletion in the end zone from Matt Ryan to Julio Jones, arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL. It can be argued that Julio simply dropped his potential game-winning touchdown in the playoff win after the 2017 season, but in the 2018 season opener, it was cornerback Ronald Darby who made a spectacular push on Julio to keep the All-Pro receiver from landing in bounds.
14. Ertz breaks receptions record
Perhaps no player in Philadelphia sports has changed his reputation more in recent years than Zach Ertz. After years of failing to provide a so-called breakout season, Ertz made his first Pro Bowl in 2017 before catching the game-winning touchdown in the Super Bowl. So what could he do for an encore? 116 catches, the most ever in a single season by a tight end. Ertz’s second straight Pro Bowl season even opened the possibility that the 28-year-old could enter Hall of Fame discussion with a few more terrific seasons.
15. Cam Newton 17-point comeback
The Eagles lost a number of games in 2018 that, in any given year, would be a team’s worst loss. But the very worst may have been the blown 17-point fourth quarter lead against Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. In fact, not only did the Eagles lead by 17, but they were pitching a shutout on the defensive side of the ball. But complete meltdowns for the Eagles on both offense and defense led to a go-ahead Greg Olsen touchdown reception with just over a minute to play. The Eagles actually advanced to Carolina’s 14-yard line in the closing seconds, but a sack fumble of Carson Wentz on fourth down sealed the loss for the defending Super Bowl champions.
16. Vikings get revenge
The Eagles and Vikings entered the 2017 conference championship game with a combined record of 28-6. They entered their October rematch with a combined record of 3-4-1. Their Week 5 contest didn’t quite have the same hype as their postseason battle, and it also featured different quarterbacks for each team, with Carson Wentz healthy for the Eagles and free-agent acquisition Kirk Cousins in Minnesota. It was the Vikings who built a 20-3 lead in the third quarter, highlighted by a Linval Joseph 64-yard fumble return for a touchdown, before holding on to a 23-21 win.
17. Brees leads 12thlongest drive in NFL history
The key moment in the Eagles’ heartbreaking postseason loss to New Orleans was Alshon Jeffery’s dropped pass that led to the game-sealing interception, but the turning point was a tremendous third quarter drive led by Drew Brees and the Saints’ offense. Over a span of 11:29, almost the entire third quarter, the Saints traveled 92 yards on 18 plays, capped off with a two-yard touchdown strike from Brees to Michael Thomas. The Saints actually scored a touchdown on the drive’s 11th play, as Taysom Hill connected with Alvin Kamara for a 46-yard score, but a holding penalty by Andrus Peat nullified the touchdown. The eventual Saints touchdown gave them a 17-14 lead over the defending Super Bowl champions, a lead they would not relinquish.
18. Brandon Brooks tears Achilles
The Eagles’ offense suffered an absolutely brutal blow in the first quarter of their eventual playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints, as 29-year-old right guard Brandon Brooks suffered a torn Achilles. Brooks’ recovery time was initially estimated at 6-8 months, but it’s easy to see a scenario where the two-time Pro Bowler misses a significant portion of the 2019 season. Brooks’ absence was heavily felt in the ground game, as the Eagles rushed 14 times for just 49 yards in the eventual 20-14 loss.
19. Not a clear recovery
There are bad calls and then there are truly awful calls. The first play of the Eagles-Cowboys game in Week 14, easily the most important game of the year to date for both teams, will go down as one of the single worst calls any of us have ever seen in our lives. On the opening kickoff, Malcolm Jenkins forced a fumble of Cowboys returner Jourdan Lewis, which was recovered by Eagles special teams ace Kamu Grugier-Hill. The Eagles challenged the play and lost, with the refs ruling that it was not a “clear recovery” by the Eagles, despite the only three players surrounding the ball playing for the Eagles. In a game the Eagles lost 29-23 in overtime, it’s safe to say that a first-play turnover putting the Eagles in instant field goal range may have provided the difference that would have prevented overtime and an eventual Eagles loss.
20. Foles survives hit from Clowney
The legend of Nick Foles grew to another level when he led the Eagles to three straight victories, all must-win games, to end the 2018 season and propel the Eagles into the final wild-card spot in the NFC. The signature moment was a last-second game-winning drive against the 10-4 Houston Texans, which almost never happened after Foles was viciously knocked to the ground on a brutal hit by All-Pro defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Foles, who managed to complete the third and ten pass to Alshon Jeffery for 20 yards, stayed on the ground for several minute before leaving the game for one play. But he returned, to thunderous applause, to lead the Eagles into field goal range, setting up the team’s second straight improbable victory.
21. Giant comeback extends season
Carson Wentz led a 16-point comeback, the largest of his career, to give the Eagles a potentially season-saving victory over their division rival. In their first of three straight games against NFC East opponents, the Eagles relied on a 43-yard field goal by Jake Elliott to win it in the closing seconds. At 5-6, the Eagles were reeling, but still technically alive.
22. Alshon returns from rotator cuff injury
The Eagles’ 2017 season is remembered for countless injuries to star players, notably Carson Wentz, Jason Peters, Jordan Hicks and Darren Sproles. But one significant injury that didn’t sideline a player was Alshon Jeffery’s torn rotator cuff, as he played through the injury, even recording a highlight-reel touchdown catch in the Super Bowl. Jeffery underwent surgery a few weeks after the surgery and was sidelined for more than seven months. Jeffery’s absence was noticed in the first three games of the season, with the Eagles averaging just 222 passing yards per game. Jeffery made an immediate impact in his week four return against the Tennessee Titans, catching eight passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.
23. Wentz to Ertz gets 99 percent
Even halfway through the season, most Eagles fans, myself included, were full of optimism regarding the Eagles. Expectations heading into their Week 10 clash with the division foe Dallas Cowboys were that the Eagles, fresh off a bye week, would retake control of the NFC East. But the Eagles’ struggles continued as Dallas controlled their Sunday Night Football contest from start to finish. Trailing 27-20 with just over a minute to play, the Eagles faced a fourth and seven from Dallas’s 35-yard line. Carson Wentz completed a short pass that Zach Ertz that literally accumulated 99 percent of the necessary yardage, but a replay review showed the Eagles were just short of a first down, giving Dallas the victory.
24. Jay Train injury begins running back carousel
The Eagles’ midseason trade acquisition of Jay Ajayi from the Miami Dolphins, for just a fourth-round pick, paid dividends in 2017 as Ajayi served as the Eagles’ starting running back throughout their Super Bowl run. But Ajayi, who had been plagued by knee injuries in both college and the first few years of his NFL career, suffered a torn ACL after the Eagles’ Week 5 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. His second, and possibly final season, in Philly came to an end after just 45 carries. Over the final 13 games of the season, the Eagles cycled through a plethora of running backs in Josh Adams, Corey Clement, Darren Sproles and Wendell Smallwood, but ultimately never found a suitable replacement for Ajayi.
25. FitzMagic
The NFL’s hottest quarterback in the first two weeks of the season? Not who you’d expect. Veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, filling in for a suspended Jameis Winston, completed 27 of 33 passes for 402 yards, four touchdowns and an interception in a 27-21 victory over the Eagles. DeSean Jackson continued his yearly revenge against the Eagles, catching a 75-yard touchdown on the game’s first play, and tight end OJ Howard also added a 75-yard touchdown catch.
26. Philly Special 2.0
The Philly Special will be remembered as the boldest playcall in Philadelphia Eagles history. It’s almost incomprehensible that the Eagles ran almost the exact same play in their next game. Trailing 6-3 in the third quarter of their home opener against the Atlanta Falcons, Pederson called for Philly Philly, a variation of their famous play from the Super Bowl. This time, Nick Foles took the snap and handed to Corey Clement, who pitched to Nelson Agholor, who lofted a 15-yard pass to Nick Foles. The play sparked a struggling offense, as Jay Ajayi’s end zone plunge a few plays later gave the Eagles their first touchdown of the season.
27. Mark Sanchez Monday night reunion
The Eagles finally caught a break when they faced the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football in week 13. At 5-6 and fighting to stay in the playoff hunt, the Eagles faced a Redskins team that was already without starting quarterback Alex Smith (broken leg) and would lose backup Colt McCoy to the same injury after just four passes. Veteran Mark Sanchez, a familiar face to the Eagles, hadn’t thrown an NFL pass in two full seasons. Sanchez attempted 21 passes for just 100 yards and an interception, and only a 90-yard touchdown run by Adrian Peterson provided the Redskins with any offensive points after Sanchez entered the game. The much-needed victory gave the Eagles their second win in a row for the first time since the 2017 playoffs.
28. Darren Sproles’ long-awaited return
Veteran Darren Sproles had missed the Eagles’ final 13 regular season games, as well as all of the postseason, in 2017 with a torn ACL and a broken arm. He announced in July that the 2018 season would be his last, and after a hamstring injury in practice after the first game of the 2018 season, it seemed Sproles’ career may be over. After all, he was essentially day-to-day for more than two months, and frustrations mounted when the Eagles kept Sproles on their active roster instead of placing him on injured reserve. Their much-anticipated wait did pay off before Week 12, when Sproles returned, fully healthy, against the Washington Redskins. By season’s end, Sproles had even briefly taken on the role of starting running back for a struggling Eagles’ rushing attack. The question now centers around whether Sproles will return for a 15th NFL season in 2019.
29. Eagles survive London debut
All it took for the Eagles to bounce back from one of the worst losses of the season (a blown 17-0 lead against Carolina) was a trip across the world to play the Jaguars in London. After four of their first seven games came down to the final seconds, this one was much less dramatic. The Eagles led early, forced a turnover on downs at midfield with 3:36 left and ran out the clock to secure a 24-18 victory.
30. Jordan Matthews re-signed
The Eagles brought back a familiar face two games into the 2018 season, re-signing Jordan Matthews to help a much-depleted receiving corps. Matthews, of course, is also best friends with Carson Wentz, who was returning to action in Week 3 after a successful recovery from a torn ACL. Matthews spent the year as the team’s fourth receiver, catching 20 passes for 300 yards and two touchdowns, as well as a third touchdown in the Eagles’ eventual postseason loss to the New Orleans Saints.
