Does the Philadelphia Eagles’ 10-1 start to the season feel reminiscent of some past success? They might not have had it all together yet this season, but no team in the NFL is ever perfect.
With the Eagles leading the NFL with the best record, they can make magic happen early.
Here’s the exciting part: each time the Eagles started the season 10-1, they made the Super Bowl. There are four instances where this has happened and what that means for the 2023 season.
1980 Season (12-4): Reached the Super Bowl
The 1980 Philadelphia Eagles looked to improve from their 11-5 record the season prior, landing them at a wildcard spot. They delivered in a big way. The team’s season began at home at Veterans Stadium with a 27-6 win over the Denver Broncos, They then went on to win the next two games, however lost in Week 4 to the St. Louis Cardinals football team, 24-14. This was enough for the team to turn things around and outscore their next eight opponents, 184-102. This was enough, plus one more win against the Cardinals later in the season, to push to the playoffs and play against the Oakland Raiders, where they lost 27-10.
2004 Season (13-3): Reached the Super Bowl
About 20 years later, the Eagles would reach that same level of success again. Once the Andy Reid-Donovan McNabb era began in 1999, the team would achieve success in 2001, 2002, and 2003 but not quite make it back to the Super Bowl until 2004. The team started 7-0 before taking their first-season loss to the Steelers, 27-3. After that, the team turned things around for the remainder of the season. They lost their final two games at home which didn’t matter as they secured the first-round bye. After winning both games at home against the Vikings and Falcons, they faced the Patriots in the Super Bowl and lost 24-21.
Close Calls
Through the next 13 years, the Eagles would have a handful of close calls with making the playoffs, regardless of rocky starts. No season would be as nearly successful until 2017 when that will finally change under a new era.
2017 Season (13-3): Win the Super Bowl
The Philadelphia Eagles finally won their first Super Bowl. After a win against the then-Washington Redskins, they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-20. Returning from their bye week, the Eagles started 9-1 after a win over the Dallas Cowboys. They’d not lose again until early December against the Seattle Seahawks and then against the Cowboys in a game that didn’t matter because they were already in the playoffs. From there, the rest is history. This defensive-dominant Super Bowl-winning team held their two opponents before the Super Bowl to 17 points. After a historic performance in Super Bowl LII against the New England Patriots, the team finally won, 41-33.
2022 Season (14-3): Reached the Super Bowl
For a few years, the team moved on from a different head coach and quarterbacks and landed in a prime position to run it back to the Super Bowl for the second time in five years with a different regime. In the second entire season of the Sirianni-Hurts era, it delivered hugely. For the first time, the team started 8-0 which translated to a 14-3 record heading into the playoffs. The team wasn’t perfect but dominated similarly to their 2017 run. In the playoffs, the Eagles outscored their opponents 69-14 before losing by three in the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs, 38-35.
How to Run it Back in 2023
Now that the Eagles are 10-1 and halfway through their “gauntlet,” their path to the Super Bowl isn’t easy yet; they can clinch a playoff berth this weekend with a bit of help from a few other NFC teams, but would then have to continue winning out to get the first seed practically. It’s not easy, but if you give the Eagles a chance, they will take it.