The Philadelphia Eagles entered the 2023 NFC Championship Game as the favorites to win the Super Bowl. The NFL franchise has been around for 90 years, yet Philadelphia’s championship seasons have been few and far between.
Have the Eagles won a Super Bowl? Philadelphia is only five years removed from winning its first and only Super Bowl championship in franchise history.
The Eagles lost their first two Super Bowl appearances before finally winning the big game. Philadelphia finally got over the hump in improbable fashion, taking down the greatest head coach and player of all time with a backup quarterback at the helm.
Philadelphia defeated the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4, 2018. The Eagles survived 505 passing yards from Tom Brady. Nick Foles won the Super Bowl MVP award, throwing for 373 yards and three touchdowns, in addition to catching a pass for a touchdown.
Foles became the Eagles starting quarterback when Carson Wentz suffered a season-ending injury with only three games left in the regular season. Wentz was an MVP candidate during the 2017 regular season, and Foles was in his second stint with Philadelphia as a journeyman quarterback.
The Patriots were the defending champs. Brady won his third MVP award and was seeking his sixth championship alongside coach Bill Belichick. New England was the clear favorite and ready to establish itself even further as the greatest dynasty the league had ever seen.
But Foles and Eagles coach Doug Pederon had other plans. Pederson outmaneuvered Belichick, highlighted by the “Philly Special” that saw Foles reel in a touchdown reception at the end of the second half to give Philadelphia a 22-12 halftime lead. Foles posted a triple-digit passer rating in all three of the Eagles’ playoff wins, including a near-perfect 352-yard performance in Philadelphia’s 38-7 rout of the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game.
The Patriots got the better of the Eagles 13 years earlier when they met in Super Bowl XXXIX. New England defeated Philadelphia 24-21 for its third championship in four years.
In each of the previous three years, the Eagles came up short in the NFC Championship Game. The fourth time was a charm for head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Donovan McNabb, but the duo was unable to take down Brady and Belichick.
The Eagles’ only other Super Bowl appearance came at the end of the 1980 season, and it was the only championship that Philadelphia was expected to win. Entering Super Bowl XV as three-point favorites, the Eagles were blown out by the Oakland Raiders 27-10. Philadelphia quickly fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter, and the game was all but over when Oakland took a 21-3 lead on Jim Plunkett’s third touchdown pass early in the third quarter.
The Eagles did win three titles before the Super Bowl era. After losing in the 1947 NFL Championship Game, Philadelphia won back-to-back NFL championships in the 1948 and 1949 seasons. The Eagles beat Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers for the 1960 championship, six years before the first Super Bowl was played.
In the last 23 seasons, the Eagles have made 15 playoff appearances.
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