Ten surprising postseason stats from Eagles history

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Ten surprising postseason stats from Eagles history

 

 

 

Reuben Frank

EAGLES INSIDER

How do I spend my spare time this time of year? Browsing the Eagles’ postseason record book, of course.

With the Eagles set to open play in the 2022 postseason against the Giants on Saturday night, I put together 10 of my favorite postseason stats from distant and recent Eagles history.

Maybe if we do this again next year, we'll be able to load up on A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Jalen Hurts stats.

1. The Eagles have played 23 postseason games in Philadelphia and have never allowed a rushing touchdown longer than 10 yards. The longest postseason rushing TD ever against the Eagles in a home game was a 10-yarder by the Falcons’ Warrick Dunn in the 2004 NFC Championship Game. Daunte Culpepper and Greg Bell had seven-yarders.

2. Despite his historic performance in 2017, Nick Foles does not own the best postseason passing performance in Eagles history. That distinction belongs to Rodney Peete, whose 143.3 passer rating in the Eagles’ 58-37 wild-card win over the Lions in 1995 is highest in franchise history. Peete that day completed 17 of 25 passes for 270 yards with touchdowns to Ricky Watters, Fred Barnett and Rob Carpenter. In the 26 years since that game at the Vet, only eight NFL QBs have had a higher postseason passer rating (Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson, Tony Romo, Matt Ryan, Josh Allen and Matt Stafford). Foles’ 141.4 mark in the 2017 NFC Championship Game against the Vikings is second-highest in Eagles history. Peete played 16 years and started 87 other games, but that’s the only time in his career he had three TDs and no INTs.

3. The only Eagles running back in the last 40 to have at least 22 rushing attempts in a playoff game is Chris Warren, who only played three games for the Eagles. The Eagles claimed Warren on waivers on Dec. 7, 2000, a day after he was released by the Cowboys. Warren played in the 2000 regular-season finale against the Bengals, rushing 14 times for 42 yards and a 2.8 average. But in the wild-card game against the Bucs, Andy Reid let Warren loose, and the 32-year-old veteran ran 22 times for 85 yards in the Eagles’ 21-3 win at the Vet. A week later he was 6-for-11 in the loss to the Cowboys, and he never played again. The only other players in franchise history with 22 carries in a playoff game are Steve Van Buren and Wilbert Montgomery.

4. In the Eagles’ 23 home playoff games, they’ve only allowed 27 or more points once – and that was the 58-37 win over the Lions in 1995 that they led 51-7 at one point. They’ve held 15 of their 23 home opponents to 17 or fewer points and 19 of 23 to 21 or fewer points. The Eagles are 15-8 in home playoff games and 12-3 when they allow fewer than 20 points.

5. The last Eagle with two interceptions in a playoff game is Damon Moore, who picked off Tampa’s Brad Johnson twice in the 2001 wild-card game. The last Eagle with two sacks in a postseason game is Darwin Walker, who dropped Drew Brees twice in the 2006 conference semifinal. The only Eagle with a sack and an interception in a playoff game is Rashard Cook, who sacked Jim Miller and intercepted Shane Matthews in the Eagles’ 2001 conference semifinal win over the Bears (who had drafted Cook two years earlier).

6. Only three teams in the last 50 years have recorded six interceptions in a playoff game, and the 1995 Eagles are one of them. They picked off Scott Mitchell four times and Don Majkowski twice in the 58-37 win over the Lions. Six different Eagles had an INT that day: Barry Wilburn, Kurt Gouveia, Mike Zordich, Greg Jackson, Mark McMillian and William Thomas. The only other teams to have six different players pick off a pass in a playoff game were the 1940 Bears against Washington and the 1955 Browns vs. the Rams.

7. Nobody on the Eagles’ 53-man roster has ever had an interception in a playoff game, but somebody on their practice squad has. Anthony Harris picked off Brees in the Vikings’ 26-20 win over the Saints at the Superdome in 2019. The Eagles’ last postseason interception was also at the Superdome off Brees – Cre’Von LeBlanc on the first play of the Eagles’ 2018 loss to the Saints.

8. The Eagles have lost the last four playoff games as favorites. They were 3 ½-point favorites over the Cards in the 2008 NFC Championship Game (but lost 32-25), 2 ½-point favorites over the Packers in a 2010 wild-card game (but lost 21-16), 3-point favorites against the Saints in their 2013 wild-card game (but lost 26-24) and 1-point favorites against the Seahawks at home in the 2019 wild-card round (and lost 17-9). The last postseason game the Eagles won as favorites was their 26-14 win over the Vikings in 2008. They’re 7-0 all-time as favorites of 6.0 or more points.

9. Jake Elliott is 11-for-11 in postseason field goal attempts, and that’s the 4th-most attempts in NFL playoff history without a miss. Robbie Gould is 25-for-25 going into the 49ers’ game against the Cowboys Sunday, Chris Boswell of the Steelers is 16-for-16 and Evan McPherson of the Bengals is 15-for-15 heading into their game against the Bills Sunday. So three of the most accurate postseason kickers in NFL history will be in action this weekend. The only other kicker in Eagles history who attempted at least one postseason field goal and never missed was Bobby Walston, who was 1-for-1 with a 15-yarder against the Packers in the 1960 NFL Championship Game at Franklin Field.

10. There are 37 players in Eagles history who’ve played in at least eight playoff games. All 37 played for Andy Reid.

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/ten-surprising-postseason-stats-eagles-history