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Tag: terrell owens

  • Eagles-Giants memories: Pivotal points and playoff victories at the Linc

    The Eagles-Giants rivalry brings a wealth of memories to look back on. 

    At the Meadowlands, it’s a history of miracles

    Back at home at Lincoln Financial Field (and the Vet before it), it’s a history of playoff victories and pivotal points in Eagles history. 

    The Eagles face the Giants again this week in South Philly, looking to get one back on their division rival after they flat-out got embarrassed by them two weeks ago up at MetLife Stadium. 

    Before they try to settle the score, here’s a look back at some favorite Eagles-Giants memories at the Linc, and some old highlight packages along with them…

    The Tanner McKee Game

    Jan. 5, 2025, Week 18 – W, 20-13

    The Eagles were all set. At 13-3, they were locked in as the NFC’s No. 2 seed, with divisional round home-field advantage in the playoffs. 

    There was still a reason to play their starters, or one of them, in what was rendered a meaningless Week 18, as Saquon Barkley was pushing for the NFL’s single-season rushing record. 

    Head coach Nick Sirianni made the call to sit everyone in the end, though, which handed the keys to third-string QB Tanner McKee and the Eagles’ reserves, up against all of the New York Giants’ starters playing for whatever shred of pride they had left. 

    But McKee took it from them. He stayed cool and collected in the pocket, and tagged the Giants for 269 yards and two touchdowns on 27-of-41 passing.   

    He caught a floundering division rival completely off guard, but his Eagles teammates watching from the sideline? Hardly.

    “Man, did you see Tanner McKee just throwing dimes all over the field?” starting center Cam Jurgens quipped afterward“He’s fun to watch. We get to see him dice up our scout team. It’s just fun watching him go out there and make plays.”

    The harder they fall

    Jan. 21, 2023, NFC Divisional Round – W, 38-7

    The 2022 Eagles broke out and tore through the regular season with a defense that had piled up sacks to a record degree, and with an offense that had threats all over the field and saw Jalen Hurts make his way into the MVP conversation. 

    They were a juggernaut entering the playoffs. The Giants, who rode Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones to a surprise playoff berth and then an upset over the Vikings in the Wild Card round, hoped to stand in their way, but their luck ran out in brutal fashion.

    The Eagles had them crushed by halftime. The Giants couldn’t hope to cover anyone, playoff Kenny Gainwell became the new unsung hero of Philadelphia sports lore, and the Linc was breathing easy and celebrating a trip to the NFC Championship on the way to a 38-7 final – a familiar playoff score from the last Super Bowl run. 

    “Pick your poison, honestly,” former running back Miles Sanders said of how stacked that Eagles team was. “Starting with the quarterback, to the tight ends, to the running backs and the O-line, it’s just all good work. Everybody plays for each other.” 

    Which left the Giants with no chance.

    From 61

    Sept. 24, 2017, Week 3 – W, 24-27

    Carson Wentz and the Eagles had rallied back from highlight-reel Odell Beckham Jr. catches and a resurgent Eli Manning performance to bring the game down to a field goal kick with one second left.

    It was just that rookie kicker Jake Elliott would have to make the shot from 61 yards away. 

    But he nailed it. Elliott got the distance and put the ball just inside the right upright, and the Eagles mobbed their new kicker as they improved to 2-1, in what would become one of the key moments that propelled them to their first-ever Super Bowl.

    Wild Card Westbrook

    Jan. 7, 2007, NFC Wild Card – W, 23-20

    The Eagles rallied into the playoffs with Jeff Garcia at quarterback, and in the Wild Card round, against the Giants, Brian Westbrook kept the run going for one more week into New Orleans. 

    Westbrook took off on an unreal 49-yard touchdown run and had 141 rushing yards in total, Garcia fired a 28-yard laser to Donte’ Stallworth for a score late in the first half, and down to the wire tied 20-20, Westbrook marched them in close to bring the game down to a David Akers field goal. 

    Akers made the kick, the Giants were going home, Philadelphia celebrated, and a season once thought to have gone down along with Donovan McNabb and his torn ACL instead lived another week.

    Grand T.O.pening

    Sept. 12, 2004, Week 1 – W, 31-17

    The Delaware Valley had waited an entire summer for this: Terrell Owens’ Eagles debut. 

    The Eagles finally had their true No. 1 receiver for Donovan McNabb, and along with him, the hope that they had the final piece to break through and, at long last, get to the Super Bowl.

    The start of it all couldn’t have been drawn up any better. 

    Week 1 at home against the Giants, McNabb and Owens carved New York up and connected on three touchdown passes, with the new star receiver flexing and then flapping his wings in celebration upon each score. 

    The Eagles pummeled the Giants, 31-17, and it was one of those games where you just knew right away, after repeated NFC Championship failures, that this year was going to be different.


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    Nick Tricome

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  • Tempering Some 2025 Eagles Expectations? – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    I know what you are thinking. Two consecutive listless second halves of football — one both coming up short to NFL teams starting young NFL quarterbacks — may have you re-evaluating your expectations in 2025–2026. And who could blame you — considering the history that is following these Eagles?

    Twenty years ago last month — the Philadelphia Eagles opened the 2005 NFL season with great expectations. Much like this current group of Eagles — Philadelphia had played in the Super Bowl the year before — then narrowly losing to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

    After four seasons of being on top of the NFC and playing in consecutive previous NFC Championship Games — the Eagles and Andy finally broke through the year before — going 13–3 and winning the conference. Now — they would open the season against the opponent that they had even defeated in the NFC Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field a year earlier in order to advance to the big game — the Atlanta Falcons.

    Photo Courtesy of Eagles Nation on X.

    But it was the altercation some 30-minutes prior to the opening kickoff of the season that set the stage for what was to come. It seems strange to say that Jeremiah Trotter’s father (Trotter the Younger is now a linebacker for the Eagles) who was then a member of the Super Bowl Team in February 2005 — got into a fight with Falcons cornerback Kevin Mathis. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie was even on the field and talked with the officials. Before kickoff — Trotter and Mathis were ejected before the season even began.

    On opening day this season — amid all of the showmanship of a the start of another potentially championship season for yet another Philadelphia franchise that just ten months earlier was representing the NFC in the Super Bowl — Eagles Defensive Tackle Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. In fact — Carter was subsequently ejected from the game before one snap elapsed in the 2025 season and in September was fined some $57,000.00 by the National Football League.

    Photo Courtesy of Eagles Nation on X.Photo Courtesy of Eagles Nation on X.
    Drew Hallowell, Getty Images

    The Eagles would lose the season opener to the Falcons 14–10 in 2005. Trotter’s timely exit was not only the quickest ejection of any player in the NFL until 2005 — it also marked the beginning of a tough season to the Eagles. Contract issues with Brian Westbrook and Terrell Owens — the latter of the two who ended up in a drive-way sit-up media frenzy that would conclude with him no longer being part of the team. The season was marked by devastating injuries including to Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, Hank Fraley, Tra Thomas, Jerome McDougle, Todd Pinkston, Lito Sheppard, and Correll Buckhalter were all lost due to injuries and the team went 6–10.

    The opening game of 2005 was significant for another reason. The NFL would change it the rules of the game as pre-game workouts would need to be with the teams completely separated in a 10-yard neutral zone for warmups before the game.

    But before we write off the 2025–2026 Eagles season to only a possible rule change — consider this. The 2024 Eagles limped into a week five bye last season at 2–2. They would finish the rest of the regular season 12–1 and win the Super Bowl. The 2008 Eagles started the season at 5–5–1 before finishing the year 9–6–1 and went all of the way to the 2009 NFC Championship Game. For these Eagles — it’s not how you start — but rather how you finish.

    Tags: Donovan McNabb Eagles Super Bowl Jalen Carter Jeremiah Trotter terrell owens

    Categorized: Eagles More PHL News Unique Columns

    Michael Thomas Leibrandt

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  • An Unfortunate Collapse. – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    Photo Courtesy of Eagles Nation on X.

    It’s been 371 days since the Philadelphia Eagles lost a football game. That is all in the past now. A last-second Hail Mary landed just out of the reach of Devonta Smith and AJ Brown in a 21–17 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field. It was Denver’s first win in Philadelphia in nearly 40 years.

    Twenty years after another Eagles’ team who had won the NFC and gone to the Super Bowl the year prior was another game with an unfortunate ending to Denver (49–21.) One of the few highlights of that game was a ninety-one yard touchdown catch and run by Eagles franchise wide receiver Terrell Owens. Within less than a year — Owens was no longer one of Andy Reid’s Eagles.

    On Sunday in South Philadelphia — after a week of controversy about the fluidity of the Eagles offense highlighted by a social media post by franchise receiver AJ Brown — the Eagles continued to stumble on offense. Even the combination of Brown and Devonta Smith combined for thirteen receptions for 157 yards was not enough.

    The Eagles got out to a 17–3 start early in the 4th quarter — highlighted by a 47-yard Saquon Barkley touchdown catch and a six-yard Hurts to Dallas Goedert touchdown in the first half. 

    But the Broncos and Penn Charter graduate Mike McGlinchey stormed back in the 4th quarter — scoring fifteen points unanswered. The Eagles missed an opportunity with 5:18 left in the fourth quarter when Devonta Smith reception was called back on fourth and five. Eagles punter Braden Mann subsequently got off a terrible kick. The Eagles had the Broncos stopped on a third and two when linebacker Zach Baun was flagged for a fifteen yard unnecessary roughness penalty. The Eagles committed nine penalties for fifty-five yards in the game.

    The Eagles overcame six sacks and did rally for one last drive coming down the field with one minute and six seconds left. Then a no-call on a pass interference call inside the ten yard line was proceeded by a last-gasp Hail Mary from the Broncos twenty-nine yard line with no time remaining that nearly was caught by Devonta Smith.

    Tags: Andy Reid Denver Broncos Jalen Hurts Saquon Barkley terrell owens

    Categorized: Eagles More PHL News

    Michael Thomas Leibrandt

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