Sunday’s wild-card round playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers marks the first step in the Eagles’ bid to enjoy a special season.
A win over the Niners, plus two more wins in the divisional round and conference championship games, would put the Birds in position to become the first NFC team to reach the Super Bowl in back-to-back seasons since the Seattle Seahawks accomplished the feat in the 2013-14 seasons.
No NFC team has won two straight Super Bowls since the Dallas Cowboys in 1993-94.
The have already set some records.
The Eagles’ 11-6 record was good enough to earn them their second straight NFC East title, which hadn’t been done in the division since they won four straight crowns in 2001-04.
As they prepare to face the 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field in an attempt to win another Lombardi Trophy, here’s a look back at some of the plays and players who have helped make this such a successful season to date.
BEST GAME: Eagles 31, Raiders 0 (Dec. 14, 2025). Yeah, I know the Raiders were horrible this season, but the Eagles turned in their most complete game of the year. Quarterback Jalen Hurts threw three touchdown passes and the defense posted its first shutout since 2018.
WORST GAME: Giants 24, Eagles 17 (Oct. 9, 2025). This was an embarrassing performance against the worst team in the NFC. Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo ran through the defense for three TDs and rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart accounted for two TDs.
BEST PLAY (Offense): Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who has had a terrific season, broke loose behind the Vikings secondary and Hurts hit him in stride for a 79-yard touchdown on October 19.
WORST PLAY (Offense): Hurts accomplished the rare feat of committing two turnovers on one play against the Chargers on Dec. 9. He threw an interception to Chargers defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand, who promptly fumbled. Hurts recovered the fumble, then coughed up the football when hit by defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell. Linebacker Troy Dye recovered it to give possession back to the Chargers.
BEST PLAY (Defense): Linebacker Jalyx Hunt, who led the team with three interceptions, scored the the Eagles’ only defensive touchdown when he returned one 42 yards to the end zone at Minnesota on Oct. 19.
WORST PLAY (Defense): Defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected before the first defensive snap of the season for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott on Sept. 4.
BEST PLAY (Special teams): Defensive tackle Jordan Davis blocked Rams’ kicker Joshua Karty’s 44-yard field goal attempt at the end of regulation on Sept. 21, then rumbled 61 yards to the opposite end zone as time expired for a touchdown. It was the Eagles’ first blocked field goal returned for a touchdown since Oct. 23, 2005, when Matt Ware scored on a 65-yard return on a Quentin Mikell block against Chargers place-kicker Nate Kaeding.
WORST PLAY (Special teams): There wasn’t any glaring error on a single play, but place-kicker Jake Elliott has been woefully inconsistent. He missed a field and extra point against the Bears on Nov. 28.
BEST SINGLE-GAME PERFORMANCE (Offense): Jalen Hurts had a perfect 158.3 rating against the Vikings. He completed 19 of 23 passes for 326 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
BEST SINGLE-GAME PERFORMANCE (Defense): Davis was selected as NFC Defensive Player of the Week after batting down three passes against the Lions on Nov. 19.
BEST RETURN FROM RETIREMENT: Veteran defensive lineman Brandon Graham, who retired at the end of last season, returned to the team in late October and has enjoyed a solid season.
BEST OFFSEASON/INSEASON PICKUP: Linebacker Jaelen Phillips has had a major impact since joining the Eagles in a trade with the Dolphins earlier this season.
WORST OFFSEASON PICKUP: Running back A.J. Dillon was signed to bolster the running game, but was surpassed on the depth chart by Tank Bigsby. He has just 12 carries for 60 yards.
BEST OPPONENT (Offense): Bears running backs D’Andre Swift (125 yards and a TD on 18 carries) and Kyle Monangai (130 yards and a TD on 22 carries) both dominated the Eagles on Nov. 28.
BEST OPPONENT (Defense): Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto registered 2.5 sacks against the Birds on Oct. 5.
BEST OPPONENT (SPECIAL TEAMS): Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker “The Kicker” made five field goals in as many attempts on Dec. 8.
TURNING POINT: To be honest, I’m not sure they had one in the regular season. They reeled off three straight wins near the end after a three-game losing streak, but have yet to show the consistency that made them a strong Super Bowl contender a year ago.
49ers-Eagles reunion
Sunday’s playoff game marks the second time the teams have met in the postseason in the last four seasons.
The last time came in the 2022 NFC Championship game, when the Eagles won 31-7 to earn a berth in the Super Bowl. Niners quarterback Brock Purdy suffered an elbow injury and missed most of the game. Ironically, he was replaced by Josh Johnson, who just led the Commanders to a win over the Eagles last week.
This is the third time the teams have met in the playoffs. In 1996, the Niners earned a 14-0 victory in the wild-card round at San Francisco. Quarterback Steve Young ran for one TD and threw a TD pass to wide receiver Jerry Rice in a driving rainstorm.
Eagles quarterback Ty Detmer threw two interceptions.
Local NFL update
Two former players from Cape-Atlantic League schools will be participating in the playoffs this weekend.
Rookie running back LeQuint Allen Jr. (Millville High School) has enjoyed a solid season for the Jacksonville Jaguars, the No. 3 seed in the AFC. The Jaguars plays host to No. 6 Buffalo on Sunday.
Allen had 94 yards on 23 carries (4.1 yards per carry) this season and 10 receptions for 54 yards.
Wide receiver/defensive back/returner Bo Melton (Cedar Creek) has been a key player for the Green Bay Packers. The Packers, No. 7 in the NFC, will face No. 2 Chicago Saturday.
Melton had four receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown, five carries for 35 yards, and averaged 24.6 yards per kickoff return.
David is a nationally recognized sports columnist who has covered Philadelphia and local sports for over 40 years. After 35 years with The Press, he has served as a columnist for 973ESPN.com and created his own Facebook page, Dave Weinberg Extra Points. Send comments to weinbergd419@comcast.net.
