How Many Super Bowls Have the Philadelphia Eagles Won?
Few fan bases want their team to succeed more than the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s part of the reason why Philadelphia Eagles tickets are in such high demand year after year. If you’ve ever been to a Philadelphia Eagles game, you know it’s a unique experience. Of course, passion from the fans hasn’t always translated to on-field success and got the Eagles over the hump when they’ve had a championship-caliber team. Given the long and storied history of the franchise, let’s look back at Philadelphia’s playoff history and find out how many Super Bowls the Eagles have won.
The Early Championships
The Eagles played their inaugural season in the NFL in 1933, although it would take a little time before they took flight. If you don’t include 1943, when the Eagles combined forces with the Steelers to become the Steagles, Philadelphia didn’t register a winning season until 1944. But once they got going, it wasn’t long until the Eagles became a bonafide contender. The Eagles reached the NFL Championship in 1947, falling to the Cardinals 28-21.
However, the Eagles would have their revenge on the Cardinals the following season, beating them 7-0 in the 1948 NFL Championship Game. The Eagles repeated the same feat the following year, going 11-1 in the regular season and then beating the Rams 14-0 to home their second NFL championship. A little more than a decade later, the Eagles won their third championship in franchise history, beating the Packers 17-13 in the 1960 NFL Championship Game.
The First Super Bowl Try
While the Eagles get credit for winning three NFL championships, they came during the pre-Super Bowl era. It wasn’t until Super Bowl XV and the 1980 season, 20 years after their last championship, that the Eagles made their Super Bowl debut. Under coach Dick Vermeil, the Eagles won the NFC East for the first time that season before beating the Vikings and rival Cowboys in the playoffs to reach Super Bowl XV. But it wasn’t meant to be that year. The Eagles fell behind the Raiders 14-0 in the first quarter and never recovered. They turned it over four times, ultimately losing Super Bowl XV 27-10.
The Long Drought
After losing their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, it took nearly a quarter-century for the Eagles to get back to the biggest game in sports. That’s not to say they didn’t have chances. The Eagles became one of the best teams in the NFC during the late 1980s and early 90s. But following their Super Bowl loss, the Eagles won just two playoff games before the arrival of head coach Andy Reid in 1999. Under Reid, the Eagles reached another level, winning four straight NFC East division titles from 2001 to 2004. Philadelphia also reached the NFC Championship Game in all four of those seasons, only to fall short in the team’s first three trips.
The Second Try
During the 2004 season, the Eagles finally got over the hump. They knocked off the Falcons 27-10 in the NFC Championship to reach the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history. But waiting for them in Super Bowl XXXIX was Tom Brady and the Patriots. Philadelphia broke the ice but allowed the Patriots to tie the game before halftime. Both teams also found the end zone in the third quarter, making it a 14-14 tie heading into the fourth quarter. But the Patriots scored 10 straight points to take a 24-14 lead. The Eagles answered with a touchdown with 1:48 left in the game. The Philadelphia defense got a stop to give the ball back to the Eagles in the closing seconds. But an interception with nine seconds left on the clock sealed the win for the Patriots.
The Road Back
Bouncing back from their Super Bowl XXXIX loss proved difficult for the Eagles, who finished 6-10 the following year. But Reid quickly got Philadelphia back to playing at a high level. Despite a modest 9-6-1 record in 2008, the Eagles reached the NFC Championship Game again. However, they lost to the Cardinals, preventing an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl against the Steelers. To make matters worse, the Eagles wouldn’t win another playoff game until the 2017 season.
Third Time’s the Charm
In Doug Pederson’s second season at the helm in 2017, the Eagles got back to their old ways. They won the NFC East with a 13-3 record and escaped a tricky playoff game against the Falcons in the Divisional Round. A week later, Philadelphia blew out the Vikings 38-7 in the NFC Championship, earning them a third trip to the Super Bowl and a rematch with Brady and the Patriots. This time, things would be different. Despite the injury to quarterback Carson Wentz late in the regular season, backup Nick Foles played brilliantly, throwing for 373 yards and three touchdowns.
Of course, the game was by no means easy. After leading most of the game, the Eagles fell behind 33-32 in the fourth quarter. But a touchdown pass from Foles to Zach Ertz with 2:21 left gave the Eagles the lead back. The Philadelphia defense was able to close it out from there, with help from a late field goal, giving the Eagles a 41-33 win and their first and only Super Bowl win in franchise history.