From the 1960 NFL Championship to a five-year playoff streak, the Eagles’ history is a rollercoaster of triumphs and droughts. The team’s legacy shows how rare sustained success has been, and why the current run under Nick Sirianni feels almost mythical.
The Long Arc of Eagles Success
The franchise captured its first NFL title in 1960, but the decade that followed was a nightmare. From 1962 through 1977 the Eagles posted only one winning season, averaging just 4 ½ victories each year over a 16-year stretch. That period ranks among the worst in the league’s history.
The 1980s and 1990s Struggles
In 1980 the team reached the Super Bowl, but the next twelve years would bring no playoff win. Over the following twenty seasons the Eagles managed only two wild-card victories, both of which ended in crushing defeats to the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium.
The Modern Era of Playoff Inconsistency
The 2009-2016 window was another low point. Eight seasons passed without a playoff victory, and the franchise cycled through three head coaches-Andy Reid, Chip Kelly, and Doug Pederson-while recording three losing campaigns in five years.
Changing Standards of Success
Historically, a winning record was a rare achievement. In the first 45 years the Eagles finished with a positive mark only 14 times, and only five of those came between 1962 and 1987. Playoff victories were even scarcer: after the 1960 title, the team won a postseason game in only four of the next 39 seasons-roughly once a decade.
The Five-Year Surge
A bright spot appeared from 2000 to 2004, a five-year stretch under coach Big Red that yielded a winning record. The 2008 NFC Championship run and the 2017 Super Bowl appearance added another chapter of success, but the Eagles then endured a nine-year playoff drought. After 2017 the team’s performance slipped, leading to the dismissal of coach Doug Pederson in 2020.
Nick Sirianni’s Historic Run
Nick Sirianni has been in charge for the last five years, and his tenure has been the most successful period since the late 1940s. The Eagles clinched a playoff berth for the fifth straight year with a win over the Washington Commanders on Saturday. Only the Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have matched the possibility of five consecutive postseason appearances, yet neither has reached a Super Bowl in that span. Under Sirianni, the Eagles have reached two Super Bowls and won one.
Sirianni is the only coach in NFL history to guide his first five teams into the postseason while also reaching two Super Bowls and securing a victory. He joins a select group-Paul Brown, Bill Cowher, Chuck Knox, and John Harbaugh-but stands alone in achieving this particular combination of milestones.
The Reality of Fan Expectations
It is understandable for fans to feel upset when the team blows a 21-point lead in Dallas, or when it allows 281 rushing yards at home against the Chicago Bears, or when it loses in overtime to the Los Angeles Chargers. Yet the context matters. The Eagles are part of one of the most successful stretches in a franchise that has existed for almost a century, and the standards here are astronomical. Anything short of a Super Bowl is a disappointment, and that rarity makes the current success feel almost surreal.
Key Takeaways
- The Eagles’ only winning season between 1962 and 1977 averaged 4 ½ wins per year.
- The franchise has won a postseason game in only four of 39 seasons after 1960.
- Nick Sirianni is the first coach to take his first five teams to the playoffs and reach two Super Bowls, winning one.
The Eagles’ journey from a 1960 championship to a five-year playoff streak illustrates the highs and lows of a storied franchise, and it underscores why the current era feels both historic and extraordinary.
