NFL
When Was the Last Time the Philadelphia Eagles Started a Season 5-0?
Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sportscasting in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies. When Jack isn't writing about sports, he's watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He's also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sportscasting with one excellent gambling recommendation after another.
Get to know Jack Dougherty betterPublished16 Oct 2022
We’re five weeks through the 2022-23 NFL season, and there’s only one undefeated team remaining in the league. That’s right, just as we all expected, the Philadelphia Eagles are the last unbeaten team in the NFL at 5-0, and they look to be on the fast track to the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
This is just the third time in franchise history that Philly has started 5-0, and it hasn’t happened in nearly two decades. So, when was the last time the Eagles started 5-0, and how did that team fare the rest of the season?
The Philadelphia Eagles are the last undefeated team in the NFL
The Eagles entered the 2022-23 NFL season with high expectations after a playoff appearance last year and a strong offseason that brought A.J. Brown, Haason Reddick, and Jordan Davis to the 2-1-5. But not even the die-hard Philly fans saw this start coming.
Philadelphia is the last undefeated team standing in the NFL at 5-0, and it hasn’t been too stressful, either. The Eagles have beaten their opponents by an average of 9.4 points per game through five weeks. Their biggest scare came last week in a 20-17 win against the Arizona Cardinals, but they still haven’t trailed in the second half all season.
Jalen Hurts has been the most important piece of Philly’s undefeated start. The 24-year-old ranks second in the NFL among QBs in rushing yards (773) and seventh in passing yards (1359). Heading into the season, Hurts was viewed as a borderline franchise quarterback with much to prove. Now, he’s in the MVP conversation.
When was the last time the Eagles started a season 5-0?
The last time the Eagles started a season 5-0, Hurts was just six years old. That’s right, Philadelphia hasn’t started 5-0 since the 2004 season when Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens were running the show. The only other time the franchise started a season with five straight wins came back in 1981.
The 2004 Eagles won their next two games before getting crushed by the Pittsburgh Steelers for their first loss of the season. They then rattled off six straight wins before dropping their final two to finish the season 13-3. As most Eagles fans remember, that team reached the Super Bowl and lost to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
The 1981 Eagles started off 6-0, but they sputtered to the finish line with six losses in their final 10 games. They went on to lose to the New York Giants in the first round of the playoffs.
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