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As a die-hard sports fan from Philadelphia, I’ve been very fortunate to attend plenty of exciting sporting events over my lifetime—including a few exciting games during the playoffs. However, of all the sports game I’ve ever been part of, nothing compares to the regular season finale I attended between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys in 2008 that sent the Birds to the playoffs.
In the middle of the 2008 season, the Eagles seemed like a long shot to reach the playoffs following a Week 12 game against the Baltimore Ravens in which they were crushed 36-7. The loss dropped Philadelphia to 5-5-1 and their only way of reaching the playoffs seemed to be earning a Wild Card spot by winning the final five games.
Luckily, they went on to win their next three games, a Week 16 loss to the Washington Redskins set the Eagles back in the playoff hunt. At 8-6-1, there was still hope for the Birds, but they would need help from other teams during Week 17 in the process to make it happen.
Not only would the Eagles need a win against the Cowboys—who were also fighting for a playoff spot—in their regular season finale, but they would also need the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears to lose as well to clinch a playoff spot.
After the Texans managed to beat the Bears, the only thing standing in the way of the Eagles receiving a second chance at competing for a playoff spot was the Buccaneers—who were 13-point favorites against the Raiders prior to the game and playing in front of their home crowd.
Basically, there was no reason in the world why Tampa Bay should lose to an Oakland team that had won just four games all season and playing with a backup running back—but they did.
With the game tied 14-14 heading into the fourth quarter, hundreds of Eagles fans gathered around a television inside Lincoln Financial Field to watch the final 15 minutes of a game that would decide whether or not the Eagles would be playing a meaningful game against the Cowboys. All hope seemed lost when Oakland found themselves trailing 24-14 in the middle of the fourth quarter, but 17 unanswered points to end the game gave Oakland one of the most shocking wins from the 2008 season and gave new life to a fan base that believed their playoff hopes were all but gone.
All of a sudden, the game between the Eagles and Cowboys would decide who would earn the No. 6 seed in the NFC and to say the fans in attendance couldn’t have been more fired up. It’s one thing to be an Eagles fan and watch your team beat the Cowboys, but to eliminate them from the playoffs as well? Even better.
At first, it seemed like the battle between these two NFC East rivals would go right down to the wire as the teams were tired 3-3 at the end of the first quarter. But once the second quarter got under way, Dallas didn’t stand a chance as Philadelphia took over the game by scoring 24 points in the second quarter to take a commanding 27-3 lead at halftime.
And if that wasn’t enough, Philadelphia crushed any hope of a Dallas comeback in the third quarter by returning two fumbles into touchdowns from 73 and 96 yards before going on to win the game 44-6.
I’ve been to over 20 Eagles games in my lifetime, but I’ve never been part of an atmosphere like the one from that cold day in December 2008 when all of the stars lined up for Philadelphia to get into the playoffs. With the way the stadium erupted from cheers after every touchdown, it was as if the Eagles had just won a playoff game—or even a Super Bowl.
At the beginning of the day, the chance of eliminating the Cowboys from the playoffs seemed like the only enjoyment Eagles fans would experience that day. Nobody expected Philadelphia to receive a second chance for the postseason given the circumstances—but it did.
To witness the Eagles clinch a playoff spot the way they did by beating the Cowboys to end the 2008 season is a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life. The only way it could be topped is if I’m lucky enough to witness Philadelphia win their first Super Bowl—which will hopefully happen sooner rather than later.
Disclosure: I received compensation from Visa for sharing my views in this post, but the views expressed here are solely mine, not Visa’s. This post was sponsored by Visa Signature as part of their Team Tackle Sweepstakes for @VisaSignature. Visa will be rewarding 1 football fan and a friend with the ultimate Super Bowl package and experience from November 21th through December 19th. Visit https://www.facebook.com/visasignature?sk=app_308300589198143 for more details, and follow@VisaSignature for ways to gain instant access to dozens of perks and prizes. Discover more at http://usa.visa.com/personal/visa-signature/index.jsp.
Dan Parzych is the Lead NFL Content Editor for www.RantSports.com/NFL, where he writes and edits NFL content for www.RantSports.com.
Be sure to follow Dan on Twitter @DanParzych
Email Dan: [email protected]
