Whether it was Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens against the Patriots' first dynasty, Nick Foles and the underdog 2017 team against the second, Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and DeVonta Smith against the Chiefs' dynasty then, or that same group plus Saquon Barkley against Kansas City now, each Eagles team that has made it to the Super Bowl did so with at least one dominant aspect to them.
But going in, were they perceived as the better team? Running back through NFL season team leaders in average yards from 1980, 2004, 2017, 2022, and this past year, here are the "Tales of the Tape" for all five Super Bowls the Eagles have reached, with theirs or their opponent's advantages bolded, along with reflections and thoughts on where the result ultimately ended up. Hopefully, it paints a picture of how good of a shot each Eagles team had to win a title, even though, so far, only one has done it. Super Bowl XV: Raiders vs.
Eagles RESULT: Raiders 27, Eagles 10 Reflection: The Eagles had finally broken through with a cathartic NFC Championship win over the rival Cowboys, but then they arrived to the final stage and just hit a wall. Jim Plunkett and the Raiders put up two first-quarter touchdowns, Ron Jaworski threw three picks, and there was just no coming back. The party was over for Dick Vermeil's storied group.
Super Bowl XXXIX: Patriots vs. Eagles RESULT: Patriots 24, Eagles 21 Reflection: After 24 years and three straight, painful NFC Championship Game letdowns, the Eagles finally made i.
