2004 Philadelphia Eagles season | |
---|---|
Owner | Jeffrey Lurie |
General manager | Andy Reid |
Head coach | Andy Reid |
Home field | Lincoln Financial Field |
Results | |
Record | 13–3 |
Division place | 1st NFC East |
Playoff finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Vikings) 27–14 Won NFC Championship (vs. Falcons) 27–10 Lost Super Bowl XXXIX (vs. Patriots) 21–24 |
Pro Bowlers | QB Donovan McNabb RB Brian Westbrook WR Terrell Owens OT Tra Thomas LB Jeremiah Trotter CB Lito Sheppard FS Brian Dawkins SS Michael Lewis K David Akers ST Ike Reese |
AP All-Pros | WR Terrell Owens (1st team) CB Lito Sheppard (1st team) FS Brian Dawkins (1st team) K David Akers (2nd team) |
The 2004 season was the Philadelphia Eagles' 72nd in the National Football League (NFL). The Eagles entered the season as back-to-back-to-back NFC runner ups and had been one of the most successful teams in the league after the Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb era began in 1999, making it to the playoffs for four straight seasons and to the NFC Championship Game in 2001, 2002, and 2003. However, the team could not reach the Super Bowl in any of those years, despite being favored in the latter two NFC title games. In the offseason, this already championship-level team was reinforced on both sides of the ball by the free agent additions of wide receiver Terrell Owens, defensive end Jevon Kearse and return of middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, their third-round draft pick in 1998.
Possessing a high-powered offense which featured McNabb, Owens, and Brian Westbrook, as well as a bruising defense led by Pro Bowlers Jeremiah Trotter, Brian Dawkins, Lito Sheppard and Michael Lewis, they won their way to a 13–1 start to the season. After resting starters for the final two games, the 13–3 Eagles (the best record in the Reid era) soared past the Minnesota Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons in the playoffs, earning a trip to Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville against the defending champion New England Patriots. The Eagles fell 24–21, ending their season. This season was considered the franchise's most successful in the modern era until their Super Bowl LII-winning 2017 season–coincidentally, the Eagles also faced the Falcons, Vikings, and Patriots in the 2017 playoffs.
The 2004 Eagles are also the most recent NFC East squad to repeat as division champions, as the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Commanders, and the Eagles themselves have failed to defend their respective titles in the subsequent season. The 2004 Eagles were also the last team to go 6–0 against NFC East rivals until the Dallas Cowboys in 2021. It would be the last season where the Eagles won their first seven games until 18 years later.