1996 Philadelphia Eagles: Beyond Adversity & Into The Playoffs

The Philadelphia Eagles came into 1996 building off a season where they won 10 games and advanced to the Divisional Round of the playoffs. That 1995 run was in the first year under head coach Ray Rhodes, who took over a team that had been around .500 the previous couple of seasons. In 1996, even dealing with injury problems at quarterback, the Eagles again won 10 games and again advanced to the postseason.

Rodney Peete opened the season as the starter at QB, but he was lost for the season by the end of September. Ty Detmer took over. Running an offense overseen by a young coordinator named Jon Gruden, Detmer played pretty well. His 59% completion rate ranked 11^th among starting quarterbacks, and his 7.3 yards-per-attempt was eighth in the league.

While Detmer was mistake prone, with a TD/INT ratio of 15-13, a 3.2 percent interception rate wasn’t as intolerable as it would be today—in the world of 1996, it ranked 16^th, and was something that his otherwise efficient play could overcome.

The work of a veteran receiver, Irving Fryar, was vital in this year of upheaval behind center. Fryar, now 34-years-old, made the Pro Bowl with 88 catches for almost 1,200 yards. Chris Jones added 70 more receptions.

Philly’s running backs were versatile, with fullback Kevin Turner catching 43 balls. Rickey Watters added 51 more catches. Watters, in spite of running behind a non-descript offensive line, also rolled up over 1,400 yards rushing and made the Pro Bowl.

When all was said and done, the Eagle offense finished ninth in the NFL for points scored. What’s surprising is that the defense, Rhodes’ specialty, struggled.

Philadelphia got some decent work from the defensive ends. William Fuller was another 34-year-old having a Pro Bowl campaign. Young Mike Mamula on the other side added eight sacks. William Thomas was a Pro Bowl linebacker. But none of them were standouts and there were problems in the secondary. The names look impressive, but corner Troy Vincent had an off-year, and free safety Brian Dawkins—eventually to become a Hall of Famer—was a rookie. The Eagles would only rank 21^st in a 30-team league for points allowed.

The season began in Washington, against a Redskins team that after a few down years, would jump back into contention this season. Philadelphia turned the ball over three times, and got none in return. But Peete played well, going 20/34 for 269 yards, hitting both Fryar and Jones with touchdown passes. The turnovers kept it closer than it needed to be, but Philly still left the nation’s capital with a 17-14 win.

Turnover problems persisted on Monday Night in Green Bay. This was a great Packer team, en route to a Super Bowl victory, and there was no overcoming the mistakes this time. The Eagles were outrushed 171-59, trailed 23-0 by the second quarter and lost 39-13.

Detroit came into old Veterans Stadium next. The previous year, the Eagles had blown the Lions out in the playoffs. This year’s Detroit team wasn’t nearly as good. Philadelphia shut down the great Barry Sanders, while Watters ran wild for 153 yards. Peete was a razor-sharp 25/30 for 284 yards, while Jones caught nine balls for 121 yards. The Eagles won 24-17.

Atlanta was another playoff team from ’95 that would fall on hard times in 1996. Philadelphia went down there on Sunday Night and forced six turnovers. Thomas intercepted two passes, while Fuller came up with two sacks. Watters rushed for 121 yards. When the Falcons cut the Eagle lead to 26-18 with four minutes to go, Derrick Witherspoon had the answer—a kickoff return brought to the house that sealed the 33-18 triumph.

Philadelphia was rolling at 3-1 and set for a big Monday Night showdown with the Dallas Cowboys on the final day of September. The Cowboys were not only the defending Super Bowl champs, they were a dynasty, having won three of the previous four Lombardi Trophies. They were the team the Eagles had to beat if they were going to elevate from nice playoff team to bona fide championship contender.

In front of the home crowd, Philadelphia took a 10-0 lead. But they couldn’t run the ball and turned it over five times. What’s more, Peete injured his knee and was gone for the year. The 23-19 loss only dropped the Eagle record to 3-2, but the circumstances for this season were suddenly looking bleak as they headed into a bye week.

The offense struggled in the first game under Detmer when Philadelphia came back with a late Sunday afternoon visit to the New York Giants. Facing a bad team, the Eagles trailed 10-6 after three quarters. But they weren’t turning the ball over and they were running it effectively—Watters ran for 110 yards. That was enough to turn the tide and leave the Meadowlands with a 19-10 win.

Detmer opened up the next week against a Miami Dolphins team that was playing without Dan Marino and headed for .500. Detmer hit Fryar on touchdown passes of 38 and 26 yards in the first half. The duo hooked up on scoring plays from 12 and 36 yards in the second half. Detmer finished 18/24 for 226 yards. Fryar’s eight catches went for 116 yards. And Watters? He merely went off for 173 yards. The Eagles won a 35-28 shootout.

The winning continued against the Carolina Panthers, only in their second year of existence, but headed for the NFC Championship Game. Neither the Eagles or Panthers could run the ball, but Detmer and Fryar were back in business. Detmer went 23/38 for 342 yards. Fryar caught seven balls for 173 yards. That was the difference in a 20-9 win.

It was time to go to Dallas for the rematch. Watters and the great Emmitt Smith went toe-to-toe, each running for over 100 yards. Late in the game, Detmer was still mistake-free while Troy Aikman had thrown an interception. That was the difference as the Eagles clung to a 24-21 lead with Dallas driving. It was time for the Philly D to come up with another turnover. Linebacker James Wills intercepted a pass in the end zone. He brought it out, lateraled the ball to Vincent, who raced the rest of the way for a touchdown. The final was 31-21.

Philadelphia was soaring at 7-2. But this win over the Cowboys would mark the high point of the season.

The Eagles hosted playoff-bound Buffalo. While Detmer threw for 315 yards, he was sacked five times and there was no running game. An early 10-7 Philly lead gave way to 17 straight points from the Bills and an eventual 24-17 loss. One week later Washington came in. The Eagles were chasing throughout, first behind 10-0 and then 20-7. They closed to 23-21, but the Redskins added a field goal, and the result was a 26-21 loss.

Even worse is what happened the following week in Arizona. Facing a mediocre Cardinals team, Philadelphia couldn’t run the ball and couldn’t stop the run. Fryar had seven catches for 131 yards, and Witherspoon kept the Eagles in it with another kickoff return for a touchdown. But it wasn’t enough. The 36-30 loss sent Philly spiraling to a 7-5 record.

They were flailing as the stretch drive arrived, but there was still plenty of opportunity. The Redskins led the NFC East at 8-4, with the Cowboys and Eagles both giving chase at 7-5. There were three wild-card spots available, and while one of them would go to the Carolina/San Francisco runner-up in the NFC West, the East had a hold on the other two, with only the 6-6 Minnesota Vikings giving chase. The playoffs were there to be taken, and the division title was still very much in play.

But the Birds needed to play better football. To that end, a visit from the Giants was what they needed. Detmer went 25/33 for 284 yards and threw three touchdowns. Watters caught nine of those passes for 104 yards. A dominant defensive effort included five sacks, two by Fuller. The Eagles won 24-0. The Redskins lost. There was a three-way tie in the NFC East at 8-5, with Minnesota in hot pursuit at 7-6.

A Thursday Night visit to playoff-bound Indianapolis was a disaster. Trailing 10-3 in the second quarter, Detmer threw a Pick-6. It was one of three interceptions on the night. The Eagles were beaten badly up front on both sides of the ball in a 37-10 humiliation.

That Sunday, Dallas moved into sole possession of first place and also had the tiebreaker situation in hand with two weeks to go. Philadelphia, Washington, and Minnesota were all 8-6 and fighting for two wild-card spots. The tiebreaker situation here was a little better, with the Redskins having the biggest problem.

Philadelphia went back to the Meadowlands to play an atrocious New York Jets team on early Saturday afternoon. It nearly turned into a train wreck. The Eagles trailed 20-7 in the fourth quarter of a sloppy game where the two teams combined for nine turnovers. Detmer found Jones on a short two-yard TD pass. Then Detmer hit Fryar with a 14-yard touchdown pass. The Eagles escaped disaster 21-20. And the following day, when the Redskins couldn’t escape disaster in Arizona and lost by a point, Philadelphia had clinched a playoff spot.

Going into the final week, the Eagles were in the 6-spot (at that time the final berth), while the Vikings were at #5. It could still reverse, although how much that mattered is debatable. Either way, you were on the road against either San Francisco or Dallas—the two franchises who had defined the NFL for the first part of the decade and were looking to show they still had it.

Philadelphia hosted Arizona (an NFC East rival in the three-division alignment that existed prior to 2002). Mamula returned an early fumble for a touchdown. The Eagles kicked a couple of short field goals and built a 13-0 lead. Detmer went 20/32 for 216 yards. The lead grew to 29-6, and the final ended 29-19. At the same time in the early afternoon, Minnesota was getting blown out in Green Bay, where the Packers were wrapping up the 1-seed. The Eagles ended the season 10-6 and were on the 5-line.

Wild-Card Round Weekend ended on late Sunday afternoon with Philadelphia’s game in San Francisco. It was raining in the Bay Area, and the field was sloppy. The Eagles were able to move the ball, but they couldn’t play clean football in the conditions. Detmer threw one interception in the end zone and another near the goal line. He eventually left the game with a bad hamstring. Veteran backup Mark Rypien threw another interception. Meanwhile, the 49ers played mistake-free football and ended Philly’s season, 14-0.

Given the adversity, another 10-6 year and playoff trip was a success for Rhodes. But the struggles down the stretch this year foreshadowed the next two seasons. Philadelphia slipped to 6-9-1 in 1997, collapsed to 3-13 in 1998 and Rhodes was gone.