If I had a nickel for every time Matthew Stafford lost a blizzard game in South Philadelphia, I’d only have two nickels, but that’s still a lot, right?
A dozen years ago, the Eagles turned in one of their most memorable regular season games ever in the aptly titled Snow Bowl. As snow built towards kickoff and eventually turned Lincoln Financial Field into a winter wonderland, the Eagles took down the Lions and Stafford. Nick Foles navigated the elements at quarterback and LeSean McCoy ran wild for 217 yards on the Detroit defense.
It was a legendary day in South Philly, a day that makes all the discourse around if the Eagles will eventually have a new domed stadium or one with a retractable roof feel stupid. What could possibly have been a better football experience than that?
Fast forward to Jan. 2025 and Stafford was once more at the Linc facing the Eagles. In the Birds’ Divisional Round playoff matchup, they were hosting the Rams. As the game wore on, the snow increased, conjuring up images of that iconic December day back in 2013. The stakes were infinitely higher than they were during that original Eagles-Lions game. This was a win-or-go-home scenario. Losing at home in the playoffs is unacceptable in the Delaware Valley. Hell, losing in general is flat out.
The Rams, no doubt about it, gave the Eagles their toughest test during their run to the Lombardi Trophy this past winter. Jalen Hurts thrilled everyone at the Linc with his 44-yard touchdown scamper on the game’s opening drive. The crowd was electric, but things got too close for comfort as things progressed. Before you knew it, the Eagles held only a one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Then Saquon Barkley happened.
Outside of “The Dagger” in Super Bowl LIX, Barkley’s 78-yard touchdown dash in the snow was the defining moment of last season’s championship run. Outside of Patrick Robinson’s pick-6 back in 2018, I can’t recall seeing the Linc rock quite like it did during that run and, yes, the snow and elements made it all even better.
The Rams weren’t done though. The Eagles would not cruise to this victory. A Los Angeles touchdown made things a 28-22 ball game and they found themselves with the ball back for a two-minute drill. When Stafford connected with Puka Nacua for a 37-yard first down to put Los Angeles at the Eagles’ 21-yard line, the only thing you could hear at the Linc was the wind.
Jalen Carter, building his case as the best interior defensive lineman in the sport, saved the day though. On a third and two, Carter sacked Stafford for a nine-yard loss. It was pure dominance from Carter. A fourth down attempt from the Rams didn’t convert and the Birds wrapped that one up with a Jalen Hurts kneel down.
Leaving the stadium that night, it was pandemonium at the Sports Complex with the snow. That was an essential part of the charm of it all though. If the Eagles simply won that game with clear skies and mild temperatures, it would stand as a great moment on the way to a Super Bowl victory, but it wouldn’t hold the special space in Eagles fans’ hearts as it does now. I get why the Eagles will likely have a roof on their next stadium and all the financial components, but, wow, give me football weather or give me nothing.
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