The Philadelphia Eagles are on the verge of one of the biggest late-season collapses in NFL history. Philadelphia is the first team to start 10-1 or better and lose five or more games in a season since the 1986 New York Jets, showcasing how rare their late-season collapse actually is.
Based on how the Eagles are playing, it's hard to envision them winning a postseason game at this stage (they just lost to the Giants and Cardinals in consecutive weeks). Crazier things have happened in NFL history with teams that have limped into the postseason, including a Super Bowl champion that made a coordinator change as late in the season as the Eagles did.
All hope is not lost for Philadelphia, based on how these teams that struggled heading into the postseason fared. Every team mentioned below won at least nine games and won a postseason game.
1986 New York Jets
This is the team the Eagles have been in connection with in regards to NFL history, since Philadelphia is the first team since the 1986 Jets to start 10-1 and lose five or more games. The Jets lost five straight games entering the postseason, being outscored 183 to 61 -- allowing 36.6 points per game. They clinched the top wild-card spot because of their hot start.
New York actually won its first playoff game against Kansas City, winning 35-15 over the Chiefs at home before falling 23-20 in overtime to the Cleveland Browns in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Jets actually led 20-10 in the fourth quarter before collapsing and falling in overtime.
1997 Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings started 8-2 on the year and were leading the NFC Central before dropping five straight, averaging 15.4 points per game. The team underwent a quarterback change as Brad Johnson suffered a neck injury and Randall Cunningham took over, not relinquishing the job for the rest of the year.
Minnesota finished 9-7 and clinched the final playoff spot in the final week of the regular season, upsetting the New York Giants in the wild-card round. The Vikings lost to the No. 1 seed San Francisco 49ers 38-22 in the divisional round, but set the stage for a 15-1 season (and conference championship game appearance) the following year.
1999 Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins were another team that started 8-2 before limping into the postseason, losing five of six to finish 9-7. The lone victory in that stretch was a 12-9 win over the San Diego Chargers in Week 15, losing two straight before the playoffs began. Dan Marino was actually pulled in the final regular-season game in favor of Damon Huard, a game which the Dolphins only qualified for the playoffs because the Chiefs lost.
Of course, Marino wins the lone road playoff game of his career the next week. The Dolphins defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the wild-card round in what was the final game at the Kingdome. Miami lost 62-7 to the No. 1 seed Jacksonville Jaguars the next week, in what was Marino's final NFL game and Jimmy Johnson's final game as an NFL head coach. Miami was down 38-0 before Marino completed a pass.
2009 New Orleans Saints
The Saints were the best team in the NFL in that 2009 season, but plenty of questions arose as the team headed into the postseason. New Orleans started the season 13-0, but lost its final three games heading into the playoffs. The No. 1-ranked offense averaged just 14.7 yards per game in that stretch.
New Orleans lost to a three-win Tampa Bay Buccaneers team and a seven-win Carolina Panthers team to close the year, but the Saints clinched the No. 1 seed and rested starters before the final game. Losing three straight did raise some concerns for the postseason, even with a team that had the No. 1 offense.
The Saints took advantage of the first-round bye and home-field advantage, dismantling the Arizona Cardinals 45-14 in the divisional round before rallying to win 31-28 over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game. New Orleans then won Super Bowl XLIV, thanks to Payton's onside kick gamble to start the second half that rallied the team.
During that three-game losing streak, the Saints lost two games at home -- that Brees started. There were questions about the momentum and vibe of the team entering the postseaosn, but Payton and Brees helped erase all those doubts.
2012 Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens started off 9-2 before losing four of their last five games to finish 10-6 -- included in that was a three-game losing streak that featured an offensive coordinator change. Baltimore fired Cam Cameron and replaced him with quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell on Dec. 10, and Baltimore was ninth in scoring and 18th in yards per game.
The Ravens did lose two of three under Caldwell as offensive coordinator, literally limping into the playoffs as a wild-card team. Baltimore beat the Indianapolis Colts 24-9 at home before upsetting the Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos 38-35 in double overtime -- relying on a miracle 70-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones in the final minute of regulation to force overtime.
Baltimore upset the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots 28-13 in the AFC Championship game, then survived a San Francisco 49ers second-half rally in Super Bowl XLVII to win the championship. Joe Flacco threw 11 touchdown passes to zero interceptions in the playoffs en route to Super Bowl MVP honors.
The Ravens survived their coordinator change and didn't have great results immediately. They turned it around in time for the postseason, giving John Harbaugh his elusive Super Bowl title.
