I know what you are thinking. Two consecutive listless second halves of football — one both coming up short to NFL teams starting young NFL quarterbacks — may have you re-evaluating your expectations in 2025–2026. And who could blame you — considering the history that is following these Eagles?
Twenty years ago last month — the Philadelphia Eagles opened the 2005 NFL season with great expectations. Much like this current group of Eagles — Philadelphia had played in the Super Bowl the year before — then narrowly losing to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
After four seasons of being on top of the NFC and playing in consecutive previous NFC Championship Games — the Eagles and Andy finally broke through the year before — going 13–3 and winning the conference. Now — they would open the season against the opponent that they had even defeated in the NFC Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field a year earlier in order to advance to the big game — the Atlanta Falcons.
Photo Courtesy of Eagles Nation on X.
But it was the altercation some 30-minutes prior to the opening kickoff of the season that set the stage for what was to come. It seems strange to say that Jeremiah Trotter’s father (Trotter the Younger is now a linebacker for the Eagles) who was then a member of the Super Bowl Team in February 2005 — got into a fight with Falcons cornerback Kevin Mathis. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie was even on the field and talked with the officials. Before kickoff — Trotter and Mathis were ejected before the season even began.
On opening day this season — amid all of the showmanship of a the start of another potentially championship season for yet another Philadelphia franchise that just ten months earlier was representing the NFC in the Super Bowl — Eagles Defensive Tackle Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. In fact — Carter was subsequently ejected from the game before one snap elapsed in the 2025 season and in September was fined some $57,000.00 by the National Football League.
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The Eagles would lose the season opener to the Falcons 14–10 in 2005. Trotter’s timely exit was not only the quickest ejection of any player in the NFL until 2005 — it also marked the beginning of a tough season to the Eagles. Contract issues with Brian Westbrook and Terrell Owens — the latter of the two who ended up in a drive-way sit-up media frenzy that would conclude with him no longer being part of the team. The season was marked by devastating injuries including to Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, Hank Fraley, Tra Thomas, Jerome McDougle, Todd Pinkston, Lito Sheppard, and Correll Buckhalter were all lost due to injuries and the team went 6–10.
The opening game of 2005 was significant for another reason. The NFL would change it the rules of the game as pre-game workouts would need to be with the teams completely separated in a 10-yard neutral zone for warmups before the game.
But before we write off the 2025–2026 Eagles season to only a possible rule change — consider this. The 2024 Eagles limped into a week five bye last season at 2–2. They would finish the rest of the regular season 12–1 and win the Super Bowl. The 2008 Eagles started the season at 5–5–1 before finishing the year 9–6–1 and went all of the way to the 2009 NFC Championship Game. For these Eagles — it’s not how you start — but rather how you finish.
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