The Philadelphia Eagles have been one of the longest-existing franchises in the NFL, entering their 88th season in 2020. Over the course of their storied history, the Eagles have deployed plenty of talented teams.
Altogether, in their first 87 years of being an organization in the NFL, Philadelphia has made three Super Bowl appearances. Of those three Super Bowls, the Eagles were able to come away with one victory — making it easy to determine who the best team in the team's history is.
Nevertheless, with Philadelphia gearing up for another season with their sights on another Super Bowl, it's a good time to highlight the best teams in franchise history. Without wasting any more time, here are the top five teams in Eagles' history.
1949
All the way back in 1933, the Eagles became an NFL franchise. Just 16 years into their existence in the league, Philadelphia was able to secure their first NFL Championship in 1948.
However, Philadelphia's best team in the 1940s came in 1949, with an impressive record of 11-1. With Steve Van Buren under center, the Eagles were able to defeat the Los Angeles 14-0 in the NFL Championship.
As a result of their victory over the Rams, Philadelphia was coming off back-to-back championships heading into 1950. Following their championship in 1949, the Eagles wouldn't win another one until 1960.
2003
In the early 2000s, the Eagles boasted some of the best rosters in the team's history. Regardless of what people think of Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia had some impressive playoff runs in the early 2000s, making three consecutive NFC Championship games from 2001-2003.
Heading into the 2003 season, the Eagles were coming off back-to-back appearances in the Conference Championship game. With Andy Reid emerging as one of the best coaches in the NFL, Philadelphia was expected to make some noise in 2003.
The trio of McNabb, Brian Westbrook, and Todd Pinkston led Philadelphia to a 12-4 record, making it to the NFC Championship once again. Despite falling short of a Super Bowl bid, the 2003 team for the Eagles gave some optimism for the team moving forward.
1980
Throughout Philadelphia's expansive history, they had three NFL Championships to their name before the Super Bowl was created in 1967. The Eagles' first appearance in the Super Bowl would come in 1980.
With the legendary Dick Vermeil at head coach and Ron Jaworski under center, the Eagles were a talented team. Not to mention a wide receiver duo of Charlie Smith and Harold Carmichael would give Philadelphia a high-octane offensive unit.
After posting a 12-4 record in the regular season, the Eagles were able to cruise in the first two rounds of the playoffs, outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 51-23. Then, in the Super Bowl, Philadelphia would fall to the Oakland Raiders (now the Las Vegas Raiders) in the Super Bowl. Even in defeat, that 1980 team will forever be remembered in Eagles' history.
2004
As mentioned above, fans in Philadelphia got to witness tons of successful teams in the early 2000s. Following the team's failures to advance beyond the NFC Championship from 2001-2003, the Eagles finally overcame their shortcomings by making the Super Bowl in 2004.
While the 2003 team was remarkable, the Eagles were able to add Terrell Owens to the duo of McNabb and Westbrook. Given the addition of Owens, Philadelphia compiled a franchise-record 13 wins in 2004.
Above all, the Eagles were able to go up against the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Similarly to most teams, Philadelphia was unable to defeat the Patriots on the grandest stage. With that being said, the 2004 team was a historic group for the Eagles.
2017
Last but not least, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the team in 2017 team lands at No. 1 on the list. During the regular season, Carson Wentz was able to lead the Eagles to a 13-3 record in his second season in the NFL.
Sadly, Wentz would suffer an injury late in the season that would sideline him for the postseason. Luckily for Philadelphia, they had Nick Foles, who came in and delivered some memorable performances in the playoffs.
Just like the team in 2004, the Eagles would go 13-3 and would get a chance to square off against Tom Brady and the Patriots. Only this time around, Philadelphia took down the best dynasty in sports history. There's no doubt that the 2017 team, that won the Eagles' lone Super Bowl, is the greatest team in the organization's long history.
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