Ranking the top 10 Eagles games played at Lincoln Financial Field

On Aug. 3, 2003, Lincoln Financial Field opened its doors in South Philadelphia for the first time following two years of construction. While its first ticketed event featured a soccer match between Manchester United and FC Barcelona on that day, the Linc was built primarily to become the home to the Eagles. Previously, the Eagles played at Veterans Stadium, which opened in 1971.

For the last 20 years, fans have gathered at the Linc for 174 Eagles regular-season and playoff games and have experienced a range of highs and heartbreaks. With the Eagles returning to the Linc for training camp practice on Sunday, two days after the 20-year anniversary of its opening, let’s take a look at the top 10 Eagles games played at the stadium.

Heading into their final game of the regular season against the Cowboys, the 2008 Eagles were one win away from clinching a playoff berth with their 9-6-1 record. The stars had aligned perfectly for the Eagles to control their destiny that week thanks to losses from the Chicago Bears and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who each saw their playoff aspirations extinguished. The Eagles emerged victorious in a 44-6 domination of the Cowboys, highlighted by two defensive touchdowns on strips by safety Brian Dawkins, and earned a spot in the postseason.

On Sept. 23, 2007, the Eagles racked up the third-most points in a single game in franchise history (and their most ever scored in a game at the Linc) in their 56-21 win over the Lions. For their first time in the same game ever, the Eagles had a 300-yard passer in quarterback Donovan McNabb, a 200-yard receiver in Kevin Curtis, and a 100-yard rusher in running back Brian Westbrook. Curtis and Westbrook picked up three touchdowns apiece (Westbrook with two rushing, one receiving). The Eagles defense sacked Lions quarterback Jon Kitna 10 times (the third-highest total in NFL history).

The 2006 NFC wild-card game between the Giants and the Eagles featured flashy performances on the ground for both Westbrook and Giants running back Tiki Barber. Westbrook ran for 141 yards on 20 carries, including a 49-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter. Barber collected 137 yards on the ground on 26 carries, his longest being a 41-yard run. The Eagles had a 20-10 lead going into the fourth quarter, but they conceded a Jay Feely field goal and a Plaxico Burress touchdown that allowed the Giants to tie the game. The Eagles offense marched down the field on the final drive of the game, setting up a David Akers game-winning field goal as the clock expired for a final score of 23-20.

The sixth-seeded Saints secured their first road playoff victory in franchise history when they visited the Linc on Jan. 4, 2014, for the wild-card round. Saints running back Mark Ingram rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown, but it was Saints kicker Shayne Graham who stole the show. Shortly after the Eagles took a late lead thanks to a Zach Ertz touchdown, Graham kicked a game-winning, 32-yard field goal as time expired. Graham made four field goals that day, his longest being a 46-yarder in the second quarter.

On Jan. 13, 2018, the defending NFC champion Falcons paid a visit to the top-seeded Eagles. Kicker Jake Elliott was the Eagles’ offensive star of the game, making three straight field goals to help the Eagles take a 15-10 lead. With a minute and 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter, on third-and-goal, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan completed a 7-yard pass to receiver Julio Jones from the Philadelphia 9-yard line to bring up fourth-and-goal. But the Eagles defense stood tall on the goal line and solidified the win, as Ryan threw an incomplete pass intended for Jones.

The Linc was awfully chilly on Jan. 23, 2005, when the Eagles made their fourth straight NFC championship game appearance, this time against the Falcons. While the game-time temperature was 17 degrees, the Eagles defense was hot, sacking quarterback Michael Vick four times and limiting him to a total of 162 yards. Tight end Chad Lewis caught two touchdown passes from McNabb and Akers contributed a pair of field goals, paving the way for the Eagles to return to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1980 season.

When quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo suffered injuries during the season, third-string quarterback Brock Purdy took over and helped the 49ers solidify a playoff spot. But on the 49ers’ first offensive drive of the NFC championship game, Purdy suffered a right elbow injury that initially knocked him out of the game. Quarterback Josh Johnson entered in relief, but he suffered a concussion in the third quarter, forcing Purdy to return and mostly hand off the ball. The Eagles trounced the 49ers, 31-7, and went on to lose in the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs.

» READ MORE: Eagles’ Haason Reddick overcomes snubs and knocks out Brock Purdy and the 49ers in the NFC championship

The Linc resembled a snow globe on Dec. 8, 2013, for the Eagles’ Week 4 game against the Lions. In the third quarter, the Lions jumped out to a 14-0 lead on Jeremy Ross’ 58-yard punt return for a touchdown. But the Eagles rallied back, tying the game in the fourth quarter and scoring 20 unanswered points for a 34-20 victory. Running back LeSean McCoy set a single-game franchise record of 217 rushing yards, which included 40- and 57-yard touchdown runs.

In the 2003 divisional round, the Eagles trailed the Green Bay Packers, 17-14, with roughly 2½ minutes remaining to begin the Eagles’ offensive drive. McNabb was sacked on second down for a loss of 16 yards and threw an incomplete pass on third down, bringing up fourth-and-26 on their own 26-yard line. With 1 minute, 12 seconds remaining, McNabb connected with wide receiver Freddie Mitchell on a 28-yard pass to keep the drive alive. Akers went on to make a 37-yard field goal to tie the game and send it to overtime. He later secured the 20-17 overtime victory with a game-winning field goal.

The 2017 Eagles were one win away from reaching Super Bowl LII, needing to overcome the Minnesota Vikings and their top-ranked defense to make their return to football’s biggest stage. Quarterback Nick Foles had one of his best performances in an Eagles uniform, throwing for 352 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-7 rout of their conference foe. Each team scored touchdowns in the first quarter, but the Eagles racked up 31 unanswered points afterward. The Eagles would go on to win the Super Bowl over the New England Patriots.