1978 Philadelphia Eagles season
OwnerLeonard Tose
General managerJim Murray
Head coachDick Vermeil
Home fieldVeterans Stadium
Results
Record9–7
Division place2nd NFC East
Playoff finishLost Wild Card Playoffs
(at Falcons) 13–14
Pro BowlersT Stan Walters[1]
TE Harold Carmichael[1]
RB Wilbert Montgomery[1]
LB Bill Bergey[1]

The 1978 Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's 46th season in the National Football League (NFL). The Eagles reached the postseason for the first time since their championship-winning season in 1960, which ended the longest postseason drought in the franchise's history and one of the longest in the history of the NFL. The Eagles ended their playoff drought by winning their final game in the regular season and needing either the Minnesota Vikings or Green Bay Packers to lose - both teams ended up losing and thus earned a wild card entry. This was also the first season since 1966 in which the franchise finished the season with a winning record.

The Miracle at the Meadowlands

The Miracle at the Meadowlands is the term used by sportscasters and Philadelphia Eagles fans for a fumble recovery by cornerback Herman Edwards that he returned for a touchdown at the end of a November 19, 1978 NFL game against the New York Giants in Giants Stadium.

It was seen as miraculous because it occurred at a point in the game when the Giants were easily capable of running out the game's final seconds. The Giants had the ball, and the Eagles had no timeouts left. Everyone watching expected quarterback Joe Pisarcik to take one more snap and kneel with the ball, thus running out the clock and preserving a 17–12 Giant upset. Instead, he attempted to hand it off to fullback Larry Csonka and botched it, allowing Edwards to pick up the ball and run 26 yards for the winning score.

The Eagles were 6–5 going into this game, and the win was crucial in that it ultimately allowed the Eagles to get the fifth-and-final playoff spot in the 1978 NFC playoffs.

Off Season

The Eagles held their last training camp at Widener University in the city of Chester, in Delaware County, Pennsylvania)

NFL Draft

The 1978 NFL Draft The draft was held May 3-4, 1978. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season. The draft was 12 rounds long with a total of 334 players selected.

The Eagles, because of previous trades made, had to wait until the 3rd round for their first pick. They would only have 7 picks and of these 7 players selected, 5 made the team and played during the season. With the 66th pick the Eagles as their first pick in the draft the Philadelphia Eagles selected Reggie Wilkes, a linebacker out of Georgia Tech.

The number 1 overall pick in the draft was taken by the Houston Oilers who selected the 1977 Heisman Trophy winner, Earl Campbell[2] a running back out of the University of Texas

Future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, in 2006, Warren Moon, a quarterback from the University of Washington, went undrafted. Moon is also in the Canadian Football League’s Hall of Fame.

Player selections

The table shows the Eagles selections and what picks they had that were traded away and the team that ended up with that pick. It is possible the Eagles' pick ended up with this team via another team that the Eagles made a trade with. Not shown are acquired picks that the Eagles traded away.

= Pro Bowler [3] = Hall of Famer
Rd PICK PLAYER POS SCHOOL
18Pick Traded to
Cincinnati Bengals
235 Pick Traded to
Cincinnati Bengals
366Reggie WilkesLinebackerGeorgia Tech
492Dennis HarrisonDefensive tackleVanderbilt
5118Pick Traded to
Kansas City Chiefs
5130Norris Banks
Acquired Pick		Running backKansas
6145Pick Traded to
Buffalo Bills
7176Pick Traded to
Oakland Raiders
7186Greg Marshall
Acquired Vikings Pick		Defensive tackleOregon State
8204 Pick traded to
Minnesota Vikings
9230Charles WilliamsDefensive backJackson State
10261 Pick traded to
Cleveland Browns
11288Billy CampfieldRunning backKansas
12315Mark SlaterCenterMinnesota

Preseason

  • On August 5, the NFL played its first game in Mexico City. The New Orleans Saints defeated the Eagles by a score of 14–7.[4]

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 3 Los Angeles Rams L 14–16 0–1 Veterans Stadium 64,721
2 September 10 at Washington Redskins L 30–35 0–2 RFK Stadium 54,380
3 September 17 at New Orleans Saints W 24–17 1–2 Louisiana Superdome 49,242
4 September 24 Miami Dolphins W 17–3 2–2 Veterans Stadium 62,998
5 October 1 at Baltimore Colts W 17–14 3–2 Memorial Stadium 50,314
6 October 8 at New England Patriots L 14–24 3–3 Schaefer Stadium 61,016
7 October 15 Washington Redskins W 17–10 4–3 Veterans Stadium 65,722
8 October 22 at Dallas Cowboys L 7–14 4–4 Texas Stadium 60,525
9 October 29 St. Louis Cardinals L 10–16 4–5 Veterans Stadium 62,989
10 November 5 Green Bay Packers W 10–3 5–5 Veterans Stadium 64,214
11 November 12 New York Jets W 17–9 6–5 Veterans Stadium 60,249
12 November 19 at New York Giants W 19–17 7–5 Giants Stadium 70,318
13 November 26 at St. Louis Cardinals W 14–10 8–5 Busch Memorial Stadium 39,693
14 December 3 at Minnesota Vikings L 27–28 8–6 Metropolitan Stadium 38,722
15 December 10 Dallas Cowboys L 13–31 8–7 Veterans Stadium 64,667
16 December 17 New York Giants W 20–3[5] 9–7 Veterans Stadium 56,396

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game recap

Week 1 vs LA Rams

Week 1: Philadelphia Eagles vs Los Angeles Rams
Period 1 2 34Total
Rams 3 3 01016
Eagles 0 0 01414

at Veterans Stadium on AstroTurf,

  • Date: September 3, 1978
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 76 °F (24.4 °C), wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
  • Referee: Gordon McCarter
Game information

Week 3 at NO Saints

Former Youngstown State University star Ron Jaworski threw three touchdown passes two to Harold Carmichael one from 6 yards and the other from 18 yards as the Eagles got their first win of the season. The bitterness stemmed from the fact that one of their teammates, kick return specialist Wally Henry, suffered a broken leg when he hit illegally from behind. Henry was playing on the kickoff team in the third quarter when he was hit and carried from the field. Only minutes earlier, he had set up a touchdown with a 55-yard punt return to the Saints 20-yard line. The Eagles also had a 20-yard touchdown pass from Jaworski to Keith Krepfle and a Nick Mike-Mayer 21-yard field goal. The Saints also scored with a 47-yard pass from Archie Manning to Tinker Owens Touchdown connection, a nine-yard score from fullback Tony Galbreath and a 21-yard field goal by Rich Szaro. The Eagles had to make two last minute interceptions to halt the Saints drive to a tying score.

Week 5 at Baltimore Colts

Colts quarterback Bill Troup moved Baltimore 71 yards in nine plays for the first touchdown, on a two-yard run by Roosevelt Leaks, the drive started after Nick Mike Mayer missed a 46-yard field goal. Two plays later the Colts have the ball again when Philadelphia quarterback Ron Jaworski fumbled and defensive end John Dutton recovered at the Eagles 38. Pass interference on a razzle-dazzle play in which running back Joe Washington took a handoff and pitches back to Troup who then threw a pass to Roger Carr, put the ball on the Eagles 1 yard line but couldn't score. They quickly got another chance when Wilbert Montgomery fumbled and Derrell Luce recovered the ball and carried it to the 4 where Troup threw to Leaks for a 14-0 Colts lead. But the Eagles came back roaring in the 4th quarter when Jaworski threw a 20-yard pass to Krepfle and then Mayer kick a 26-yard chip shot and then Montgomery who rushed for 144 yards on the day scored a 14-yard touchdown run with 2:39 left in the game to secure a must win for the Eagles who now trail the Redskins by 2 games (5-0) in the NFC East standings.

Week 9 vs St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals come into the game with a win–loss record of 0–8 against the 4th place, 4 wins and 4 losses Philadelphia Eagles.

Week 9: Philadelphia Eagles vs St. Louis Cardinals
Period 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 0 13 0316
Eagles 0 10 0010

at Veterans Stadium on AstroTurf,

  • Date: October 29, 1978
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 52 °F (11.1 °C), wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
Game information

Week 11 vs NY Jets

Week 11: Philadelphia Eagles vs New York Jets
Period 1 2 34Total
Jets 0 3 609
Eagles 0 7 3717

at Veterans Stadium on AstroTurf,

  • Date: November 12, 1978
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C), wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
Game information

Week 12

Philadelphia Eagles (6–5) at New York Giants (5–6)
Period 1 2 34Total
Eagles 0 6 01319
Giants 14 0 3017

at Giants Stadium • East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

The Miracle at the Meadowlands is the term used by sportscasters and Philadelphia Eagles fans for a fumble recovery by cornerback Herman Edwards that he returned for a touchdown at the end of a November 19, 1978 NFL game against the New York Giants in Giants Stadium. It was seen as miraculous because it occurred at a point in the game when the Giants were easily capable of running out the game's final seconds. The Giants had the ball, and the Eagles had no timeouts left. Everyone watching expected quarterback Joe Pisarcik to take one more snap and kneel with the ball, thus running out the clock and preserving a 17–12 Giant upset. Instead, he attempted to hand it off to fullback Larry Csonka and botched it, allowing Edwards to pick up the ball and run 26 yards for the winning score.

Week 13 at St. Louis Cardinals

After the games of week 11 the Philadelphia Eagles' outlook of being an NFC playoff team was slim. They were in 3rd place in the NFC East and behind 4 teams for a Wild Card team spot. That was some of the reasoning why the placekicking duties were given to the punter Mike Michel when regular kicker Nick Mick-Meyer got hurt. At the end of week 13 the Eagles found themselves trailing division leading Dallas by one game, and tied with the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins for 1 of 2 Wild Card team playoff spots.

Week 12: Philadelphia Eagles at St. Louis Cardinals – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Eagles 0 7 0714
Cardinals 3 0 0710

at Busch Memorial Stadium on AstroTurf,

  • Date: November 26, 1978
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 43 °F (6.1 °C), wind 15 miles per hour (24 km/h; 13 kn)
Game information

Standings

The Eagles were hampered by the loss of their placekicker (Nick Mike-Mayer) in the closing weeks of the season and his replacement (punter Mike Michel) missed an extra point kick in each of the last three games of the season.

NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Dallas Cowboys(2) 12 4 0 .750 7–1 9–3 384 208 W6
Philadelphia Eagles(5) 9 7 0 .563 4–4 6–6 270 250 W1
Washington Redskins 8 8 0 .500 4–4 6–6 273 283 L5
St. Louis Cardinals 6 10 0 .375 3–5 6–6 248 296 W1
New York Giants 6 10 0 .375 2–6 5–9 264 298 L1

Roster

NO. Player AGE POS GP GS WT HT YRS College
Dick Vermeil40Head coach3San Jose State
38Larry Barnes24RB702205–111Tennessee State
66Bill Bergey*33LB16162436–49Arkansas State
34James Betterson24RB902106–01North Carolina
25Bill Bryant27DB301955–112Grambling State
95John Bunting28LB662206–16North Carolina
67Lem Burnham31DE1502366–41U.S. International
37Billy Campfield22RB1622005–11RookieKansas
17Harold Carmichael*29WR-TE16162256–87Southern
71Ken Clarke22NT-DT1602686–2RookieSyracuse
46Herman Edwards24DB16161946–01 California and
San Diego State
13Rick Engles24P601775–112Tulsa
30Cleveland Franklin23RB1642166–21Baylor
53Dennis Franks25C1602416–12Michigan
64Ed George32T1602706–43Ferrum, Wake Forest
33Louie Giammona25RB701805–92Utah State
78Carl Hairston26DE-DT-LB16162606–32Md-Eastern Shore
68Dennis Harrison22DE1662756–8RookieVanderbilt
89Wally Henry24WR301755–81UCLA
35Mike Hogan24RB14122136–22Tennessee-Chattanooga
23Bob Howard34DB1061746–211Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo and
San Diego State
7Ron Jaworski27QB16161966–24Youngstown State
65Charlie Johnson26NT16162666–31Colorado
49Eric Johnson26DB1601926–11Washington State
72Wade Key32G-T13122456–58Texas, Texas State
84Keith Krepfle26TE10102276–33Iowa State
88Bill Larson25TE512256–43Colorado State
55Frank LeMaster26LB16162326–24Kentucky
41Randy Logan27DB16161956–15Michigan
63Tom Luken28G1662536–36Purdue
32Herb Lusk25RB301906–02Long Beach State
54Drew Mahalic25LB982256–43Notre Dame
2Mike Michel24P-K1001775–101Stanford
81Oren Middlebrook25WR1601856–2RookieArkansas State
1Nick Mike-Mayer28K1201865–85Temple
31Wilbert Montgomery*24RB14141965–101Abilene Christian and
Jackson State
50Guy Morriss27C16162556–45TCU
57Mike Osborn23LB1612356–5RookieKansas State
86Richard Osborne25TE1672306–32Texas A&M
20John Outlaw33DB1481805–109Jackson State
83Vince Papale32WR1301956–22St. Joseph's (PA)
Played no college football
82Ken Payne28WR1691856–14Langston
69Woody Peoples35G15142526–210Grambling State
52Ray Phillips24LB1042246–41Nebraska
26John Sanders28DB15151756–14South Dakota
21John Sciarra24DB-QB1621855–11RookieUCLA
76Jerry Sisemore27T-G16162656–45Texas
79Manny Sistrunk31DT-DE16102696–58Ark-Pine Bluff
85Charlie A. Smith28WR1451856–14Grambling State
58Terry Tautolo24LB1622326–22UCLA
75Stan Walters*30T16162756–66Syracuse
11John Walton31QB402106–22Elizabeth City State
51Reggie Wilkes22LB16132356–4RookieGeorgia Tech
47Charles Williams25DB711806–1RookieJackson State
53 Players
Team Average		26.716217.96–1.83.1

Postseason

NFL Wild Card Game

Atlanta Falcons 14, Philadelphia Eagles 13
Period 1 2 34Total
Eagles 6 0 7013
Falcons 0 0 01414

at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta

The Falcons won their first playoff game in team history after they overcame a 13–0 deficit by scoring 2 touchdowns in the final 5 minutes of the game. Punter Mike Michel, who took over placekicker duties when regular placekicker Nick Mike-Mayer got injured in week 12, missed a possible game-winning 34-yard field goal in the closing seconds.

Awards and honors

League Leaders[6]

  • Harold Carmichael, NFC Leader, Receiving Yards – 1072 [7]
  • Wilbert Montgomery, NFC Leader, Rushing Avg – 4.6

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Philadelphia Eagles All-Pros and Pro Bowlers". Pro Football Reference.
  2. ↑ Earl Campbell, 1977 Heisman Trophy winner "Heisman Trophy". Heismen. Archived from the original on June 14, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  3. ↑ Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career.
  4. ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p.284
  5. ↑ "Herm Edwards remembers well the first 'Miracle at the Meadowlands'". December 20, 2010.
  6. ↑ "NFL 1978 League stats, awards and more on databaseFootball.com". Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2011.
  7. ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 452
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