| Team: | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Year: | 2021 |
| Record: | 9–8 |
| Division Place: | 2nd NFC East |
| Coach: | Nick Sirianni |
| General Manager: | Howie Roseman |
| Owner: | Jeffrey Lurie |
| Stadium: | Lincoln Financial Field |
| Playoffs: | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Buccaneers) 15−31 |
| Shortnavlink: | Eagles seasons |
The 2021 season was the Philadelphia Eagles' 89th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their first under head coach Nick Sirianni. They improved on their 4–11–1 record from the previous season after a 40–29 win against the New Orleans Saints in Week 11 and returned to the playoffs after a one-year absence. This was the Eagles' first season since 2015 without quarterback Carson Wentz, as he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in March 2021.[1]
Philadelphia entered the season with low expectations following a disastrous 4-11-1 2020 season that resulted in the firing of Super Bowl champion head coach Doug Pederson. The Eagles started the 2021 season slowly with a 2–5 record. However, things turned around and the Eagles went 7–2 in their next 9 games and clinched a playoff berth after a one-year absence. The Eagles finished tied with the New Orleans Saints for the last Wild Card spot, but won the tiebreaker based on their Week 11 head-to-head victory over the Saints. The Eagles went on to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round, but lost by a score of 31–15 to the defending champions.
Despite the 9–8 record, the Eagles did not beat any team that made the playoffs in the 2021 season, going 0–6. New Orleans was the only team with a winning record that the Eagles beat during the season.
| Position | Player | 2021 team | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UFA | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | 2 years | ||||
| UFA | 1 year[2] | ||||
| UFA | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | 4 years | ||||
| UFA | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | 1 year | ||||
| RFA | 3 years | ||||
| RFA | 1 year | ||||
| ERFA | 1 year | ||||
| ERFA | 1 year | ||||
| ERFA | 1 year |
| Player re-signed by the Eagles | Player not re-signed by the Eagles |
| Position | Player | 2020 team | Date signed | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UFA | March 17 | 2 years | ||||
| UFA | March 18 | 1 year, $1.13 million | ||||
| UFA | March 20 | 1 year, $5 million | ||||
| UFA | March 23 | 1 year, $3.5 million | ||||
| UFA | April 7 | 1 year, $3.25 million | ||||
| UFA | April 7 | 1 year, $990,000 | ||||
| WVR | May 7 | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | May 14 | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | May 17 | 1 year, $2.5 million | ||||
| UFA | May 18 | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | May 19 | 1 year, $1.065 million | ||||
| UFA | May 25 | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | June 11 | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | June 14 | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | July 25 | 1 year, 2.5 million | ||||
| UFA | July 29 | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | July 29 | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | August 9 | 1 year | ||||
| WVR | August 10 | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | August 22 | 1 year | ||||
| WVR | September 2 | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | September 7 | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | September 21 | 1 year | ||||
| WVR | October 25 | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | October 26 | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | November 10 | 1 year | ||||
| WVR | November 24 | 1 year | ||||
| UFA | December 8 | 2 years |
| Position | Player | 2021 team | Date | Reason | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 19 | Released | ||||
| March 4 | Released | ||||
| March 4 | Released | ||||
| March 17 | Released | ||||
| March 17 | Released | ||||
| March 23 | Released | ||||
| May 25 | Released | ||||
| June 9 | Released | ||||
| June 9 | Released | ||||
| June 21 | Released | ||||
| July 25 | Released | ||||
| August 5 | Released | ||||
| August 14 | Released | ||||
| August 14 | Released | ||||
| August 26 | Released | ||||
| August 28 | Released | ||||
| September 13 | Released | ||||
| October 25 | Released | ||||
| November 2 | Released | ||||
| November 3 | Released | ||||
| November 9 | Released | ||||
| December 8 | Released |
See main article: 2021 NFL draft.
Draft Notes[11]
| Player | Position | College | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas A&M | |||
| Buffalo | |||
| Iowa State | |||
| Indiana | |||
| Florida | |||
| Wake Forest | |||
| Nebraska |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 16–24 | 0–1 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap | ||
| 2 | New England Patriots | L 0–35 | 0–2 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap | ||
| 3 | at New York Jets | T 31–31 | 0–2–1 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
The Eagles' 2021 schedule was announced on May 12.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 12 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 32–6 | 1–0 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap | |
| 2 | September 19 | San Francisco 49ers | L 11–17 | 1–1 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap | |
| 3 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 21–41 | 1–2 | AT&T Stadium | Recap | ||
| 4 | October 3 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 30–42 | 1–3 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap | |
| 5 | October 10 | at Carolina Panthers | W 21–18 | 2–3 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | |
| 6 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 22–28 | 2–4 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap | ||
| 7 | October 24 | at Las Vegas Raiders | L 22–33 | 2–5 | Allegiant Stadium | Recap | |
| 8 | October 31 | at Detroit Lions | W 44–6 | 3–5 | Ford Field | Recap | |
| 9 | November 7 | Los Angeles Chargers | L 24–27 | 3–6 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap | |
| 10 | November 14 | at Denver Broncos | W 30–13 | 4–6 | Empower Field at Mile High | Recap | |
| 11 | November 21 | New Orleans Saints | W 40–29 | 5–6 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap | |
| 12 | November 28 | at New York Giants | L 7–13 | 5–7 | MetLife Stadium | Recap | |
| 13 | December 5 | at New York Jets | W 33–18 | 6–7 | MetLife Stadium | Recap | |
| 14 | Bye | ||||||
| 15 | Washington Football Team | W 27–17 | 7–7 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap | ||
| 16 | December 26 | New York Giants | W 34–10 | 8–7 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap | |
| 17 | January 2 | at Washington Football Team | W 20–16 | 9–7 | FedExField | Recap | |
| 18 | Dallas Cowboys | L 26–51 | 9–8 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap | ||
After an Atlanta field goal, the Eagles would take the lead after an 18 yard pass from Jalen Hurts to DeVonta Smith and never looked back. The week one rout over the Falcons was the Eagles biggest win, scoring over 30 points, and have a winning record (1-0) for the first time since 2019. This is also the Eagles first win in Atlanta since 2009.
The Eagles would start the game being able to march down the field throughout the first half, including a 91 yard bomb from Jalen Hurts to Quez Watkins. However, after a failed "Philly Special" attempt, and blocked field goal, the Birds could only muster 3 points in the first half. The 49ers would tack on 10 points in the 4th quarter before surrendering a late QB sneak TD from Hurts. The loss dropped the Eagles to 1-1 and their first loss to the 49ers since 2014.
The Eagles traveled down to Arlington, Texas to take on the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football. The Cowboys would jump on the board quickly after an Ezekiel Elliott 1 yard TD. The Eagles defense made a play by stripping the ball from Dak Prescott in their own endzone resulting in a touchdown from Fletcher Cox. From that point on, the Dallas offense had its way on the Eagles defense and didn't get any help from a pass heavy Eagles offense that could not gain much momentum. The Eagles would get a couple of garbage time TDs from Jalen Hurts to Zach Ertz and Greg Ward. With the loss, the Eagles would fall to 1-2 and lose their 4th straight game at AT&T Stadium.
After a slow offensive start, the Eagles would rally a second half comeback with the help of a blocked punt and outscoring the Panthers 15-3 in the second half. With the win, the Eagles improved to 2-3.
In a newly looking, run heavy offense, the Eagles would rush their way to a 44-6 blowout over the lowly Detroit Lions. The win marks the first time the Eagles win at Ford Field since 2010, as well as their first 40+ point game since Super Bowl LII. With the Win, the Eagles improve to 3-5.
Going into Denver, the Eagles introduced their white jersey on black pants. With the win, the Eagles earn their first win in Denver since 1989 and matched their 2020 win total.
The Eagles survived a late rally by the Saints to earn their first home win since Week 14 of the 2020 season, which coincidentally also came against New Orleans. Philadelphia improved to 5–6 on the season with the 40-29 win, improving on their win total from the previous season.
Hurts played poorly throughout the game, throwing 3 interceptions. On the Eagles' final two plays, Jalen Reagor dropped two passes at the goal line, securing their defeat.
With the loss, the Eagles 2-game winning streak was snapped as they fell to 5–7, and lost back-to-back games against the Giants for the first time since 2007-08.
Thanks to a stellar performance by backup quarterback Gardner Minshew, the Eagles improved to 12–0 in their all-time series against the New York Jets.[14]
In the week leading up to the game, a COVID-19 outbreak among the Washington Football Team led to postponement of the game originally scheduled for December 19. The game was moved to Tuesday night. On the rare Tuesday Night Football, Washington got off to a quick start after a pair of Eagles turnovers starting from a flukey interception bouncing off of Dallas Goedert's foot to a Jalen Hurts' fumble. From the second quarter on, the Eagles would score 20 unanswered points before surrendering a Washington TD. A late back shoulder throw from Jalen Hurts to Greg Ward would secure the Eagles' victory. This is the first divisional win in the Hurts/Sirianni era and a win that keeps the Eagles alive in the playoff push.
Despite a slow start, the Eagles rallied with 31 second-half points in a 34-10 rout of the shorthanded New York Giants, including a touchdown catch by Lane Johnson and a pick-six by Alex Singleton. This win was Philadelphia's eighth straight home win and 90th overall win over their rivals.
Despite again playing less-than-stellar football to start the game, the Eagles rallied for their fourth straight win, improving to 9-7 on the year and earning their first winning season and playoff appearance since 2019, thanks to wins by the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers later that day. This was also Philadelphia's first sweep of Washington since that same season, and their fourth in their past five seasons.
With a playoff spot already clinched, the Eagles rested Jalen Hurts, who was nursing an ankle injury, and most other key starters in the season finale. The Cowboys, who played nearly all of their key starters, had an offensive attack that was too powerful for the Eagles' backups to handle. The 51–26 loss ended the Eagles' regular season with a 9–8 record, and the 51 points were the most the Eagles surrendered in a single game at Lincoln Financial Field, surpassing the previous mark of 48 against the New Orleans Saints in 2009.
See also: 2021–22 NFL playoffs.
The Eagles travelled to take on the #2 seed and defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa Bay would jump out to an early lead and never look back in a 31-15 rout of Philadelphia. The game would mark the first career playoff appearances for Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts, and would be the final playoff victory for Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady.
Brady marched the Bucs to two first quarter touchdown drives, while Hurts struggled to move the ball against the Tampa defense. A Ryan Succop 34-yard field goal early in the second quarter pushed the Tampa lead to 17–0. Trying to get the Eagles back into the game, Hurts drove the offense to the Tampa 21-yard line late in the half, but a pass intended for DeVonta Smith was intercepted in the end zone. The Eagles defense stopped the Bucs on their first drive of the third quarter, but Jalen Reagor muffed the punt, and Brady turned the opportunity into short touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski. Hurts was intercepted again on the ensuing drive, and Brady laced a 36-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans on the next play to it 31–0 Bucs. Early in the fourth quarter, Smith gained 31 yards on a catch-and-run, and Boston Scott scampered 34 yards for a touchdown on the following play to get the Eagles on the board. Hurts completed a 14-yard touchdown to rookie Kenneth Gainwell on the next drive, then found Smith for a successful 2-point conversion to close the scoring at 31–15.
Tampa boasted after the game that Hurts was unable to read their defense. He finished with 258 yards passing with one touchdown and two interceptions. Dallas Goedert caught six passes for 92 yards, while defensive end Ryan Kerrigan, coming off a disappointing season for the Eagles and playing in his last game as a professional, tallied 1.5 sacks of Brady.
| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passing offense | 3,404 | 200.2 | 25th | |
| Rushing offense | 2,715 | 159.7 | 1st | |
| Total offense | 6,119 | 359.9 | 14th | |
| Passing defense | 3,756 | 220.9 | 11th | |
| Rushing defense | 1,834 | 107.9 | 9th | |
| Total defense | 5,590 | 238.8 | 10th |
| Category | Player | Total yards | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | |||
| Passing | 3,144 | ||
| Rushing | 784 | ||
| Receiving | 916 | ||
| Defense | |||
| Tackles (Solo) | 81 | ||
| Sacks | 7.5 | ||
| Interceptions | 3 | ||
Statistics correct as of the end of the 2021 NFL season[15] [16]