# 1997 Philadelphia Eagles season

The 1997 Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's 65th season in the National Football League. The team failed to improve on their previous output of 10–6, going only 6–9–1 and failing to reach the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. This was the season where the team was sponsored by the "Starters" brand.
Lowlights of the 1997 campaign include a disheartening one-point loss at Dallas in week 3, where starter Ty Detmer led the Birds on a potential game-winning drive late in regulation, only to see holder Tommy Hutton botch the hold on what would have been the deciding field goal from ex-Cowboys kicker Chris Boniol. In Week 7, the Eagles lost their first-ever game against the three-season-old Jacksonville Jaguars, and on November 10, in a Monday Night Football 24–12 home loss against San Francisco, a fan was spotted firing a flare gun in the upper deck. Six days later, at Memorial Stadium, the Eagles and Ravens engaged in a 10–10 tie. This was Eagles' first tie since 1986 against the Cardinals.
One bright spot during the year came on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, when second-year Bobby Hoying stepped in under center and threw for a career-high 313 yards and four touchdowns in a 44–42 win against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The 1997 campaign was notable in that it ended a 13-year radio partnership between broadcasters Merrill Reese and former Eagle Stan Walters on 94 WIP. Mike Quick became the color commentator the following season.

## Offseason
### NFL draft

1997 Philadelphia Eagles draft :
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 25 | Jon Harris | DE | Virginia |
| 2 | 57 | James Darling | LB | Washington State |
| 3 | 71 | Duce Staley | RB | South Carolina |
| 4 | 119 | Damien Robinson | FS | Iowa |
| 5 | 152 | N. D. Kalu | DE | Rice |
| 5 | 155 | Luther Broughton | TE | Furman |
| 6 | 190 | Antwuan Wyatt | WR | Bethune-Cookman |
| 6 | 198 | Ed Jasper | DT | Texas A&M |
| 7 | 207 | Koy Detmer | QB | Colorado |
| 7 | 225 | Byron Capers | DB | Florida State |
| 7 | 227 | Deauntae Brown | DB | Central State (OH) |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | August 31, 1997 | at New York Giants | L 31–17 | 0–1 | 77,344 |
| 2 | September 7, 1997 | Green Bay Packers | W 10–9 | 1–1 | 66,803 |
| 3 | September 15, 1997 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 21–20 | 1–2 | 63,942 |
| 4 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 5 | September 28, 1997 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 28–19 | 1–3 | 55,149 |
| 6 | October 5, 1997 | Washington Redskins | W 24–10 | 2–3 | 67,008 |
| 7 | October 12, 1997 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 38–21 | 2–4 | 69,150 |
| 8 | October 19, 1997 | Arizona Cardinals | W 13–10 (OT) | 3–4 | 66,860 |
| 9 | October 26, 1997 | Dallas Cowboys | W 13–12 | 4–4 | 67,106 |
| 10 | November 2, 1997 | at Arizona Cardinals | L 31–21 | 4–5 | 39,549 |
| 11 | November 10, 1997 | San Francisco 49ers | L 24–12 | 4–6 | 67,133 |
| 12 | November 16, 1997 | at Baltimore Ravens | T 10–10 (OT) | 4–6–1 | 63,546 |
| 13 | November 23, 1997 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 23–20 | 5–6–1 | 67,166 |
| 14 | November 30, 1997 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 44–42 | 6–6–1 | 66,623 |
| 15 | December 7, 1997 | New York Giants | L 31–21 | 6–7–1 | 67,084 |
| 16 | December 14, 1997 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 20–17 | 6–8–1 | 42,866 |
| 17 | December 21, 1997 | at Washington Redskins | L 35–32 | 6–9–1 | 75,939 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

### Standings

NFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(3)}$ New York Giants | 10 | 5 | 1 | .656 | 307 | 265 | W3 |
| Washington Redskins | 8 | 7 | 1 | .531 | 327 | 289 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6 | 9 | 1 | .406 | 317 | 372 | L3 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 304 | 314 | L5 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 283 | 379 | W1 |