# 1991 Philadelphia Eagles season

The 1991 Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's fifty-ninth season in the National Football League.
Despite having a 10–6 record and finishing with the top-ranked defense in the NFL, the Eagles failed to make the playoffs. During Week 1, quarterback Randall Cunningham was lost for the season with a knee injury.

## Background

Statistics site Football Outsiders ranks the 1991 Eagles, coordinated by Bud Carson, as the greatest defensive team in its ranking's history. According to Football Outsiders:
   The 1991 Eagles completely lap the field in terms of defensive DVOA. Only the 2002 Bucs had a better pass defense, and only the 2000 Ravens had a better run defense, and the Eagles were much more balanced than either of those teams.
   It's crazy to imagine how few points the Eagles might have given up if they were playing with a halfway-decent offense instead of losing Randall Cunningham to a torn ACL in the first game of the season. The Eagles were lucky to have the lovable and fiercely competitive Jim McMahon for 11 starts, plus Jeff Kemp for two and Brad Goebel for two. McMahon was pretty terrific ... but the other two quarterbacks were awful, especially Goebel who had no touchdowns with six interceptions. And the running game was dreadful, with 3.1 yards per carry as a team.
   Still, the Eagles were fifth in the league in points allowed, and first in yards allowed by nearly 400 yards – and the team that was second in yards allowed is also on that top-ten defenses list, the 1991 New Orleans Saints. The Eagles allowed 3.9 yards per play, where no other team allowed fewer than 4.5. As bad as their running game was, their run defense was even better, allowing 3.0 yards per carry. Three-fourths of the starting defensive line was All-Pro (Reggie White, Jerome Brown, and Clyde Simmons). Linebacker Seth Joyner and cornerback Eric Allen made the Pro Bowl as well.

## Overview
### A "real" fresh start

On January 8, team owner Norman Braman opted not to renew the contract of Buddy Ryan, the Eagles' head coach since 1986. On the same day, Braman promoted then-offensive coordinator Rich Kotite, making him the eighteenth head coach in the club's history. The team opened with a 3–1 mark, its best start since 1981, despite having lost Cunningham for the year due to a knee injury that was sustained in Green Bay thanks during an opening day-hit by Bryce Paup. After taking over and leading the Eagles to a solid start, backup QB Jim McMahon was also injured in Game 5 during a shutout loss to the Redskins.

### A winless October

With McMahon sidelined, the Birds offense stalled completely during a stretch of eleven straight quarters without scoring a touchdown that culminated in a four-game skid. By mid-season, Philadelphia had used five different quarterbacks, including rookie Brad Goebel, former Jets backup Pat Ryan and former Niners third-stringer Jeff Kemp in eight games and saw its record sink to 3–5. Bleeding Green Nation ranked it as one of the worst Eagles backup QB seasons in the team's history, illustrating how the defense would have supported better quarterback play to several victories.

### A relatively healthy McMahon returns

Week ten saw McMahon return to the lineup for a Monday night, 30–7 victory over the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants at Veterans Stadium; however, the following week at Municipal Stadium proved to be a tighter-scoring game. The Eagles won 32–30 as Philadelphia spotted Cleveland a 23–0 lead early in the second quarter, before staging a comeback behind a battered McMahon (passing for 341 yards and three touchdowns). Before the game, McMahon's elbow was so swollen, his roommate Ron Heller had to tie his ponytail for him, and then told his lineman he wouldn't be able to play. But Birds trainer Otho Davis used a concoction he calls "Grandma's Goop" on the elbow, enabling McMahon to play.
These wins resurrected the season, and the Birds continued to surge into contention for a playoff berth with a six-game winning streak (the club's longest since the start of '81). This upped the team's record to 9–5.
The signature win of the run was a 13–6 Monday night victory against the Oilers in Houston on December 2, later dubbed the "House of Pain" game for the Eagles' defense-punishing Warren Moon and his teammates.

### Heart of a champion

   "In '91, I broke five ribs off my sternum in New York and bruised my heart. I could've punctured it, but it just bruised." -Jim McMahon, 2014
The season-ending rib injury to McMahon in week fifteen (a 19–14 win against the Giants) made way for a devastating loss at home to Dallas in week sixteen, ending Philadelphia's playoff hopes; however, the season was saved by a 10–6 record, allowing the Eagles to join the 49ers as the only NFL clubs to post ten or more wins in each of the last four seasons. Both teams missed the postseason in 1991, despite winning ten games.

### A defense that rewrote the record books

Philadelphia's defense finished the season ranked first in the NFL in fewest passing yards, rushing yards, and total yards allowed. As such, the Eagles became only the fifth club in NFL history and the first since 1975 to accomplish this rare triple.
Five members of that defensive unit represented the Eagles in the Pro Bowl – DEs Reggie White and Clyde Simmons, DT Jerome Brown, and LB Seth Joyner were selected as starters while CB Eric Allen also made the NFC squad. The selection of White, Simmons, and Brown marked only the sixth time in NFL history that three defensive linemen from one team were elected to the Pro Bowl.
In addition, the Eagles' defense led the NFL in sacks and fumble recoveries and tied for the league lead in takeaways. The Eagles' forty-eight defensive takeaways in 1991 tied for the highest number of defensive takeaways in the NFL during the 1990s.

## Offseason
### NFL draft

The 1991 NFL draft was held on April 21 and 22, 1991 at the Marriott Marquis hotel in Manhattan, New York. The Eagles with a 10–6 record in 1990 had the nineteenth or twentieth picks in each round. They also held the number eight pick of the first round, choosing Antone Davis, an offensive tackle from the University of Tennessee. The team's first round pick at number nineteen was traded away earlier and acquired by the Green Bay Packers. Over the course of the twelve-round draft, Philadelphia made twelve selections.
1991 Philadelphia Eagles draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 8 | Antone Davis | Offensive tackle | Tennessee | Pick acquired from San Diego Chargers |
| 2 | 48 | Jesse Campbell | Defensive back | North Carolina State | |
| 3 | 75 | Rob Selby | Guard | Auburn | |
| 4 | 104 | William Thomas * | Linebacker | Texas A&M | |
| 5 | 131 | Craig Erickson | Quarterback | Miami (FL) | |
| 6 | 156 | Andy Harmon | Defensive tackle | Kent State | Pick acquired from Seattle Seahawks |
| 7 | 187 | James Joseph | Running back | Auburn | |
| 8 | 216 | Scott Kowalkowski | Linebacker | Notre Dame | |
| 9 | 242 | Chuck Weatherspoon | Running back | Houston | |
| 10 | 271 | Eric Harmon | Guard | Clemson | |
| 11 | 298 | Mike Flores | Defensive end | Louisville | |
| 12 | 327 | Darrell Beavers | Defensive back | Morehead State | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||
Other notable events
Following the previous season, head coach Buddy Ryan was fired and replaced by their offensive coordinator Rich Kotite, a position Kotite would hold for the next four seasons.

## Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | July 28 | vs. Buffalo Bills | L 13–17 | 0–1 | Wembley Stadium | 50,474 |
| 2 | August 3 | at New York Jets | W 24–10 | 1–1 | Giants Stadium | 31,577 |
| 3 | August 10 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 29–24 | 2–1 | Riverfront Stadium | 56,390 |
| 4 | August 17 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 21–20 | 3–1 | Veterans Stadium | 55,764 |
| 5 | August 23 | Indianapolis Colts | W 23–21 | 4–1 | Veterans Stadium | 52,687 |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 1 | at Green Bay Packers | W 20–3 | 1–0 | Lambeau Field | 58,991 |
| 2 | September 8 | Phoenix Cardinals | L 10–26 | 1–1 | Veterans Stadium | 63,818 |
| 3 | September 15 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 24–0 | 2–1 | Texas Stadium | 62,656 |
| 4 | September 22 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 23–14 | 3–1 | Veterans Stadium | 65,511 |
| 5 | September 30 | at Washington Redskins | L 0–23 | 3–2 | RFK Stadium | 55,198 |
| 6 | October 6 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 13–14 | 3–3 | Tampa Stadium | 41,219 |
| 7 | October 13 | New Orleans Saints | L 6–13 | 3–4 | Veterans Stadium | 64,224 |
| 8 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 9 | October 27 | San Francisco 49ers | L 7–23 | 3–5 | Veterans Stadium | 65,796 |
| 10 | November 4 | New York Giants | W 30–7 | 4–5 | Veterans Stadium | 65,816 |
| 11 | November 10 | at Cleveland Browns | W 32–30 | 5–5 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 72,086 |
| 12 | November 17 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 17–10 | 6–5 | Veterans Stadium | 63,189 |
| 13 | November 24 | at Phoenix Cardinals | W 34–14 | 7–5 | Sun Devil Stadium | 37,307 |
| 14 | December 2 | at Houston Oilers | W 13–6 | 8–5 | Astrodome | 62,141 |
| 15 | December 8 | at New York Giants | W 19–14 | 9–5 | Giants Stadium | 76,099 |
| 16 | December 15 | Dallas Cowboys | L 13–25 | 9–6 | Veterans Stadium | 65,854 |
| 17 | December 22 | Washington Redskins | W 24–22 | 10–6 | Veterans Stadium | 58,988 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: at Green Bay Packers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| Packers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
* Date: September 1
* Game time: 12:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C), wind 11 mph (18 km/h)
* Referee: Pat Haggerty
* TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler and Dan Fouts
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Second quarter
Eagles – Roger Ruzek 37-yard field goal – Eagles 3–0
Eagles – Keith Byars 32-yard pass from Jim McMahon (Roger Ruzek kick) – Eagles 10–0
Eagles – Roger Ruzek 40-yard field goal – Eagles 13–0
Third quarter
Packers – Chris Jacke 21-yard field goal – Eagles 13–3
Fourth quarter
Eagles – Fred Barnett 75-yard pass from Jim McMahon (Roger Ruzek kick) – Eagles 20–3
Eagles
Jim McMahon 17/25, 257 Yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Thomas Sanders 23 Rush, 52 Yds
Keith Byars 8 Rec, 111 Yds, TD
Packers
Don Majkowski 16/42, 201 Yds, 3 INT
Darrell Thompson 6 Rush, 16 Yds
Sterling Sharpe 6 Rec, 70 Yds :

#### Week 3

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Eagles | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

#### Week 14

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 13 |
| Oilers | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
at Astrodome • Houston, Texas
* Date: December 2
* Game time: 9:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Indoors (dome)
* Referee: Tom Dooley
* TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, and Dan Dierdorf
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Eagles
Jim McMahon 12/20, 84 Yds, INT
James Joseph 12 Rush, 56 Yds
Roy Green 3 Rec, 44 Yds
Oilers
Warren Moon 24/46, 262 Yds
Allen Pinkett 6 Rush, 10 Yds
Ernest Givens 6 Rec, 89 Yds :
The Eagles defense shut down the Oilers' run-and-shoot attack with four sacks, six forced fumbles (five lost) and 21 yards rushing on 11 attempts. Jerome Brown said after the game, "They brought the house, we brought the pain."
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | PHI | HOU |
| 2 | | | | | Oilers | 42-yard field goal by Del Greco | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | | | | | Eagles | 23-yard field goal by Ruzek | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | | | | | Eagles | Jackson 21-yard touchdown reception from Kemp, Ruzek kick good | 10 | 3 |
| 4 | | | | | Oilers | 47-yard field goal by Del Greco | 10 | 6 |
| 4 | | | | | Eagles | 29-yard field goal by Ruzek | 13 | 6 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 13 | 6 |

### Standings

NFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(1)}$ Washington Redskins | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 6–2 | 10–2 | 485 | 224 | L1 |
| $^{(5)}$ Dallas Cowboys | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 342 | 310 | W5 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–3 | 6–6 | 285 | 244 | W1 |
| New York Giants | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3–5 | 5–7 | 281 | 297 | W1 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–7 | 3–11 | 196 | 344 | L8 |

## Awards and honors

NFL Comeback Player of the Year – Jim McMahon QB
UPI NFC Defensive Player of the Year – Reggie White DE