Tony Dungy Says Only The Lions Can Stop The Eagles
When you think about the term “Football Guy”, Tony Dungy comes to mind. Almost 20 years of experience as an assistant coach, and over 10 years as a head coach….
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – DECEMBER 08: Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles hands the ball off to Saquon Barkley #26 in the first quarter of a game at Lincoln Financial Field on December 08, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
(Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)When you think about the term "Football Guy", Tony Dungy comes to mind. Almost 20 years of experience as an assistant coach, and over 10 years as a head coach. The guy has been around the game a long time. This week he joined Kincade and Salciunas to discuss the Eagles' upcoming playoff run, and their matchup this weekend with the Packers. Eagles fans will love what he had to say.
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)Tony Dungy On Why Eagles Fans Should Be Confident
"I see them playing like a couple of years ago... You're dominant with the offensive line and you've got some defensive line people that nobody can handle. You've got these receivers that if you have to load up to stop Saquon and Jalen they can beat you one-on-one. They've got the formula and they're executing it right now and they're fairly healthy.
"So I like where they are. I think they're just really ready to roll and I don't think anybody's going to stop them until they get to Detroit. I think we can look for Philadelphia and Detroit in the NFC championship game."
On Vic Fangio And The Eagles Defense
"I think they have really adjusted to Coach Fangio's system. We talked to the guys when they were down in Brazil and everybody was excited. But they had to learn it and they had to learn the details. They made some mistakes early on but by mid-season, you saw those mistakes happen less and less.
Now they're playing with confidence. They're playing fast. When we got them in the middle of the year, it was a completely different defense. So I think they're just playing fast and playing with their rules that they're not worrying about what they're supposed to do. They know it and that's why they're able to execute."
On The Dominance Of Jalen Carter
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)"Sirianni talked to me a couple of times and he's compared Jalen (Carter) to Warren Sapp. He said he's got this talent, this unbelievable talent, and if we can harness that and get him playing like he can play every week, nobody's going to stop him and nobody's going to block him. That's what they've done. He is he's set the tone for that defense.
When you have a disruptive force in the middle like that that everybody has to account for, it's kind of like an Aaron Donald or a John Randle, who I had in Minnesota, and Sapp, where you know how people are going to block because they've got to double team him, and that means everybody else is getting single. Now, you take advantage of that with your other guys, with your blitz schemes and it's huge."
Tony Dungy also previewed Eagles-Packers, got into his thoughts on Nick Sirianni, and more. You can watch the full interview below.
Watch Kincade & Salciunas on the 97.5 The Fanatic YouTube page for discussion about the latest breaking sports news in Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Eagles will host the Green Bay Packers at Lincoln Financial Field in an NFC Wild Card Round playoff game on Sunday, January 12 at 4:30pm.
The spotlight will shine on Nick Sirianni and an Eagles team that’s taken the NFL by storm with a 12-1 record since their Week 5 bye. Jalen Hurts hasn’t played since Week 16, and his status will also consume the attention.
Related Content: Eagles Will Host Packers In The 1st Round Of The Playoffs
However, any Eagles fan who appreciates the playoff history of the franchise also has memories of showdowns against the Packers.
Past meetings include a distant NFL Championship Game memory, an unforgettable catch on fourth-and-26, and a heartbreaking victory for Aaron Rodgers on the way to his only Super Bowl.
Chuck Bednarik Seals 1960 NFL Championship
NFL Championship Game
December 26, 1960
Franklin Field (Philadelphia, PA)
Eagles 17, Packers 13
A young Vince Lombardi found his way into Philadelphia Eagles history years before football fans ever heard of a Super Bowl or a Lombardi Trophy.
The second-year head coach helped the Packers clinch a spot in the NFL Championship Game against Buck Shaw and the Eagles after the 1960 season.
Philadelphia woke up early one day after their Christmas celebrations for a noon kickoff. The adjusted start time at Franklin Field on the campus of the University of Penn would prevent an early winter sunset from ruining a game played without modern lighting that’s now taken for granted.
Bart Starr helped the Packers to an early lead, but Norm Van Brocklin found Tommy McDonald for the first of two Eagles touchdowns that helped them take a 17-13 lead into the final minutes.
Feared linebacker Chuck Bednarik made his most iconic play just one month earlier by leveling Frank Gifford with an infamous bone crushing hit. However, Concrete Charlie made his most impactful play to seal the 1960 NFL Championship Game.
Starr faced do-or-die from the 22-yard line trailing by four with time for one final play. He threw to Jim Taylor with a head of steam, but Bednarik dragged the Packers fullback down at the nine. He played on both sides of the ball in a legendary performance (that he later criticized one-way NFL players for not matching).
Philadelphia sports media legend Bill Campbell proclaimed the Eagles the champions of the world.
Lombardi ultimately won all nine of his remaining career playoff games on his way into NFL allure. However, Philadelphia owned the day. The Eagles carried Buck Shaw off the field after their third championship in franchise history.
The Miracle of Fourth-And-26
NFC Divisional Round
January 11, 2004
Lincoln Financial Field
Eagles 20, Packers 17
An ugly 2-3 start to the 2003 season had Philadelphia up in arms after a second straight NFC Championship Game exit. Donovan McNabb remained calm and fought through early-season struggles to lead a nine-game winning streak that helped the Eagles back to the top seed in the NFC.
The Eagles hosted Brett Favre and the Packers in a divisional round game on a bitter cold Sunday evening in Philadelphia after the 2003 season.
Favre threw a pair of touchdown passes to Robert Ferguson to springload the underdog Packers to a worrisome 14-0 lead. However, the early hole only set the stage for one of the greatest comebacks in Eagles history.
McNabb threw touchdowns to Duce Staley and Todd Pinkston to claw back and tie the game early in the fourth quarter.
The Packers took a late three-point lead and milked the fourth quarter clock, but Philadelphia’s defense held just enough to earn one more possession.
A two-minute offense that allows a 16-yard sack with only one timeout leaves the game in the hands of a miracle, but that’s exactly what the Eagles got.
Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty ImagesMcNabb lined up under center on fourth-and-26. He fired a strike over the middle to Freddie Mitchell in between two Green Bay defenders. A glaringly generous spot, the adrenaline of one of the unlikeliest plays in NFL history, and McNabb’s quick reaction to run and spike the ball eliminated any questions about whether Mitchell actually reached the sticks.
The Eagles drove into range for David Akers to send the game into overtime.
The best quarterbacks rack up career interception totals over long periods of time. It’s how the game works, and it’s a big reason why Brett Favre threw more pics than any quarterback in NFL history.
When he threw the backbreaker to Brian Dawkins in overtime, however, it was simply a terrible decision that cost his team a chance to win a playoff game.
Dawkins returned the ball to the Green Bay 32. A short drive lined up Akers for a chip shot that put the exclamation point on one of the most thrilling victories in franchise history.
Michael Vick Interception Sparks Packers Super Bowl Run
NFC Wild Card Round
Lincoln Financial Field
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Packers 21, Eagles 16
A half century had passed since Bednarik dragged down Taylor to capture the NFL Championship. The two franchises fittingly faced off in Week 1 of the 2010 season in Philadelphia.
While the throwback kelly green uniforms initially drew the attention, the emergence of Michael Vick as the full-time quarterback stole the headlines after a close opening day loss.
Vick and the Eagles again met Green Bay to open the NFL Playoffs after the golden anniversary season. Aaron Rodgers came out hot for the visitors. Green Bay took a 14-0 lead in the second quarter while the usually dynamic Philadelphia offense sputtered.
Photo by Rich Schultz /Getty ImagesVick finally sparked the Eagles in the second half for two touchdown drives that raised the collective spirits higher in South Philadelphia. The defense even kept Rodgers from icing the game on a key third down stop just ahead of the two-minute warning.
One of the NFL’s most dangerous offenses suddenly had a chance for a game-winning touchdown drive trailing 21-16.
Vick drove the offense down to the Green Bay 27-yard line with 44 seconds left. The Linc waited for an epic moment.
The NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year for the 2010 season decided a deep ball to Riley Cooper was worth throwing to the end zone and risking time and momentum on the Eagles side.
Tramon Williams came down with the interception and sealed Green Bay’s first of three road victories on their way to the Super Bowl.
Many Eagles fans had never heard of James Starks before entering the gates at the Linc that day. The rookie sixth-rounder had played three NFL games and rushed for 101 yards entering the playoffs.
Starks ripped through a door left open by an underwhelming running back group. He rushed 23 times for 123 yards with the type of unexpected performance that leaves Eagles fans in self pity thinking “Why does this stuff always happen to us?” after a tough loss.
Eagles fans will also remember the heartbreaker as possibly David Akers’ worst career game. He missed a 41-yard field goal in the first quarter and a 34-yard chip shot in the fourth.
Fans in attendance didn’t realize the magnitude of the personal situation he dealt with heading into the playoffs. He later shared with The Philadelphia Inquirer that his daughter faced surgery to remove a cancerous cyst.
Make sure you celebrate the best kicker in franchise history with proper perspective for an overtime winner that followed the fourth-and-26 conversion ahead of this painful memory.
Nick Sirianni Faces Critical Redemption Day
NFC Wild Card Round
Sunday, January 12, 2025 at 4:30pm
Lincoln Financial Field
Eagles (14-3) vs. Packers (11-6)
Polarizing head coach Nick Sirianni helped the Eagles to an appearance in Super Bowl LVII, but his shortcomings showed up in a brutal late-season collapse in 2023.
How will his Eagles legacy unfold as his team enters the playoffs as one of the Super Bowl favorites?
Vic Fangio has helped the Eagles to an incredible resurgence on defense this season. The league’s top-ranked unit in DVOA, total yards, and scoring will cause fits for praised offensive playcaller Matt LaFleur and probable starting quarterback Jordan Love.
Although the Eagles beat the Packers 34-29 in Week 1, the evolution of both teams and the fluky nature of a trip to Sao Paolo, Brazil minimizes the relevance of the victory.
The health status of Hurts and Love will dominate the conversation leading into an NFC Wild Card Round playoff clash between the Eagles and the Packers.
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
