| 1994 Philadelphia Eagles season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Jeffrey Lurie |
| Head coach | Rich Kotite |
| Home field | Veterans Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–9 |
| Division place | 4th NFC East |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The 1994 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 62nd in the National Football League (NFL). On May 6, 1994, the NFL approved the transfer of majority interest in the team from Norman Braman to Jeffrey Lurie. [1] The team failed to improve upon their previous output of 8–8, winning only seven games [2] and failing to qualify for the playoffs.
Rich Kotite's fate as Eagles head coach was sealed after a seven-game losing streak to end the season knocked Philly from the top of the NFC at 7–2 all the way to fourth place in the Eastern Division. One key injury was the season-ending broken leg suffered by linebacker Byron Evans, who was lost in game #10 against Cleveland.
The epitome of this collapse came on Christmas Eve at Cincinnati, when the 2–13 Bengals scored six points in the final seconds – thanks in part to the recovery of a fumbled kick return – to steal a win.
The high point of the '94 season occurred on October 2 at Candlestick Park, when the Eagles steamrolled the eventual Super Bowl winning 49ers by a 40–8 count. As of the 2023 season, this remains the single largest margin of victory over an eventual Super Bowl champion in NFL history.
Offseason
NFL draft
The 1994 NFL draft was held April 24–25, 1994. This was the first draft in which the rounds were reduced to seven in total.
| 1994 Philadelphia Eagles draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | Bernard Williams | Offensive tackle | Georgia | |
| 2 | 37 | Bruce Walker | Defensive tackle | UCLA | |
| 2 | 42 | Charlie Garner * | Running back | Tennessee | |
| 3 | 77 | Joe Panos | Guard | Wisconsin | |
| 3 | 103 | Eric Zomalt | Defensive back | California | |
| 5 | 144 | Marvin Goodwin | Defensive back | UCLA | |
| 6 | 174 | Ryan McCoy | Linebacker | Houston | |
| 6 | 193 | Mitch Berger * | Punter | Colorado | |
| 7 | 206 | Mark Montgomery | Running back | Wisconsin | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Personnel
Staff
|
Front office
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Kickoff | Network | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 4, 1994 | at New York Giants | L 28–23 | 0–1 | 1:00pm ET | FOX | 76,130 |
| 2 | September 12, 1994 | Chicago Bears | W 30–22 | 1–1 | 9:00pm ET | ABC | 64,890 |
| 3 | September 18, 1994 | Green Bay Packers | W 13–7 | 2–1 | 1:00pm ET | FOX | 63,922 |
| 4 | Bye | ||||||
| 5 | October 2, 1994 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 40–8 | 3–1 | 4:00pm ET | FOX | 64,843 |
| 6 | October 9, 1994 | Washington Redskins | W 21–17 | 4–1 | 8:00pm ET | TNT | 63,947 |
| 7 | October 16, 1994 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 24–13 | 4–2 | 4:00pm ET | FOX | 64,703 |
| 8 | October 24, 1994 | Houston Oilers | W 21–6 | 5–2 | 9:00pm ET | ABC | 65,233 |
| 9 | October 30, 1994 | at Washington Redskins | W 31–29 | 6–2 | 1:00pm ET | FOX | 53,530 |
| 10 | November 6, 1994 | Arizona Cardinals | W 17–7 | 7–2 | 1:00pm ET | FOX | 64,952 |
| 11 | November 13, 1994 | Cleveland Browns | L 26–7 | 7–3 | 1:00pm ET | NBC | 65,233 |
| 12 | November 20, 1994 | at Arizona Cardinals | L 12–6 | 7–4 | 4:00pm ET | FOX | 62,779 |
| 13 | November 27, 1994 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 28–21 | 7–5 | 1:00pm ET | FOX | 60,008 |
| 14 | December 4, 1994 | Dallas Cowboys | L 31–19 | 7–6 | 1:00pm ET | FOX | 65,974 |
| 15 | December 11, 1994 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 14–3 | 7–7 | 1:00pm ET | FOX | 55,474 |
| 16 | December 18, 1994 | New York Giants | L 16–13 | 7–8 | 4:00pm ET | FOX | 64,540 |
| 17 | December 24, 1994 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 33–30 | 7–9 | 1:00pm ET | FOX | 39,923 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1
Sunday, September 4, 1994 – Kickoff 1:01 PM Eastern Played at Giants Stadium with 68F degrees and 11 MPH wind
'1st Quarter Highlights QB Dave Brown intercepted by Mark McMillian of the Eagles. KR Jeff Snyder fumbles and the Giants recover. Giants RB Rodney Hampton 1 yard TD run. (7–0 Giants) Giants PR Dave Meggett returns punt 68 yard TD (14–0 Giants)
Week 17
Saturday, December 24, 1994 Kickoff 1:00 PM Eastern
Played at Riverfront Stadium on an AstroTurf playing surface in 38F degrees with a 12 MPH wind
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Philadelphia Eagles (7–9) | 3 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 30 |
| Cincinnati Bengals (3–13) | 7 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 33 |
| SCORING PLAYS | PHIL | CIN | TIME | ||
| 1st | Bengals | Carl Pickens 14 yard pass from Jeff Blake ( Doug Pelfrey kick) | 0 | 7 | |
| Eagles | Eddie Murray 34 yard field goal | 3 | 7 | ||
| 2nd | Bengals | Doug Pelfrey 18 yard field goal | 3 | 10 | |
| Eagles | Herschel Walker 94 yard kickoff return (Eddie Murray kick) | 10 | 10 | ||
| Eagles | James Joseph 7 yard pass from Bubby Brister (Eddie Murray kick) | 17 | 10 | ||
| Eagles | Eddie Murray 23 yard field goal | 20 | 10 | ||
| 3rd | Eagles | Mike Zordich 18 yard interception return (Eddie Murray kick) | 27 | 10 | |
| Bengals | Harold Green 5 yard rush (Doug Pelfrey kick) | 27 | 17 | ||
| Bengals | Doug Pelfrey 36 yard field goal | 27 | 20 | ||
| 4th | Eagles | Eddie Murray 35 yard field goal | 30 | 20 | |
| Bengals | Tony McGee 8 yard pass from Jeff Blake (Doug Pelfrey kick) | 30 | 27 | ||
| Bengals | Doug Pelfrey 22 yard field goal | 30 | 30 | ||
| Bengals | Doug Pelfrey 54 yard field goal | 30 | 33 |
Standings
| NFC East | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| (2) Dallas Cowboys | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 414 | 248 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 279 | 305 | W6 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 235 | 267 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 308 | 308 | L7 |
| Washington Redskins | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 320 | 412 | W1 |
Postseason
Shortly after the season ended, head coach Rich Kotite was fired. There were rumors that the Eagles new owner Jeffrey Lurie would not keep him on as coach. His fate was sealed when, after a 7-2 start, the Eagles lost the last 7 games of the season and missed the playoffs.
During the few weeks the Eagles would interview outside the organization for a replacement, they had to wait until the Super Bowl was played to talk to candidates from the teams in the playoffs. Less than a week after Super Bowl XXIX, won by the San Francisco 49ers, the Eagles hired their defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes.
References
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 978-0-7611-2480-1, p.287
- ^ 1994 Philadelphia Eagles
- ^ "1994 Philadelphia Eagles draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ Juliano, Joe (February 9, 1994). "Eagles promote John Wooten to director of player personnel". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ Newman, Chuck (July 6, 1994). "Redskins scout hired for Eagles front office: Chuck Banker is the new director of pro personnel. Also, Joe Banner was named a vice president". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 8, 2014.