The2009Philadelphia Eaglesseason was the franchise's 77th season in theNational Football League (NFL), and the eleventh underhead coachAndy Reid. After advancing to their fifth NFC Championship game in eight years, theEagles improved upon their 9–6–1 record and a second-place finish in the NFC East in their 2008 campaign.

The season also marked the end of theDonovan McNabb era in Philadelphia as he was traded to the rivalWashington Redskins in the 2010 off-season.

• OTStacy Andrews – Signed as a free agent from theBengals.
• FBLeonard Weaver – Signed as a free agent from theSeahawks (ended up in2010 Pro Bowl).
• OTJason Peters – Traded from theBills for 2009 1st round draft pick, 2009 4th round draft pick, and a conditional 2010 draft pick.
• CBEllis Hobbs- Traded from thePatriots for two 2009 5th round draft picks (ended up in2010 Pro Bowl).
• SSean Jones – Signed as a free agent from theBrowns.
• QBMichael Vick – Signed as a free agent after being released by theAtlanta Falcons.

• FSBrian Dawkins – Signed with Denver Broncos as a Free Agent.
• RBCorrell Buckhalter – Signed with Denver Broncos as a Free Agent.
• OTTra Thomas – Signed withJacksonville Jaguars as a Free Agent.
• TEL.J. Smith – Signed withBaltimore Ravens as a Free Agent.
• SSSean Considine – Signed with Jacksonville Jaguars as a Free Agent.

RFA: Restricted free-agent,UFA: Unrestricted free-agent,ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent

• Carolina to Philadelphia. Carolina traded its first-round selection in 2009, as well as its second-round (No. 43: traded to Minnesota and used to select safetyTyrell Johnson) and fourth-round (No. 109: used to select offensive guardMike McGlynn) selections in 2008 to Philadelphia for the first-round selection of Philadelphia in 2008 (No. 19: used to select offensive tackleJeff Otah).^[1]
• Philadelphia to Buffalo. Philadelphia traded the 28th overall selection in 2009 (which originally was Carolina's 2009 first-round selection), its fourth-round selection in 2009, and a conditional sixth-round selection in 2010 in return for offensive tackleJason Peters.^[2]
• Cleveland to Philadelphia. Cleveland traded its fifth-round selection in 2009 to Philadelphia for Philadelphia's sixth-round selection in 2008 (No. 191: used to select wide receiverPaul Hubbard).^[3]
• New York Jets to Philadelphia The New York Jets traded their fifth-round selection and a conditional selection in 2010 to Philadelphia in return for cornerbackLito Sheppard.^[4]
• Patriots to Philadelphia. Patriots traded its fifth-round selection in 2009 to Philadelphia for wide receiver Greg Lewis.^[5]
• Minnesota to Philadelphia. Minnesota traded its sixth-round selection to Philadelphia for quarterbackKelly Holcomb.^[6]

Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text.

The Eagles began their season atBank of America Stadium for a Week 1 duel with theCarolina Panthers. Philadelphia trailed early in the first quarter as Panthers running backDeAngelo Williams ran 11 yards for a Carolina touchdown on their first drive. The Eagles answered with a 49-yard field goal from kickerDavid Akers. In the second quarter, Philadelphia exploded with points as defensive endVictor Abiamiri returned a fumble 2 yards for a touchdown, wide receiverDeSean Jackson returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown, and quarterbackDonovan McNabb completed a 9-yard touchdown pass to tight endBrent Celek and a 4-yard touchdown pass to running backBrian Westbrook. Carolina ended the period with kickerJohn Kasay booting a 22-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, the Eagles closed out their scoring with McNabb scoring on a 3-yard touchdown run. However, he was hit late by several Carolina tacklers who cracked his ribs on the right side, knocking him out of the game.Kevin Kolb came in for McNabb and closed out the game for the victorious Eagles.

With the win, Philadelphia began their season at 1–0.

Coming off their road win over the Panthers, the Eagles played their Week 2 home opener against theNew Orleans Saints. Due to the rib injury to quarterbackDonovan McNabb, backup quarterbackKevin Kolb was named the starter.

In the first quarter, Philadelphia trailed as Saints quarterbackDrew Brees completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverMarques Colston. The Eagles would answer with Kolb completing a 71-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverDeSean Jackson, but New Orleans replied with kickerJohn Carney making a 23-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Philadelphia would tie the game again as kickerDavid Akers got a 23-yard field goal. However, the Saints struck back as Brees hooked up with Colston again on a 25-yard touchdown pass. The Eagles would close out the half as Akers made a 32-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, New Orleans began to pull away as Brees completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to fullbackHeath Evans, along with running backMike Bell getting a 7-yard touchdown. Philadelphia would answer with Kolb completing a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverJason Avant. In the fourth quarter, the Saints continued to pull away as running backReggie Bush got a 19-yard touchdown run. The Eagles would get a score as Brees fumbled the ball out of his own end zone, giving Philadelphia a safety. However, the Saints closed out their victory march as safetyDarren Sharper returned an interception 97 yards for a touchdown.

With the loss, Philadelphia fell to 1–1.

The Eagles entered their second home game of the season at 1–1 and facing an 0–2 Kansas City Chiefs team. Kevin Kolb once again started in place of the injured Donovan McNabb and starting running back Brian Westbrook, starting left guardTodd Herremans (who had been out the first two weeks as well), and number two wide receiverKevin Curtis all missed the game as well. Nevertheless, the Eagles struck first as rookie RBLeSean McCoy, starting in place of Westbrook, scored on a five-yard touchdown scamper. Later in the first quarter, Kevin Kolb scored his first ever NFL rushing TD on a quarterback sneak to put Philadelphia up 14–0 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter,Matt Cassel scored the Chiefs' first touchdown of the game on a nice pass to a leapingMark Bradley over the head of CBEllis Hobbs to cut the Eagles' lead to seven. However, Philadelphia bounced back as Kevin Kolb hooked up with DeSean Jackson for a 64-yard score. The Eagles tacked on an Akers field goal to go up 24–7 at the half.

The Philadelphia defense which had been great all day continued to do their jobs in the third quarter and the Kansas City began to step up their game as the only score of the third period was a 38-yard field goal kick by David Akers, putting the Eagles up 27–7.

In the fourth quarter, Kevin Kolb tossed another touchdown pass, this time to starting third-year TEBrent Celek. It was Philly's last score of the game and put them up 34–7. Matt Cassel began to rally the Chiefs and drove them down the field, scoring a touchdown on a nine-yard pass toBobby Wade, making the score 34–14. However, the Chiefs were unable to get on the board again and 34–14 was the final score. Kolb is the first quarterback to throw at least 300 yards in his first 2 career starts.

With the win, the Eagles went into their bye week at 2–1.

The Eagles returned from their Week 4 bye against an 0–4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers team, Philadelphia's second straight game against a winless team. Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook returned from injury but Kevin Curtis once again was inactive andJeremy Maclin made his third consecutive start.

On Donovan McNabb's first play back, he scrambled 13 yards, and on the very next play, he found wide receiverJeremy Maclin deep in the end zone for a 51-yard touchdown.

In the second quarter, Donovan McNabb hit fullbackLeonard Weaver in the flat and Weaver took it in for a 20-yard touchdown. The Buccaneers answered soon after as quarterbackJosh Johnson, making his second career NFL start, connected with tight endKellen Winslow in the end one for a nine-yard score. The Eagles ended the second half with another McNabb-to-Maclin TD hookup, this one of 40 yards.

In the third quarter, the two teams fought back and forth but the only score was for Philadelphia as running backBrian Westbrook, one play after lining up wide and catching a twenty-yard pass from McNabb, ran the ball seven yards into the end zone to put the Eagles up 28–7.

KickerDavid Akers booted a 44-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to put Philly up 31–7, but the Bucs fought back as Josh Johnson and Kellen Winslow hooked up again on another nine-yard touchdown. After aSav Rocca punt left the Buccaneers deep in their own territory, DEDarren Howard tackled Tampa Bay halfbackCarnell "Cadillac" Williams in the end zone for a safety.

The final score was 33–14 as the Eagles improved to 3–1. Andy Reid earned his 100th career victory with the Eagles.^[7] The Eagles are 11–0 after their bye week under Andy Reid.

Coming off their home win over the Buccaneers, the Eagles flew to theOakland–Alameda County Coliseum for a Week 6 interconference duel with theOakland Raiders.

In the first quarter, both defenses played well, with the Eagles getting on the board first with a 45-yard field goal from kickerDavid Akers. However, the Raiders responded as QBJaMarcus Russell hooked up with TEZach Miller on an 86-yard touchdown pass.

In the second quarter, Oakland kickerSebastian Janikowski hit a 29-yard field goal and Akers would hit a 43-yarder. Philadelphia got the ball back before the half but sputtered as they got close to the Oakland end zone, and the half ended with the Raiders up 10–6.

In the third quarter, the defenses battled back and forth and neither team scored.

The final quarter's first points were scored by Oakland as Janikowski hit on a 46-yard field goal. David Akers scored on a 45-yard field goal for the Eagles, but when they got the ball back late in the fourth quarter, they turned it over on downs and the Raiders ran the clock out.

With the loss, the Eagles fell to 3–2.

Hoping to rebound from their road loss to the Raiders, the Eagles flew toFedExField for a Week 7 NFC East duel with theWashington Redskins on Monday night. Philadelphia took flight in the first quarter with wide receiverDeSean Jackson's 67-yard touchdown run and linebackerWill Witherspoon (recently acquired from the Rams) returning an interception 9 yards for a touchdown.

In the second quarter, the Eagles increased their lead with a 47-yard field goal from kickerDavid Akers. The Redskins would get on the board with quarterbackJason Campbell completing a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverDevin Thomas, yet Philadelphia answered with Akers nailing a 44-yard field goal and quarterbackDonovan McNabb completing a 57-yard touchdown pass to Jackson. Washington would close out the half with a 47-yard field goal from kickerShaun Suisham.

In the third quarter, both defenses fought back and forth and the period ended with no points.

In the fourth and final quarter, Jason Campbell completed a one-yard touchdown pass to tight endFred Davis for the only score of the second half.

The Eagles defense held on and, with the win, Philadelphia improved to 4–2.

This game was originally scheduled to have been a 4:15 PM start; however the NFL moved this game to 1 PM in order to accommodate thePhiladelphia Phillies hosting Game 4 of that year'sWorld Series.^[8]

Coming off their Monday night road win over the Redskins, the Eagles went home for a Week 8 NFC East duel with theNew York Giants with the division lead on the line.

Philadelphia came out soaring in the first quarter as fullbackLeonard Weaver got a 41-yard touchdown run, followed by quarterbackDonovan McNabb hooking up with tight endBrent Celek on a 17-yard touchdown pass (with a blocked PAT). In the second quarter, the Eagles increased their lead as kickerDavid Akers nailed a 30-yard field goal. The Giants would get on the board as quarterbackEli Manning found tight endKevin Boss on an 18-yard touchdown pass, yet Philadelphia kept their momentum going as McNabb completed a 54-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverDeSean Jackson and a 23-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiverJeremy Maclin.

The Eagles would increase their lead in the third quarter as Akers booted a 35-yard field goal, yet New York attempted to rally as kickerLawrence Tynes made a 42-yard field goal and running backAhmad Bradshaw got a 1-yard touchdown run. In the fourth quarter, Philadelphia pulled away with a 66-yard touchdown run by rookie running backLeSean McCoy.

With the win, not only did the Eagles improve to 5–2, but they would take over as the leader of the NFC East.

Coming off their win over the Giants, the Eagles stayed at home for a Week 9 Sunday night divisional duel with theDallas Cowboys with the lead in the NFC East on the line.

Philadelphia would trail in the first quarter as Cowboys running backTashard Choice picked up a 2-yard touchdown run. The Eagles would respond in the second quarter with a 45-yard and a 48-yard field goal from kickerDavid Akers, but Dallas would answer with kickerNick Folk nailing a 22-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, Philadelphia would take the lead as quarterbackDonovan McNabb found tight endBrent Celek on an 11-yard touchdown pass. However, the Cowboys struck back in the fourth quarter with Folk's 33-yard field goal and quarterbackTony Romo's 49-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverMiles Austin. The Eagles tried to get a comeback, but could only muster up a 52-yard field goal from Akers.

With the loss, the Eagles fell to 5–3.

Hoping to rebound from their tough Sunday night loss to the Cowboys, the Eagles flew toQualcomm Stadium for a Week 10 interconference duel with theSan Diego Chargers. Philadelphia would trail in the first quarter as Chargers quarterbackPhilip Rivers completed a 20-yard touchdown pass to fullbackMike Tolbert. San Diego would add onto their lead in the second quarter with running backLaDainian Tomlinson's 3-yard touchdown run. The Eagles would get on the board with kickerDavid Akers getting an 18-yard and a 25-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, the Chargers went back to work as Tomlinson got a 20-yard touchdown run. Philadelphia would try to stay close as Akers nailed a 25-yard field goal, but San Diego kept their attack going as Rivers hooked up with wide receiverLegedu Naanee on a 20-yard touchdown pass. The Eagles' offense would finally get going in the fourth quarter as quarterbackDonovan McNabb completed a 5-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiverJeremy Maclin and a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight endBrent Celek. However, the Chargers would prove to be too much to handle as kickerNate Kaeding booted a 29-yard field goal.

With the loss, the Eagles fell to 5–4.

Following two consecutive losses to Dallas and San Diego, Philadelphia went to Chicago to take on the Chicago Bears, who were 4–5, onSunday Night Football. The Eagles dominated the first quarter as Philadelphia took a two score lead on a 25-yard field goal byDavid Akers and a 13-yard touchdown fromDonovan McNabb toJason Avant on a wide receiver screen pass.

Down 10–0 at the start of the second quarter, Chicago drove within one point as Bears kickerRobbie Gould successfully made a 45-yard field goal, as well as a pair of 28-yard field goals, to make the score 10–9 at the half.

In the second half, the Bears took the lead as Robbie Gould kicked his fourth field goal, a 49-yarder that put Chicago up 12–10. However, it took only 30 seconds for the Eagles to take the lead as Donovan McNabb passed toDeSean Jackson for a 48-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 17–12 lead. Ironically, the 48-yard touchdown catch was the shortest touchdown scored by Jackson thus far in the season. Chicago again took the lead in the third quarter as struggling quarterbackJay Cutler, who had already missed several wide open targets in the game, passed to tight endKellen Davis for a 15-yard score. The Bears converted the 2-point conversion attempt as running backMatt Forte scored on the pass from Cutler to put the Bears back on top 20–17.

In the fourth quarter, both defenses fought back and forth but the only points of the final period were scored by Eagles running backLeSean McCoy on a 10-yard, game-winning touchdown run to put the Eagles up 24–20, the game's final score.

With the win, the Eagles improved to 6–4. Ironically, the Eagles win came by the same score (24–20) in the same city (Chicago) at the same time and venue (Sunday Night Football on NBC) as when they had lost in week 4 of the2008 season.

In the second meeting of the year with theWashington Redskins, the Eagles tried an onside kick to start the game. This backfired when the Redskins running backQuinton Ganther recovered the kick and returned it 25 yards to the Eagles 24-yard line. Four plays later, Redskins quarterbackJason Campbell ran for a two-yard touchdown to score the game's first touchdown, as the Redskins took the lead 7–0. After a holding penalty on Eagles tight endBrent Celek, the Eagles had to settle for a 29-yard field goal by kickerDavid Akers. On the following drive by the Eagles, quarterbackDonovan McNabb found wide receiverDeSean Jackson wide open in the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown to bring the Eagles up 10–7. On the ensuing drive by the Redskins, Campbell threw a 4-yard touchdown pass toSantana Moss to take the lead 14–10.

Late in the second quarter, after both teams punting the ball away after three unsuccessful drives, Eagles cornerbackAsante Samuel intercepted a Jason Campbell pass that was intended for Santana Moss. The Eagles could not convert a third down with 10 to go, and David Akers kicked a 24-yard field goal to get the Eagles within a point of the Redskins, 14–13. The Redskins received the ball again and Campbell threw a second straight interception to Samuel, who returned it for 17 yards. The Eagles ended the first half with a second straight field goal to take the lead 16–14.

The Eagles got the ball to start the second half, but the drive ended with aSav Rocca punt. Jason Campbell threw a 10-yard touchdown to tight endFred Davis to take the lead once again, 21–16.

After two straight punts for each team, the Eagles got the ball back in the fourth quarter and Donovan McNabb threw an intended pass toReggie Brown, but the pass was intercepted by Redskins cornerbackJustin Tryon. The Redskins scored on a 25-yard field goal byShaun Suisham, to increase their lead 24–16. The Eagles started their drive on their own 10-yard line after a penalty on the kick return byDimitri Patterson. The Eagles went 90 yards to score on anEldra Buckley one-yard touchdown run. Since they were losing by two points, the Eagles decided to go for a two-point conversion. The two-point conversion was successful after rookie running backLeSean McCoy ran in the end zone on a shovel pass from McNabb. The score was tied, 24–24. The Redskins could not score on the next drive, and therefore had to punt to the Eagles. The Eagles scored on a 32-yard field goal by David Akers to take the lead, 27–24. The Eagles got the ball back on downs, and kneeled the ball to run out the clock and win 27–24.

With the win, the Eagles improved to 7–4.

Following back to back wins against Chicago and Washington, the Eagles traveled to Atlanta to take on theAtlanta Falcons who were 6–5. While the Falcons were without quarterbackMatt Ryan and running backMichael Turner due to injury, as well as a pair of offensive linemen, the Eagles came into the game without explosive wideoutDeSean Jackson, linebackerAkeem Jordan, or nickel cornerJoselio Hanson, who had been suspended by the league for violating its substance abuse policy.

In the first quarter, Eagles kickerDavid Akers scored on a 33-yard field goal and fullbackLeonard Weaver, who would go on to make an outstanding one-handed, 59-yard catch-and-run, and finish the game with 100 total yards, caught an under thrown ball byDonovan McNabb in the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown that put the Eagles up 10–0.

Atlanta's backup quarterbackChris Redman struggled all game and backup running backsJerious Norwood andJason Snelling seemed, in most cases, unable to find holes, and both offenses struggled in the second quarter, the only score coming on another 33-yard field goal by David Akers.

The Eagles dominated the third quarter as quarterbackMichael Vick, in his return to Atlanta, ran in a five-yard score to put the Eagles up 20–0, his first touchdown of the year. It kept getting worse for Atlanta as Chris Redman, who had had pass after pass batted at the line during the game, was intercepted by cornerbackSheldon Brown, who returned the interception 83 yards for a score.

Philly went up 34–0 in the fourth quarter as Michael Vick, coming in as a relief player for Donovan McNabb, tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight endBrent Celek. The Eagles defense seemed to be en route to their first shutout since1996, but the Falcons scored with one second left on the clock on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Redman to wide receiverRoddy White.

The Eagles third consecutive win left them 8–4, heading into a pivotal Sunday Night matchup against their division rivalNew York Giants.

The winner of this Sunday Night showdown would assume first place in the NFC East (the Eagles outright, the Giants on tiebreakers). With two games against opponents with losing records approaching, it was crucial for the Giants to escape this one with a win.

The Eagles started things off right away, putting 14 points on the board before the Giants had run their fifth play from scrimmage. McNabb connected with Celek for a touchdown, and Sheldon Brown returned a Brandon Jacobs fumble for six points on the ensuing drive. In the second quarter, Nicks caught the longest reception of his short career for a 68-yard touchdown. After DeSean Jackson responded by returning a Jeff Feagles punt 72 yards for a touchdown, the Giants were able to send Bradshaw into the end zone from the 3. Eagles backup quarterback Michael Vick was able to sneak in one more rushing touchdown before halftime. Jacobs opened the scoring in the second half with a 1-yard rush. After the teams traded turnovers, Manning got the ball into Hixon's hands for a 61-yard touchdown. But the Eagles responded on the very next play with a 60-yard touchdown to Jackson. Jackson's 176 receiving yards amounted to the best individual receiving performance against the Giants since 2002. The Eagles struck again in the fourth quarter, this time on a run by fullback Leonard Weaver and a two-point conversion pass to Jason Avant. The Giants put another touchdown on the board (courtesy of Boss) in the last two minutes of the game, and got the ball back with 28 seconds left. But defensive end Darren Howard sacked Manning and forced a fumble, sealing the Eagles' first sweep of the Giants since 2004.

The Eagles scored 85 points against the Giants this year, the most they have scored versus the Giants in a single season in franchise history. The Eagles have improved to 9–4 with many hopes of making it into the playoffs.

After taking control of the NFC East in New York, the Eagles came back home to face a 6–7 49ers team who were coming off of a 15-point win against the Cardinals.

Upon receiving the opening kickoff, the Eagles' first possession began from the 50-yard line after a great return of 48 yards byQuintin Demps. With excellent field position to start, the Eagles would march through 49ers territory and score the game's first touchdown to cap off a 5-play, 50-yard drive on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Donovan McNabb to DeSean Jackson. The 49ers responded within 3 minutes with a 51-yard field goal byJoe Nedney to cut the Eagles' lead down to 7–3. Before the end of the 1st quarter, both teams turned the ball over once: 49ers QBAlex Smith was picked off at the Philadelphia 32-yard line by Quintin Mikell and, during a later possession, the Eagles were stopped on 4th down at their own 29-yard line after RB Leonard Weaver failed to convert on 4th and 1.

On the very first play of the second quarter, with the 49ers threatening to score, tight endDelanie Walker's fumble was recovered by Eagles' cornerback Asante Samuel at the Philadelphia 6-yard line. The Eagles turned it into 13 more points, coming off of an 8-yard touchdown run by McNabb and two short David Akers field goals. The Eagles took a commanding 20–3 lead into halftime. In the third quarter, San Francisco held the Eagles scoreless while managing 10 points of their own to trim the deficit to 7. Joe Nedney nailed another field goal, this time from 25 yards, and Alex Smith connected withJosh Morgan on a 12-yard touchdown pass as the Eagles took a 20–13 lead into the 4th. From there, the 49ers would not score again and the Eagles would put the game away with a 2-yard rushing touchdown by LeSean McCoy. The Eagles won the game 27–13.

With the win, the Eagles improved to 10–4 and remained atop the division, holding a 1-game lead over the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles also clinched a playoff berth, the 8th of the Andy Reid/ Donovan Mcnabb era.

NFC East leaders for the second straight week, the 10–4 Eagles remained home for an interconference matchup with the 8–6 Denver Broncos.

The Eagles jumped out to an early 10–0 lead in the 1st quarter, recovering from a quick turnover on their first possession. Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb was sacked, losing the ball in the process. The loose ball was picked up by Denver'sDarrell Reid. The Philadelphia defense was able to keep the Broncos from turning it into any points, forcing a punt, and scored on their next possession with a 2-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson. Soon after, David Akers' 39 yard field goal pushed the Eagles' lead to 10, closing the first quarter. Denver answered with an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterbackKyle Orton to wide receiverJabar Gaffney, capping off a 12-play, 70-yard drive on their very first possession of the second period. Up 10–7, the Eagles immediately responded on the following drive as Donovan McNabb hit his tight end Brent Celek for a 47-yard passing touchdown. The Eagles forced another punt, David Akers added 3 more points on his second field goal of the day, and the Eagles' halftime lead stood at 13.

Now down 20–7, the Broncos started the second half strong, forcing another Eagles turnover on the second play of the third quarter. McNabb was intercepted byChamp Bailey, setting up a 33-yard field goal byMatt Prater to reduce the lead to 10. Philadelphia's next possession gave them their largest lead of the game after Donovan McNabb found Jason Avant for his third passing touchdown of the day. Kyle Orton was then intercepted by Asante Samuel, and the Broncos' hopes of a comeback were fading away. However, Denver forced a 3-and-out, scored on another passing touchdown to Jabar Gaffney, and recovered the fumble by Macho Harris on the following kickoff. Orton foundKnowshon Moreno forhis third passing touchdown of the day, and, within two minutes, the Eagles' 17-point lead was down to 3. In the fourth, Matt Prater succeeded on a 46-yard field goal attempt and the game was tied at 27 with just over 6 minutes to go. After offensive possessions for each team, both ending in punts, the Eagles got the ball back with 1:41 remaining to set up a 28-yard field goal by David Akers, leaving the Broncos with 7 seconds of game time. Time ran out on the ensuing kickoff, and the Eagles held on to win by a score of 30–27.

The victory, their sixth consecutive, boosted Philadelphia's record to 11–4. With the Dallas Cowboys winning their game against the Washington Redskins later that night, it set a de facto game between the two teams to decide the NFC East champion.

In the final game of the regular season, the first-place Eagles battled the second-place Cowboys in Dallas, with the winner crowned as NFC East champs.

The game began with Dallas driving 80 yards down the field in 9 plays for the touchdown. Cowboys quarterbackTony Romo completed a 10-yard pass to tight endJason Witten, giving the Cowboys the early 7–0 lead. The Eagles' first drive, in comparison, ended in a quick 3-and-out, giving the ball back to the Cowboys. On the next drive, Romo, looking forPatrick Crayton, was picked off by the Eagles'Joselio Hanson deep in Philadelphia territory. The Eagles, continuing their drive into the second quarter, were able to reach the Cowboys' 39-yard line, but elected to punt on 4th down rather than kick the long field goal. Tony Romo led Dallas back down the field and the possession finished with a 14-yard touchdown reception by Patrick Crayton. Still scoreless, the Eagles made a furious attempt to respond, moving the ball all the way to the 14-yard line of the Cowboys only for Donovan McNabb to fumble. Dallas DEJay Ratliff scooped it up, eventually resulting in a 44-yard field goal byShaun Suisham to end the half with a 17–0 Cowboys lead.

To open the second half, the Eagles drove down the field into field goal range and once again came up empty. The 53-yard try by David Akers was wide left, and the Cowboys took over on their own 43. Both teams each punted twice until the Cowboys struck again, this time on a 2-play possession capped off by running backFelix Jones. Jones ran it in from 49 yards out and put Dallas up by 24 with under 6 minutes left in the third quarter. This would be the last time either team put up any points, and the game ended with a final score of 24–0. This would be Philadelphia's first loss since Week 10 and their first time being held scoreless in a regular season game since Week 13 of 2005.

With the loss, the Eagles placed second in the NFC East, as the Cowboys won the division title by means of a tiebreaker. The loss also resulted in the Eagles failing to clinch the #2 seed (and a first-round bye) in the NFC and instead slipped all the way down to the #6 seed in the NFC, setting up a rematch on Wild Card weekend.

Entering the postseason as the NFC's #6 seed, the Eagles began their playoff atCowboys Stadium for the third meeting against their hated rival, the #3Dallas Cowboys, in a rematch of their Week 17 defeat.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Cowboys would strike first in the second quarter with quarterbackTony Romo's 1-yard touchdown pass to tight endJohn Phillips. Philadelphia would answer with quarterbackMichael Vick hooking up with rookie wide receiverJeremy Maclin on a 76-yard touchdown, but Dallas would start to pull away as running backTashard Choice got a 1-yard touchdown run. The Cowboys would pile on their lead with kickerShaun Suisham's 25-yard field goal, Romo's 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverMiles Austin, and Suisham's 48-yard field goal.

Dallas would add onto their lead in the third quarter as running backFelix Jones scored on a 73-yard touchdown run. The Eagles tried to mount a comeback drive in the fourth quarter as quarterbackDonovan McNabb found wide receiverDeSean Jackson, but the Cowboys would prevent any further attempts.

With the loss, Philadelphia was eliminated, ending its season with an overall record of 11–6.

This would be Donovan McNabb's last game as an Eagle.

This was the first time since1996 the Eagles failed to win their opening playoff game.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to2009 Philadelphia Eagles season.

• 2009 Philadelphia Eagles season at Pro Football Reference
• 2009 Philadelphia Eagles season at ESPN

• 2009 NFL season by team
• Philadelphia Eagles seasons
• 2009 in sports in Pennsylvania

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