National Football League

Recent history says Eagles' title chances slim despite hot start

Updated Jan. 17, 2023 2:09 p.m. ET

The Philadelphia Eagles are the NFL's only undefeated near the halfway mark of the season.

And while they've been firing on all cylinders en route to an 8-0 start, recent history suggests that doesn't bode well for their title hopes.

On Wednesday's "The Herd," Colin Cowherd noted how several dominant teams in the major American professional sports leagues have flamed out early in the playoffs in recent seasons. The team with the best NFL regular season record hasn't won a Super Bowl since 2017, which coincidentally was the Eagles, though they were one of four teams with a 13-3 record that season.

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In the NBA, the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors were the last team to hold the best record in the regular season and go on to win the title. The 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers were the last to accomplish both in MLB, but that was in a 60-game, COVID-impacted season. The 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks were the last team to win the Presidents' Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season.

"Philadelphia is the last unbeaten team in the NFL, and we do those over and over and over again — we fall in love with regular seasons," Cowherd said. "But we know that in all sports … we know this to be true: that regular season NFL is different than playoff NFL. The pressure's different. The experience is different. The intensity is different. The weather is different. But we fall for it and now everybody is in on Philadelphia."

Cowherd noted that an anonymous NFL executive said that the Eagles could be one-and-done in the playoffs, leading him to cite a few franchises that in recent years have had dominant regular seasons, but fell on their faces at the beginning of the playoffs.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS — 2022

Record: 111-51

Postseason result: Lost 3-1 to the San Diego Padres in the NLDS

Colin's thoughts: "The Dodgers in baseball this year, not only did they have the best regular-season record, they had a run differential of plus-334 (best in MLB). It's one of the most dominant regular season teams in baseball history with 111 wins. They could not get out of the first round. They were dominated by the Padres, a team they dominated [in the regular season]. The pressure was all on the Dodgers and they didn't deal with it."

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PHOENIX SUNS — 2021-22

Record: 64-18

Postseason result: Lost 4-3 to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals

Colin's thoughts: "The Phoenix Suns were eight games better than the second-best team. They dominated the league in point differential. They were whacked by Dallas in the second round. Underdog Dallas with no pressure."

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING — 2018-19

Record: 62-16-4 (128 points)

Postseason result: Lost 4-0 to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Eastern Conference First Round

Colin's thoughts: "One of the great regular-season teams ever, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Sixty-two wins, tied for the most in the sport's history. They had the league MVP (Nikita Kucherov), swept in Round 1. Swept."

Baltimore Ravens — 2019

Record: 14-2

Postseason result: Lost 28-12 to the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Divisional Round

Colin's thoughts: "Lamar [Jackson] is the MVP. They had the best record in the NFL. They had the best point differential in the NFL. They couldn't win a playoff game. Their offense dried up."

How the last remaining undefeated NFL team has fared in the last 10 seasons:

2021 Arizona Cardinals: Lost in wild-card round

2020 Pittsburgh Steelers: Lost in wild-card round

2019 New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers: Patriots lost in wild-card round; 49ers lost in Super Bowl

2018 Los Angeles Rams: Lost in Super Bowl

2017 Kansas City Chiefs: Lost in wild-card round

2016 Minnesota Vikings: Missed playoffs

2015 Carolina Panthers: Lost in Super Bowl

2014 Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals: Eagles missed playoffs; Bengals and Cardinals lost in wild-card round

2013 Kansas City Chiefs: Lost in wild-card round

2012 Atlanta Falcons: Lost in NFC Championship Game

Colin's thoughts: "I had to go to 2006 to find the Peyton Manning-Colts for the last undefeated team — they went 9-0 — to win a Super Bowl. Many were knocked out early.

Colin's final thoughts on the Eagles' chances: "Look at their wins, they've dominated bad teams. I think Philadelphia has earned the right to be called the No. 1 team in the league. But we've had history and recent history, and nobody would dispute that dominating regular-season teams, it doesn't mean anything."