Philadelphia Eagles 1972 Real Bad
Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 6:09 pm
fter an 0-5 start the previous year, the Eagles went 6-2-1. Winning the final three games gave them a 6-7-1 record for 1971. Just after the season, owner Leonard Tose and Coach Ed Khayatt were foolishly talking about a Super Bowl come 1972. In the six wins all but one came against teams that were below .500. Detroit was 7-5-2 and here were the others.
two wins over the New York Giants (4-10) at home 23 to 7 and away 41 to 28; two wins over the St Louis Cardinals (4-9-1) away 37 to 20 and home 19 to 7.
From the above, it obvious that the mid season surge was over rated. The Philadelphia Eagles caught some teams napping and this would not happen again.
Here is how bad the 72 team was:
–The Washington Redskins shut them out 14 to 0;
–In five other games the Eagles did not score a touchdown;
–they scored only 12 touchdowns all season, an average of .857 touchdowns a game;
–as stated, the Eagles defeated only one team with a better than .500 record, the Detroit Lions 23 to 20;
–they did not win a home game or a game against an NFC team all year; their best effort in both cases was 6 to 6 tie with the St. Louis Cardinals.
–their two victories 18 to 17 with the Houston Oilers and 21 to 20 with the Kansas City Chiefs were by one point. In both games they had to turn back late rallies. They lead the Chiefs 21 to 0 and the Oilers 15 to 3. They held on for victories but just barely.
There were two bright spots for the Eagles. Wide Receiver Harold Jackson led the NFL both in receptions (62) and yards gained (1,048). Jackson caught four touchdown passes. His best catch was for a 77 yard touchdown; this was in the away game that the Eagles lost to New York Giants 62 to 10. Bill Bradley led the league with nine interceptions for 73 yards. One of the most versatile players in Eagles’ history, Bradley punted for 56 times for 2,250 yards and returned 22 punts for 155 yards. He also had the thankless but critical job of spotting the ball for field goals and extra points.
two wins over the New York Giants (4-10) at home 23 to 7 and away 41 to 28; two wins over the St Louis Cardinals (4-9-1) away 37 to 20 and home 19 to 7.
From the above, it obvious that the mid season surge was over rated. The Philadelphia Eagles caught some teams napping and this would not happen again.
Here is how bad the 72 team was:
–The Washington Redskins shut them out 14 to 0;
–In five other games the Eagles did not score a touchdown;
–they scored only 12 touchdowns all season, an average of .857 touchdowns a game;
–as stated, the Eagles defeated only one team with a better than .500 record, the Detroit Lions 23 to 20;
–they did not win a home game or a game against an NFC team all year; their best effort in both cases was 6 to 6 tie with the St. Louis Cardinals.
–their two victories 18 to 17 with the Houston Oilers and 21 to 20 with the Kansas City Chiefs were by one point. In both games they had to turn back late rallies. They lead the Chiefs 21 to 0 and the Oilers 15 to 3. They held on for victories but just barely.
There were two bright spots for the Eagles. Wide Receiver Harold Jackson led the NFL both in receptions (62) and yards gained (1,048). Jackson caught four touchdown passes. His best catch was for a 77 yard touchdown; this was in the away game that the Eagles lost to New York Giants 62 to 10. Bill Bradley led the league with nine interceptions for 73 yards. One of the most versatile players in Eagles’ history, Bradley punted for 56 times for 2,250 yards and returned 22 punts for 155 yards. He also had the thankless but critical job of spotting the ball for field goals and extra points.