Honorable Mentions: Matt Stairs' moonshot, Jimmy Rollins' 2009 NLCS clincher, Aaron Rowand runs through a wall, Shane Victorino's NLDS Grand Slam vs. CC, 7 back with 17 to play, Donovan McNabb throws 4 TDs on a broken ankle, McNabb's 14.1 second scramble, Mike Vick's Monday Night Masterpiece vs. Washington
10. 44-6
The Eagles needed more than a little bit of help to make the playoffs in 2007-08. Sitting at 8-6-1, the Eagles needed seemingly miracle wins from the Oakland Raiders (13-point underdogs to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Houston Texans (over the Chicago Bears) to even have a chance at the playoffs. But the impossible came true, as both the Raiders and Texans won, setting up a virtual playoff game between the Eagles and the rival Dallas Cowboys. The winner would clinch the six-seed in the NFC playoffs. The loser would be eliminated from playoff contention. After a 3-3 first quarter, the Eagles exploded to the tune of 41 unanswered points in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, including a strip sack by Brian Dawkins to begin the second half which Chris Clemons picked up and ran 73-yards for a touchdown.
9. Flyers beat the Pens – 2012 NHL Playoffs
This makes the list for me for completely selfish reasons. I was in State College for this series, and it was one of the most fun sporting events I’ve ever seen simply because half the town was orange and half the town was yellow. The pure hatred that the Flyers and the Penguins have for each other was amplified even further in the normally Happy Valley. The Pens, being the 4 seed, hosted the first two games of the series. The Pens used home ice advantage to jump out to a 3-0 first period lead in Game 1, but the Flyers slowly but surely came back behind two Danny Briere goals to tie the game at 3 and eventually win the game in overtime. The Flyers used that momentum to win two high scoring affairs: Game 2 (8-5) and Game 3 (8-4). Facing an 0-3 series deficit, the Pens lit the lamp 10 (TEN!) times in a Game 4 romp to stay alive, and also won a hard fought Game 5, 3-2, to come within 1 game of tying the Flyers in the series. But the Flyers would not let the Penguins get any closer, as Claude Giroux set the tone from the beginning of Game 6. Five seconds into the game, he leveled Penguins’ Captain Sidney Crosby (much to the delight of the hometown Flyers fan), and twenty-seven seconds after that, launched a bullet past Marc-Andre Fleury to put the Flyers up 1-0. The Flyers won the game easily, 5-1, and took the series over the rival Penguins in one of the most entertaining hockey series I’ll ever see.
8. 4th and 26
The Eagles trailed the Green Bay Packers 14-7 after three quarters of a divisional playoff game in the 2003-04 NFC playoffs. But a 12 yard touchdown pass from Donovan McNabb to Todd Pinkston tied the game up on the first play of the 4th quarter. Later in the quarter, Brett Favre led the Packers down the field to the Eagles' 5 yard line, but could not punch it in for a touchdown, forcing the Packers to settle for a 21-yard field goal. On the Eagles' ensuing possession, two McNabb incompletions, a false start, and an 11 yard sack pushed the Eagles back to 4th-and-26. The Eagles' ran wide receiver Freddie Mitchell down the seam of the Packers' Cover 2 zone coverage, and McNabb delivered a perfect ball to Mitchell between the Packers coverage to convert the first down. The Eagles' continued the drive to tie the game behind a David Akers 37-yard field goal, and eventually won the game in overtime after Brian Dawkins' interception of a completely inexplicable Favre throw set up a 31-yard game winning Akers field goal. Of course, the Eagles ended up losing their third consecutvie NFC Championship game the following week to the Carolina Panthers. But at least the People's Champ was born.
The seventh-seeded Flyers found themselves in serious trouble in the 2010 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, down 0-3 to the Boston Bruins, losing both games in Boston (5-4 in OT, and 3-2), and then losing the first game in Philadelphia 4-1. The series outlook appeared grim as the Flyers took the ice at home in Game 4, but a Simon Gagne overtime goal kept the Flyers' season alive to force Game 5 in Boston. The Flyers easily won Game 5, 4-0, to send the series back to Philadelphia for Game 6. The Flyers won Game 6 behind a strong performance from goalie Michael Leighton, 2-1, to force a decisive Game 7. Game 7 played out eerily similar to the rest of the series, as the Bruins jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first period. The Flyers got one goal back before the end of the period by James van Riemsdyk to make the score 3-1 at the end of one period. The Flyers scored twice in the 2nd period (Scott Hartnell and Danny Briere) to tie the game going into the 3rd period. Once again, it was Simon Gagne to play hero and keep the Flyers' season alive, scoring a power-play goal (after Boston was penalized for having too many men on the ice) with 7:08 left to play, giving the Flyers a 4-3 win in Game 7. The comeback made the Flyers only the 4th team in major American sports to erase an 0-3 deficit and win (joining the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, the 1975 New York Islanders, and the 2004 Boston Red Sox).
6. Cliff Lee’s Gem – Game 1, 2009 World Series
The Phillies returned to the Fall Classic for the second consecutive time in 2009 to face the New York Yankees. Because of the AL’s win in the All-Star game, Game 1 was played in Yankee Stadium, and featured two former teammates on the mound: C.C. Sabathia for the Yankees, and Cliff Lee for the Phillies. Sabathia pitched well, but he allowed two solo homeruns to Chase Utley (who ended up hitting five for the series). Those two runs would be all Lee would need on his way to an epic complete game, six-hit, zero-earned-run, ten-strikeout gem to give the Phillies a 1-0 series lead. Unfortunately, it would be the only highlight of the series, as the Yankees took four of the next five games to win the series. Still, it was the best pitching performance I had ever seen (until #4 on this list). And at least we’ll always have this catch. Like it was nothing.
In Week 15 of the 2010 regular seasons, the Eagles met the New York Giants in a crucial NFC East game, with the winner moving into first place in the division. The Giants jumped out to a 24-3 halftime lead, with the Giants easily in control for the entire half. After a 3rd Quarter Eagle touchdown, the Giants responded by scoring a touchdown after a critical DeSean Jackson fumble early in the 4th Quarter. The Giants touchdown gave them a seemingly insurmountable 31-10 lead with only 8:17 left in the game. The Eagles quickly responded with another touchdown (Mike Vick to Brent Celek) to cut the lead to 31-17 with 7:28 remaining. The Eagles recovered the ensuing onside kick, and drove down the field to set up a Vick four yard touchdown run. The Vick touchdown brought the Eagles to within one possession (31-24) with 5:28 left to play. A promising Giants drive stalled due to the penalties, causing them to punt the ball back to the Eagles. The Eagles, with no timeouts left, took over at their own 12 yard line with 3:01 remaining. Vick showed flashes of his brilliant scrambling ability, running for 33 yards on 3rd-and-10 from the 12, and darting his way to a 22 yard pickup on 2nd-and-10 from the Giants' 42 to put the Eagles in the red zone. Two plays later, Vick hit Jeremy Maclin for the game tying touchdown with only 1:16 left to play. With the Eagles out of timeouts, the Giants elected to throw the ball twice to start their next drive, both incomplete. After Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning was sacked on 3rd down, the Giants were forced to punt the ball away with only 14 seconds to go. Despite being told to kick the ball out of bounds, Giants’ rookie punter Matt Dodge kicked the ball to DeSean Jackson. Thus, the Miracle at the New Meadowlands was born.
Roy Halladay spent 12 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays before coming to Philadelphia. He did not pitch in the postseason one time during that span. However, in his first season with the Phillies, Halladay finally got his chance to pitch in the postseason, and he did not disappoint. In Game 1 of the 2010 NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds, Halladay pitched what may have been the finest game of his career (which is really saying something because he threw a perfect game a mere four months prior) in his first career playoff start. For only the second time in MLB history, a pitcher threw a no-hitter in a playoff game (the other, Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series). Halladay was untouchable the entire night, with the only base runner coming on a 3-2 walk in the 5th inning. He allowed only four balls to leave the infield all night, as the NL’s top offense could get nothing going against the Cy Young Award winner. It was a true masterpiece that set the tone for the Phillies to sweep the Reds in the NLDS.
3. Fourth Time’s the Charm – 2004-05 NFC Championship Game
The Eagles were coming off three consecutive losses in the NFC Championship game, including two in a row at home, when they hosted Mike Vick and the Atlanta Falcons in the 2004-05 NFC Championship game. After taking a 14-10 halftime lead, the Eagles dominated the second half, effectively neutralizing Vick’s explosive play-making ability and forcing the Falcons to punt on every possession except two (which ended in an interception and a turnover on downs), on their way to a 27-10 win and a berth in Super Bowl XXXIX.
2. The Answer steps over the Lakers – Game 1, 2001 NBA Finals
The 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers were a juggernaut. They featured one of the most (if not the most) dominate 1-2 punches of all-time in Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. The Lakers headed to the NBA Finals on an 11-0 playoff record, and seemed destined to steamroll to a perfect 15-0 on their way to a second consecutive NBA title. In their way stood the Philadelphia 76ers, led by the electric Allen Iverson. Iverson turned in a classic performance in Game 1, scoring 48 points leading the Sixers to a 107-101 overtime win in what would turn out to be the Lakers only loss of the postseason. Add in one of Iverson’s most iconic moments, and you can see why Philly celebrates this game as if the Sixers actually won the title.
There was really only one choice for #1 on this list.