| 1986 Philadelphia Eagles season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Norman Braman |
| Head coach | Buddy Ryan |
| Home field | Veterans Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–10–1 |
| Division place | 4th NFC East |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | WRMike Quick DTReggie White |
| Uniform | |
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The Philadelphia Eagles played their 54th season in the National Football League (NFL) in 1986. The team was unable to improve upon their previous output win total of seven. Instead, the team finished with five wins, ten losses and one tie.[1] This was the fifth consecutive season in which the team failed to qualify for the playoffs.
The season was head coach Buddy Ryan's first with the team after serving as the defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears, who had won the Super Bowl the previous season.
Quarterback duties were split between 35-year-old veteran Ron Jaworski, who started nine games in his final season with the team, and second-year quarterback Randall Cunningham. Veteran quarterback Matt Cavanaugh also started two games.[1] This rotation of quarterback duty resulted in a unique moment in which center Bob Landsee had the distinction of snapping the ball to all three different quarterbacks on the same series.[2] Overall, the Eagles' passing game finished with the third-fewest passing yards in the league (2,540), and the fewest yards-per-attempt (4.1).
The Eagles set dubious NFL records with one of the worst offensive lines in league history. They gave up a record number of sacks (a still-standing NFL-record of 104) and yardage allowed on sacks (708). No other team in football history has ever given up more than 85 sacks or 554 yards on quarterback sacks.[3] The team gave up three-or-more sacks in every single game of the 1986 season, the only team in NFL history to do so.[4]
The lone highlights of the season came on the road. On October 5, the Eagles entered Fulton County Stadium and shut out the Atlanta Falcons, 16–0. Then gained a comeback, 33–27 overtime win against the Los Angeles RaidersatLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 30, the Eagles’ first win over the club since the 1980 season and first-ever victory on the road against the Raiders.
The table shows the Eagles selections and what picks they had that were traded away and the team that ended up with that pick. It is possible the Eagles' pick ended up with this team via another team that the Eagles made a trade with. Not shown are acquired picks that the Eagles traded away.
| = Pro Bowler [5] | = Hall of Famer |
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | 10 | Keith Byars | Running back | Ohio State |
| 2 | 37 | Anthony Toney | Running back | Texas A&M |
| 2 | 48 | Alonzo Johnson | Linebacker | Florida |
| 4 | 106 | Matt Darwin | Center | Texas A&M |
| 5 | 121 | Ray Criswell | Punter | Florida |
| 5 | 128 | Dan McMillen | Defensive end | Colorado |
| 6 | 149 | Bob Landsee | Center | Wisconsin |
| 7 | 169 | Cornelius Redick | Wide receiver | Fullerton State |
| 7 | 176 | Byron Lee | Linebacker | Ohio State |
| 7 | * | Charles Crawford | Running back | Oklahoma State |
| 8 | 208 | Seth Joyner | Linebacker | Texas-El Paso |
| 9 | 233 | Clyde Simmons | Defensive end | Western Carolina |
| 10 | 261 | Junior Tautalatasi | Running back | Washington State |
| 11 | 288 | Steve Bogdalek | Guard | Michigan State |
| 12 | 315 | Reggie Singletary | Defensive end | North Carolina State |
| 12 | 325 | Bobby Howard | Running back | Indiana |
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7, 1986 | atWashington Redskins | L 41–14 | 0–1 | 53,982 |
| 2 | September 14, 1986 | atChicago Bears | L 13–10 (OT) | 0–2 | 65,130 |
| 3 | September 21, 1986 | Denver Broncos | L 33–7 | 0–3 | 63,839 |
| 4 | September 28, 1986 | Los Angeles Rams | W 34–20 | 1–3 | 65,646 |
| 5 | October 5, 1986 | atAtlanta Falcons | W 16–0 | 2–3 | 57,104 |
| 6 | October 12, 1986 | atNew York Giants | L 35–3 | 2–4 | 74,221 |
| 7 | October 19, 1986 | Dallas Cowboys | L 17–14 | 2–5 | 68,572 |
| 8 | October 26, 1986 | San Diego Chargers | W 23–7 | 3–5 | 41,469 |
| 9 | November 2, 1986 | atSt. Louis Cardinals | L 13–10 | 3–6 | 33,051 |
| 10 | November 9, 1986 | New York Giants | L 17–14 | 3–7 | 60,601 |
| 11 | November 16, 1986 | Detroit Lions | L 13–11 | 3–8 | 54,568 |
| 12 | November 23, 1986 | atSeattle Seahawks | L 24–20 | 3–9 | 55,786 |
| 13 | November 30, 1986 | atLos Angeles Raiders | W 33–27 (OT) | 4–9 | 53,338 |
| 14 | December 7, 1986 | St. Louis Cardinals | T 10–10 (OT) | 4–9–1 | 50,148 |
| 15 | December 14, 1986 | atDallas Cowboys | W 23–21 | 5–9–1 | 46,117 |
| 16 | December 21, 1986 | Washington Redskins | L 21–14 | 5–10–1 | 61,816 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Giants | 0 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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| NFC East | |||||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| New York Giants(1) | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 7–1 | 11–1 | 371 | 236 | W9 |
| Washington Redskins(4) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–3 | 9–3 | 368 | 296 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 5–3 | 6–6 | 346 | 337 | L5 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5 | 10 | 1 | .344 | 1–6–1 | 3–8–1 | 256 | 312 | L1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 4 | 11 | 1 | .281 | 1–6–1 | 3–10–1 | 218 | 351 | W1 |
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Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–1969) or Super Bowl (1966–) victory |
