| 1997 Philadelphia Eagles season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Jeffrey Lurie |
| Head coach | Ray Rhodes |
| Home field | Veterans Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 6–9–1 |
| Division place | 3rd NFC East |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | WRIrving Fryar |
| |
The 1997 Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's 65th season in the National Football League. The team failed to improve on their previous output of 10–6, going only 6–9–1 and failing to reach the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. This was the season where the team was sponsored by the "Starters" brand.
Lowlights of the 1997 campaign include a disheartening one-point loss at Dallas in week 3, where starter Ty Detmer led the Birds on a potential game-winning drive late in regulation, only to see holder Tommy Hutton botch the hold on what would have been the deciding field goal from ex-Cowboys kicker Chris Boniol. In Week 7, the Eagles lost their first-ever game against the three-season-old Jacksonville Jaguars, and on November 10, in a Monday Night Football 24–12 home loss against San Francisco, a fan was spotted firing a flare gun in the upper deck. Six days later, at Memorial Stadium, the Eagles and Ravens engaged in a 10–10 tie. This was Eagles' first tie since 1986 against the Cardinals.
One bright spot during the year came on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, when second-year Bobby Hoying stepped in under center and threw for a career-high 313 yards and four touchdowns in a 44–42 win against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The 1997 campaign was notable in that it ended a 13-year radio partnership between broadcasters Merrill Reese and former Eagle Stan Walterson94 WIP. Mike Quick became the color commentator the following season.
| 1997 Philadelphia Eagles draft | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | |
| 1 | 25 | Jon Harris | DE | Virginia | |
| 2 | 57 | James Darling | LB | Washington State | |
| 3 | 71 | Duce Staley | RB | South Carolina | |
| 4 | 119 | Damien Robinson | FS | Iowa | |
| 5 | 152 | N. D. Kalu | DE | Rice | |
| 155 | Luther Broughton | TE | Furman | ||
| 6 | 190 | Antwuan Wyatt | WR | Bethune-Cookman | |
| 198 | Ed Jasper | DT | Texas A&M | ||
| 7 | 207 | Koy Detmer | QB | Colorado | |
| 225 | Byron Capers | DB | Florida State | ||
| 227 | Deauntae Brown | DB | Central State (OH) | ||
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
53 active, 9 inactive, 2 practice squad
| ||||||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 31, 1997 | atNew York Giants | L 31–17 | 0–1 | 77,344 |
| 2 | September 7, 1997 | Green Bay Packers | W 10–9 | 1–1 | 66,803 |
| 3 | September 15, 1997 | atDallas Cowboys | L 21–20 | 1–2 | 63,942 |
| 4 | Bye | ||||
| 5 | September 28, 1997 | atMinnesota Vikings | L 28–19 | 1–3 | 55,149 |
| 6 | October 5, 1997 | Washington Redskins | W 24–10 | 2–3 | 67,008 |
| 7 | October 12, 1997 | atJacksonville Jaguars | L 38–21 | 2–4 | 69,150 |
| 8 | October 19, 1997 | Arizona Cardinals | W 13–10 (OT) | 3–4 | 66,860 |
| 9 | October 26, 1997 | Dallas Cowboys | W 13–12 | 4–4 | 67,106 |
| 10 | November 2, 1997 | atArizona Cardinals | L 31–21 | 4–5 | 39,549 |
| 11 | November 10, 1997 | San Francisco 49ers | L 24–12 | 4–6 | 67,133 |
| 12 | November 16, 1997 | atBaltimore Ravens | T 10–10 (OT) | 4–6–1 | 63,546 |
| 13 | November 23, 1997 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 23–20 | 5–6–1 | 67,166 |
| 14 | November 30, 1997 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 44–42 | 6–6–1 | 66,623 |
| 15 | December 7, 1997 | New York Giants | L 31–21 | 6–7–1 | 67,084 |
| 16 | December 14, 1997 | atAtlanta Falcons | L 20–17 | 6–8–1 | 42,866 |
| 17 | December 21, 1997 | atWashington Redskins | L 35–32 | 6–9–1 | 75,939 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
| NFC East | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK |
| (3) New York Giants | 10 | 5 | 1 | .656 | 307 | 265 | W3 |
| Washington Redskins | 8 | 7 | 1 | .531 | 327 | 289 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6 | 9 | 1 | .406 | 317 | 372 | L3 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 304 | 314 | L5 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 283 | 379 | W1 |
|
| |
|---|---|
| |
Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–1969) or Super Bowl (1966–) victory |
