Eagles at Patriots: 'The Strangest Game' Down Memory Lane

PHILADELPHIA – Twice, the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots met in the Super Bowl, splitting them both.

Other than that, there isn’t much history between the two teams since they play in different conferences. They will meet for just the 16th time in the regular season, with the Eagles holding a slight, 8-7 edge over the Patriots, on Sunday afternoon (4:25 p.m./CBS).

It’s always nice to take a stroll down memory lane, so walk with me ... The last time the Eagles took a trip to New England, they were on a road to nowhere with Chip Kelly’s dead end in sight. It was December of 2015.

Kelly, the fast-talking, faster-moving coach, and his team had lost three straight games, two of them in noncompetitive blowouts – 45-17 at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers then, four days later, on Thanksgiving, 45-14 on the road against the Detroit Lions. Both those teams would finish with losing records, Tampa at 6-10, and the Lions at 7-9.

The Patriots were up next, and they were on their way to a 12-4 record and a berth in the AFC Championship Game. They were favored by 10 points over the Eagles.

Tom Brady was still slinging it like the GOAT, his Super Bowl LII loss to the Eagles still two years away.

DeMarco Murray was one of the Eagles’ running backs and Sam Bradford was the quarterback. And Philly won on this day, 35-28.

It wasn't enough to save Kelly's job, who got canned with one game left in what would become a 7-9 season.

It was, however, one of the strangest games in recent memory, and not easily forgotten.

Fletcher Cox, who played 75 percent of the snaps that day, made three tackles and hit Brady four times, certainly didn’t when asked about it on Wednesday.

“Malcolm had that interception, we had a blocked punt, a punt return, yeah,” said Cox on Wednesday. “Man, not living in the past honestly, but it’s hard to play there, it’s hard to win there. They’re going to bring their best ball and we’re going to have to be on our stuff.

“We talk about it all the time, the most physical team’s going to win the game. That’s what it always comes down.”

Malcom is Malcolm Jenkins, who swiped a Brady pass and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown. Surprisingly, it isn’t the longest interception return for a touchdown in team history.

It’s just the fourth longest, behind the 104-yard return that James Willis and Troy Vincent shared against the Dallas Cowboys in 1996 and a pair from Lito Sheppard of 102 and 101 yards in games against the Cowboys in 2006 and 2004, respectively.

Jenkins’ pick gave the Eagles their first lead of the day at 21-14 with 7:26 to play in the third quarter.

The Patriots took a 14-0 lead but the Eagles didn’t roll over. Linebacker Najee Good forged the 14-14 tie on a 24-yard blocked punt return with eight seconds left until halftime. Just over three minutes after Jenkins’ interception return, Darren Sproles took a punt back 83 yards.

Most of the combatants that day have moved on, to another team or into retirement, except Cox and teammates Brandon Graham, Jason Kelce, and Lane Johnson. All of them played against the Patriots eight years ago, with Kelce and Johnson each playing 100 percent of the snaps.

“Being here with those guys to start another season is always special,” said Cox. “I’ll never forget these types of things.”

Nor will he or others forget the last trip the Eagles took to New England.