Then vs. Now: The Slow Starts of 2003 and 2020

Sep 27, 2020

An 0-1 record causes concern …0-2 sends panic throughout the fanbase…and 0-3 is a death sentence in the NFL.

The last time Philadelphia got off to an 0-3 start was two decades ago during Andy Reid’s first year as Eagles head coach. Surprisingly enough, the Birds might be heading back in that direction after two gut-wrenching performances to open up their 2020 campaign. Back in 2015 Chip Kelly’s squad started off 0-2 out of the gate as well, but that was under a different set of circumstances.

The 2003 Eagles team might be the most comparable to the 2020 circus that is playing out in front of us.

The offenses are kicking but at the moment, but defenses are still very weak and continue to allow the ball through on too many occasions. However, if they can formulate a more efficient blocking strategy, they could possibly pull further ahead and score some extra points before the end of the season.

Check the NFL game lines though before betting on the game.

Much like this year, the 2003 team had high hopes heading into the season.

The Eagles lost the first two games ever played at Lincoln Financial Field against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots to start off their 2003 season. Throughout the first two games, the franchise quarterback was not playing well either. Both QB’s were also in their fifth seasons when their early-season struggles occurred.

McNabb struggled mightily during the Eagles opening stretch. Philly finally won their first game of the year with a 23-13 victory at Orchard Park over the Buffalo Bills. Prior to that point, McNabb’s mishaps were extremely detrimental to the team. The Eagles were shut out in their opener against the Bucs and could not put together a complete performance over the Pats, dropping the game 31-14.

Over the course of two games, Donovan McNabb’s numbers looked something like this:

45% completion
334 passing yards
0 TDs
3 INTs
41.4 passer rating

Photo: Rusty Kennedy/AP Photo

Now, let’s take a look at Carson Wentz’s numbers throughout the first two games of 2020:

59% completion
512 passing yards
2 TDs
4 INTs
64.4 passer rating

After the 2003 teams first win, the squad was 2-3 before the unthinkable happened. The Philadelphia Eagles were able to rack up nine consecutive wins and topped the season off with a 12-4 record. Philly was able to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC Playoffs, and even win a playoff game during the Divisional Round in the infamous “4th & 26th” game vs. the Green Bay Packers…

Similar to 2003 the Eagles have a chance of getting back on the right track in Week 3.

Will the Birds finish with a 12-4 record and be the best team heading into the 2020 postseason? The latter is not likely especially with a tough schedule ahead and the number of injuries the team has already sustained, but there still is a bit of hope the Eagles can win the NFC East again with a 9-7 record…or maybe even 8-8.

Only 12% of teams who started 0-2 went on to qualify for the postseason in NFL history…luckily enough, the Eagles have fallen into that twelfth percentile three times (1978, 1990, 2003). On the opposite end of the spectrum, Philadelphia missed the postseason seven times after starting off the season 0-2.