The 2012 season was the Philadelphia Eagles' 80th in the National Football League (NFL), their 14th and final season under head coach Andy Reid, and their 10th playing home games at Lincoln Financial Field. Despite starting the season 3âÂÂ1, the team would massively struggle, the team failed to improve on their 8âÂÂ8 record from 2011, and went 1âÂÂ11 in their final 12 games en route to a 4âÂÂ12 record, their worst record since 1998 when they won only three games and also finished with a losing record for the first time since 2005. Additionally, their four wins were not only by less than three points each, but all four of them had their deciding scores being acquired after the two-minute warnings. On December 31, 2012, Reid was fired after 14 seasons as the Eagles' head coach. Also, for the fourth consecutive season, the team the Eagles played in their home opener went on to win the Super Bowl.
The Eagles acquired the 12th overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft, with which they selected defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for the 15th overall selection, along with a pick in each of the fourth and sixth rounds.
On January 8, cornerbacks coach Johnnie Lynn was fired. On January 11, Ryan Grigson, the Eagles' director of player personnel for the past two seasons, was hired as the new general manager of the Indianapolis Colts. On January 30, Todd Bowles, who served as the Miami Dolphins' interim head coach for the final three games of the season, was hired as the Eagles' new defensive backs coach.
Despite speculation to the contrary, defensive coordinator Juan Castillo retained his job. Castillo was blamed by some fans for a series of fourth-quarter collapses early in the season, but the defense appeared to improve toward the end of the season.
Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg was reportedly a candidate for several head coaching vacancies in this league, but those opportunities passed without him.
On October 16, 2012, Castillo was fired and replaced by Todd Bowles.
On December 3, 2012, defensive line coach Jim Washburn was fired. He was then replaced by Tommy Brasher.
The Eagles began their season on a well-fitted 3âÂÂ1 start by pulling off three close wins over the Browns, Ravens and Giants in September. However, from October and forward on, the Eagles hit a collapse as they lost 8 in a row and 11 of their final 12 games. During the 8-game losing streak, they allowed the Cowboys, Redskins, Steelers, Panthers and Saints to turn their seasons around with a win. The Eagles were eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to the Cowboys in Week 13. They also finished 2âÂÂ6 at home, their worst-ever home record since 1972, losing their last six home games to finish the season (though they would lose the first four home games in 2013 to extend the streak to 10 games). The Eagles fired Andy Reid on December 31, 2012, the day after a 42âÂÂ7 loss to the Giants after 14 years with the team. The 4âÂÂ12 record was the Eagles' worst since the collapse of the Ray Rhodes era, and the 12 losses were the most of any season in Andy Reid's career.
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
The Philadelphia Eagles opened up the season by traveling to Cleveland to square off against the Browns. A 43-yard field goal by veteran Browns kicker Phil Dawson gave Cleveland a 3âÂÂ0 lead some six minutes into the first quarter. The Eagles would respond with a field goal of their own, though, as Alex Henery sent the ball through the uprights from 42 yards out just seconds into the second period. With the score tied at 3âÂÂ3 and just seventeen seconds before the half, an 18-yard pass from Eagles' quarterback Michael Vick to wideout Jeremy Maclin extended the Eagles lead by seven. At the half, the score was 10âÂÂ3, the Eagles leading the Browns by a seven-point margin. Browns kicker Phil Dawson successfully converted another field goal from 42 yards away with just under five minutes left in the third quarter, trimming the score to 10âÂÂ6. Shortly afterwards, Dawson made the score 10âÂÂ9 with a 22-yard field goal, his third of the day, and narrowing the Eagles' lead to one point with about fourteen minutes left in the game. The underdog Browns continued the scoring streak, taking the lead on an errant Michael Vick throw and 27-yard interception return touchdown by D'Qwell Jackson approximately thirty seconds later. With the score at 16âÂÂ10 and an upset in the works, Michael Vick calmly drove the Eagles down the field and threw a strike to Clay Harbor from 4 yards out to return the lead to Philadelphia, 17âÂÂ16. The Browns were unable to reciprocate and the Philadelphia Eagles narrowly claimed the week one victory. With the nail-biting win, the Eagles began their season 1âÂÂ0.
The Eagles returned home to square off against the favored Baltimore Ravens in a Battle of the Birds. Eagles' running back LeSean McCoy opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run some ten minutes into the first quarter for a 7âÂÂ0 lead. However, the Ravens were able to tie the game up at 7âÂÂ7 with Vonta Leach running for a 5-yard touchdown. They would take the lead in the 2nd quarter as Joe Flacco found Jacoby Jones on a 21-yard touchdown pass to take a 14âÂÂ7 lead followed by a 56-yard field goal by Justin Tucker for a 17âÂÂ7 lead just before halftime. The 3rd quarter was all Eagles as they managed to catch up with Michael Vick's 23-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin to make the score 17âÂÂ14 and then tied the game with Alex Henery's 23-yard field goal at 17âÂÂ17. However, the Ravens moved back into the lead in the 4th quarter as Tucker was able to score 2 long field goals from 51 and 48 yards out to make the score 20âÂÂ17 and 23âÂÂ17 respectively. The Eagles came out and surprisingly won the game with Vick's 1-yard QB rushing touchdown as the Eagles managed to win the game 24âÂÂ23.
With the win, the Eagles improved to 2âÂÂ0 and became the first team in NFL history to start a season 2âÂÂ0 after winning their first 2 games by only a point.
After a 2âÂÂ0 start, the Eagles traveled to take on the Cardinals. The Cards struck first in the first quarter with Jay Feely's 47-yard field goal for a 3âÂÂ0 lead followed by Kevin Kolb finding Michael Floyd on an 8-yard touchdown pass for a 10âÂÂ0 lead. The Cards would increase their lead in the 2nd quarter with Kolb finding Larry Fitzgerald on a 37-yard pass and then James Sanders recovering a fumble and returning it 98 yards for a touchdown for leads of 17âÂÂ0 and then a 24âÂÂ0 halftime lead. The Eagles managed to get on the board in the 3rd quarter with Alex Henery's 2 field goals from 36 and 40 yards out to decrease the lead to 24âÂÂ3 and then 24âÂÂ6. In the 4th quarter the Cardinals ended up getting their only points of the 2nd half with Feely's 27-yard field goal to end the game with a final score of 27âÂÂ6.
With the loss, the Eagles fell to 2âÂÂ1.
After a tough road loss to the Cardinals, the Eagles went back home for division rival game 1 against the Giants. After a scoreless first quarter the Eagles drew first blood with Michael Vick finding Desean Jackson on a 19-yard touchdown pass for a 7âÂÂ0 lead before the Giants scored off of a Lawrence Tynes 25-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7âÂÂ3 at halftime. After this the Eagles went right back to work in the 3rd quarter with Alex Henery nailing a 20-yard field goal to help his team take a 7-point lead again at 10âÂÂ3. However, the Giants managed to tie the game up as Eli Manning found Victor Cruz on a 14-yard touchdown pass to make the score 10âÂÂ10. The Eagles moved back into the lead with Henery's 48-yard field goal for a 13âÂÂ10 lead. They would score another field goal in the 4th quarter for a 16âÂÂ10 lead. However, the Giants were able to take the lead Manning finding Bear Pascoe on a 6-yard touchdown pass for a 17âÂÂ16 score. But the Eagles moved down the field and were able to score with Henery's 26-yard field goal for a final score of 19âÂÂ17.
With the win, the Eagles improved to 3âÂÂ1. The team also made it to 1âÂÂ0 in games where Vick does not turn the ball over. The Eagles had gone 8âÂÂ1 in their last 9 games against the Giants by this time. The win against the Giants stood as their last home win until Week 11 of the 2013 season.
The Eagles traveled to western Pennsylvania to take on longtime in-state rival Steelers at Heinz Field. After a scoreless first quarter, the Steelers were able to get on the board first with Rashard Mendenhall's 13-yard touchdown run for a 7âÂÂ0 lead followed by Shaun Suisham's 20-yard field goal for a 10âÂÂ0 lead at halftime. The Eagles went to work in the 3rd quarter as Michael Vick found LeSean McCoy on a 15-yard touchdown pass to shorten the lead to 10âÂÂ7. The Steelers increased their lead with Suisham kicking a 37-yard field goal to make the score 13âÂÂ7. The Eagles took the lead with Vick hooking up with Brent Celek on a 2-yard touchdown pass for a 14âÂÂ13 score. However, the Steelers were able to drive down the field and Suisham wrapped up the game with a game-winning 34-yard field goal for a final score of 16âÂÂ14.
With the loss, the Eagles dropped to 3âÂÂ2.
The Eagles returned home to play against a struggling Lions team. In the first quarter it was all Lions with Jason Hanson kicking field goals from 46 and 34 yards out for leads of 3âÂÂ0 and then 6âÂÂ0. The Eagles took the lead in the 2nd quarter with Michael Vick's 2-yard touchdown pass to LeSean McCoy for a 7âÂÂ6 score at halftime. In the 3rd quarter the Eagles were able to move further ahead with 2 Alex Henery field goals: 26 and 32 yards out for leads of 10âÂÂ6 and then 13âÂÂ6. Henery would kick 49-yard field goal for a 16âÂÂ6 lead before Matthew Stafford ran for a QB 1-yard touchdown to shorten the Eagles' lead to 3 at 16âÂÂ13. But the Eagles again pushed ahead by 10 as Vick found Maclin on a 70-yard touchdown pass for a 23âÂÂ13 lead. But then the lead was shortened to 3 again as Stafford found Nate Burleson on a 17-yard touchdown pass for a 23âÂÂ20 score and then tied the game with Hanson's 19-yard field goal at 23âÂÂ23 to send the game into overtime. In overtime, the Eagles won the toss but went 3 and out as the Lions were able to drive down the field and wrap things up with Hanson's game-winning 45-yard field goal to end the game 26âÂÂ23.
With the loss, the Eagles head into their bye week at 3âÂÂ3. The team also dropped to 2âÂÂ3 in games where Vick turns the ball over.
The Eagles stayed home for a duel with their historic rival undefeated 6âÂÂ0 Falcons. Played under cloudy skies, the game was also notable in that the weather conditions heralded the approach of Hurricane Sandy, a storm set to make an unprecedented landfall in nearby New Jersey. In the first quarter, the Falcons drew first blood as Matt Ryan found Drew Davis for a 15-yard pass to make the score 7âÂÂ0. The team increased their lead with Ryan finding Jason Snelling to make it 14âÂÂ0. In the 2nd quarter, the Eagles would get on the board with LeSean McCoy's 2-Yard run to make it 14âÂÂ7. However, the Falcons responded with Ryan's 63-yard TD pass to Julio Jones to make it 21âÂÂ7. The Falcon would increase their lead before halftime with Matt Bryant's 43-yard field goal to make it 24âÂÂ7. The Eagles would try to rally in the 3rd quarter with a 33-yard field goal from Alex Henry to shorten the lead to 24âÂÂ10, but the Falcons pulled away as Bryant would kick a 29-yard field goal to make it 27âÂÂ10. In the 4th quarter, Bryant increased the Falcons' lead with a 30-yard field goal to make the score 30âÂÂ10. The Eagles tried to rally as Michael Vick found McCoy to make the score 30âÂÂ17. However, the Eagles were unable to try to attempt a comeback win as the team dropped to 3âÂÂ4 on the season.
After a lopsided loss at home to the Falcons, the Eagles traveled down south to New Orleans to take on the Saints in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints scored first with Patrick Robinson returning a Michael Vick interception 99 yards for a touchdown and a 7âÂÂ0 lead for the only score of the game. The Eagles got on the board in the 2nd quarter as Alex Henery kicked a 22-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7âÂÂ3 not long before Chris Ivory ran for a 22-yard touchdown to move the Saints ahead by 11 with a 14âÂÂ3 lead and then they would score again with Drew Brees finding Marques Coltson on a 1-yard touchdown pass for a 21âÂÂ3 halftime lead. The Eagles scored 10 unanswered points in the 3rd quarter with Vick hooking up with DeSean Jackson on a 77-yard touchdown pass for a score of 21âÂÂ10 and then Henery kicked a 37-yard field goal for a score of 21âÂÂ13. But the Saints scored one last time as Brees found Jimmy Graham on a 6-yard touchdown pass for a 28âÂÂ13 lead which would be the final score of the game as neither team scored in the 4th quarter.
The Eagles lose to the Saints for the first time since the 2009 Season, when the Saints were Super Bowl bound.
With the loss, the Eagles fell to 3âÂÂ5.
The Eagles returned home for a game against the Cowboys. They scored first with Michael Vick hooking up with Riley Cooper on a 2-yard touchdown pass for a 7âÂÂ0 lead, however, the Boys responded with Tony Romo finding Felix Jones on an 11-yard pass for a 7âÂÂ7 lead. Then increased their lead in the 2nd quarter as Dan Bailey kicked a 30-yard field goal for a 10âÂÂ7 halftime lead. Michael Vick had been knocked out of the game and was possibly out for the season after going 6/9 for 70 yards and a touchdown pass. Rookie QB Nick Foles would get his first NFL action and threw his first touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin from 44 yards out as the Eagles retook a 14âÂÂ10 lead while Henery moved the team ahead 17âÂÂ10 with a 40-yard field goal. After this, the Cowboys went back to work as Romo found Dez Bryant on a 30-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 17âÂÂ17. Then the Boys retook the lead with Dwayne Harris returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown for a 24âÂÂ17 lead followed up by Brandon Carr returning an interception 47 yards for a touchdown and a 31âÂÂ17 lead. The Eagles then got back to work with Stanley Havili 1-yard touchdown run (with a failed PAT) to shorten the lead to 31âÂÂ23. But the Boys wrapped the game up with Jason Hatcher's fumble recovery in the end zone for a final score of 38âÂÂ23.
With the loss, the Eagles dropped to 3âÂÂ6.
The Eagles went to FedExField to face their division rival Redskins in what would be a killer loss for the starting game of Rookie QB Nick Foles. The young QB was picked off twice as the Skins zoomed passed the Eagles' defense to drop the team to 3âÂÂ7, snapping their 3-game winning streak to their division rivals, and leaving them in last place in the NFC East.
With the loss, the Eagles fell to 3âÂÂ8. Foles also went 0âÂÂ2 as a starter.
With the loss, the Eagles fell to 3âÂÂ9 securing them their 3rd losing season since 1999 and their first since 2005. Thus this season became their 3rd losing season under Andy Reid as the Eagles were swept by the Cowboys for the first time since 2009. Regardless that the Eagles were now 0âÂÂ3 with Foles as a starter, Andy named him the team's starting QB for the remainder of the season. Also with the loss, the Eagles wereàeliminated from playoff contention.
Coming into the game, the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team had won more recently than the Eagles, but the Eagles snapped an eight-game losing streak and moved to 4âÂÂ9 by defeating the Buccaneers in dramatic fashion via a touchdown pass from Nick Foles to Jeremy Maclin as time expired. Rookie Bryce Brown rushed the ball 12 times for only 6 yards, which left Foles as the leading rusher (3 rushes, 27 yards). Foles was prolific through the air as well going 32/51 for 381 yards and 2 TDs.
Although the touchdown which scored as time ran out put the Eagles ahead, the extra point still had to be attempted per NFL rule, because points for and points against are used by some tiebreakers. That extra point was good, and counted in the final score. This was the last win as head coach of the Eagles for Andy Reid.
The Philadelphia Eagles made their third appearance in a nationally broadcast game in four weeks against the Cincinnati Bengals on December 13, 2012.
With the loss, the Eagles finish the season 4âÂÂ12, their worst in 14 years. The Eagles fired head coach Andy Reid on Monday, December 31, 2012, ending his 14-year tenure coaching the team.