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1987 Philadelphia Eagles season

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1987 Philadelphia Eagles season
OwnerNorman Braman
Head coachBuddy Ryan
Home fieldVeterans Stadium
Results
Record7–8
Division place4th NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Uniform

The 1987 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 55th in the National Football League (NFL). Despite the interruption of the schedule by the second strike in six seasons, the team improved upon its previous output of 5–10–1, going 7–8.[1] However, three of those losses came during the three-game stretch during the strike when teams were staffed primarily with replacement players, or "scabs," who crossed the picket lines to suit up. Despite the improvement, the team once again failed to qualify for the playoffs.

Defensive lineman Reggie White nonetheless had a breakout season, establishing a new NFL record by exploding for 21 sacks in only 12 games.

On October 25 at Veterans Stadium, in the first game back after the strike was settled, Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan called for the infamous "fake kneel" in the final seconds with the hosts leading the Dallas Cowboys by 10 points. The fake eventually led to another late touchdown, payback for Cowboys head coach Tom Landry running up the score with starters who crossed the picket line to play two weeks earlier at Texas Stadium. One week later, Philadelphia won its final road game against the Cardinals at the old Busch Stadium, before the franchise moved to Phoenix for the 1988 season.

Offseason

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NFL draft

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The 1987 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft was held April 28–29, 1987, in New York City. This again would be a 12-round draft of 28 teams. The Philadelphia Eagles would get the 9th in the 12 rounds. They would make 10 selections in the draft.

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[2] = Hall of Famer
Round Pick Player Position School
1 9 Jerome Brown Defensive tackle Miami (FLA)
2 39 Traded Pick to San Francisco 49ers
3 65 Ben Tamburello Center Auburn
4 93 Byron Evans Linebacker Arizona
5 121 David Alexander Center Tulsa
6 149 Ron Moten Linebacker Florida
6 158 Chris Pike Defensive Tackle Tulsa
7 177 Brian Williams Tackle Central Michigan
8 204 Traded Pick to San Diego Chargers
9 232 Ken Lambiotte Quarterback William & Mary
10 260 Paul Carberry Defensive Tackle Oregon State
11 288 Traded Pick to Los Angeles Raiders
12 316 Bobby Morse Running Back Michigan State

NFL supplemental draft

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The Eagles would also use a pick in the 1987 NFL Supplemental Draft to take Cris Carter a wide receiver out of Ohio State. Prior to Carter's senior season in 1987, he secretly signed with notorious sports agent Norby Walters. When the contract was discovered, Carter was ruled ineligible to play for Ohio State.

Personnel

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Staff

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1987 Philadelphia Eagles staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special teams – Dan Neal

Strength and conditioning


NFL replacement players

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After the league decided to use replacement players during the NFLPA strike, the following team was assembled:

1987 Philadelphia Eagles replacement roster

Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Roster

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1987 Philadelphia Eagles roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Reserve


Rookies in italics

Regular season

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In 1987, Mike Quick was part of NFL history. He finished second in the NFL in touchdown receptions with 11. The leader was Jerry Rice with 23. This marked the first time in NFL history that a category leader doubled the total of his nearest competitor.[3]

Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Attendance
1 September 13, 1987 at Washington Redskins L 34–24 0–1 52,188
2 September 20, 1987 New Orleans Saints W 27–17 1–1 57,485
September 27, 1987 at San Francisco 49ers canceled
3 October 4, 1987 Chicago Bears L 35–3 1–2 4,074
4 October 11, 1987 at Dallas Cowboys L 41–22 1–3 40,622
5 October 18, 1987 at Green Bay Packers L 16–10 1–4 35,842
6 October 25, 1987 Dallas Cowboys W 37–20 2–4 61,630
7 November 1, 1987 at St. Louis Cardinals W 28–23 3–4 24,586
8 November 8, 1987 Washington Redskins W 31–27 4–4 63,609
9 November 15, 1987 New York Giants L 20–17 4–5 66,172
10 November 22, 1987 St. Louis Cardinals L 31–19 4–6 55,592
11 November 29, 1987 at New England Patriots W 34–31 5–6 54,198
12 December 6, 1987 at New York Giants L 23–20 5–7 65,874
13 December 13, 1987 Miami Dolphins L 28–10 5–8 63,841
14 December 20, 1987 at New York Jets W 38–27 6–8 30,572
15 December 27, 1987 Buffalo Bills W 17–7 7–8 57,547

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Games summaries

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Week 1

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Sunday, September 13, 1987 Kickoff 1:00 pm Eastern

Played at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium on grass playing surface in 74F degrees with wind at 11 MPH.

1 2 3 4 Final
Philadelphia Eagles (0–1) 0 10 14 0 24
Washington Redskins (1–0) 10 7 7 10 34
SCORING PLAYS PHIL WASH TIME
1st Redskins Jess Atkinson 27-yard field goal 0 3
Redskins Art Monk 6-yard pass from Doug Williams (Jess Atkinson kick) 0 10
2nd Eagles Mike Quick 30-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 7 10
Eagles Paul McFadden 33-yard field goal 10 10
Redskins George Rogers 1-yard rush (Steve Cox kick) 10 17
3rd Redskins Reggie Branch 1-yard rush (Steve Cox kick) 10 24
Eagles Randall Cunningham 2-yard rush (Paul McFadden kick) 17 24
Eagles Reggie White 70-yard fumble return (Paul McFadden kick) 24 24
4th Redskins Art Monk 39-yard pass from Doug Williams (Steve Cox kick) 24 31
Redskins Steve Cox 40-yard field goal 24 34

Week 2

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Sunday, September 20, 1987 Kickoff 1:00 pm Eastern

Played at Veterans Stadium on an Astroturf playing surface in 62F degrees with wind at 12 MPH.

1 2 3 4 Final
New Orleans Saints (1–1) 10 0 0 7 17
Philadelphia Eagles 1–1 0 17 3 7 27
SCORING PLAYS N OR PHIL TIME
1st Saints Morten Andersen 45-yard field goal 3 0
Saints John Tice 6-yard pass from Bobby Hebert (Morten Andersen kick) 10 0
2nd Eagles Paul McFadden 30-yard field goal 10 3
Eagles Mike Quick 19-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 10 10
Eagles Kenny Jackson 25-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 10 17
3rd Eagles Paul McFadden 30-yard field goal 10 20
Eagles Seth Joyner 18-yard fumble return (Paul McFadden kick) 10 27
Saints John Tice 27-yard pass from Dave Wilson (Morten Andersen kick) 17 27

Week Canceled

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Because of the NFLPA union's players strike against the NFL, all the games this week were cancelled. Replacement players were used when the season resumed the following week.

The Eagles would have traveled to Candlestick Park to face the host 49ers in what would have been Buddy Ryan's only trip to the Bay Area as the Eagles' head coach. The Eagles sought their second win in San Francisco since 1983 (and also since the AFL-NFL merger). Ryan's Eagles did meet the 49ers once, losing at Veterans Stadium in 1989. The Eagles did not travel to San Francisco until 1992, nor did they win in San Francisco until the final night of the 1993 season.[4]

Week 3

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Sunday, October 4, 1987 Kickoff 1:00 PM Eastern

Played at Veterans Stadium on an Astroturf playing surface; 48 degrees with wind at 19 MPH. This was the first game of the season with replacement players. The announced attendance was 4,074, the smallest crowd at an NFL contest in almost 40 years (since October 30, 1949, when 3,678 people attended a Washington Redskins-New York Bulldogs game at the Polo Grounds).

1 2 3 4 Final
Chicago Bears (3–0) 7 28 0 0 35
Philadelphia Eagles (1–2) 0 3 0 0 3
SCORING PLAYS CHI PHIL TIME
1st Bears Lakei Heimuli 9-yard pass from Mike Hohensee (Tim Lashar kick) 7 0
2nd Eagles Dave Jacobs 27-yard field goal 7 3
Bears Glen Kozlowski 20-yard pass from Mike Hohensee (Tim Lashar kick) 14 3
Bears Chris Brewer 1-yard rush (Tim Lashar kick) 21 3
Bears Anthony Mosley 9-yard blocked punt return (Tim Lashar kick) 28 3
Bears Don Kindt 3-yard pass from Mike Hohensee (Tim Lashar kick) 35 3

Week 4

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Sunday, October 11, 1987 Kickoff 12:00 pm Central

Played at Texas Stadium on a grass playing surface in 58F degrees with wind at 16 MPH. Played with replacement players.

1 2 3 4 Final
Philadelphia Eagles (1–3) 3 7 6 6 22
Dallas Cowboys (3–1) 21 6 14 0 41
SCORING PLAYS PHIL DAL TIME
1st Cowboys Kelvin Edwards 62-yard rush (Luis Zendejas kick) 0 7
Cowboys Alvin Blount 8-yard rush (Luis Zendejas kick) 0 14
Cowboys Cornell Burbage 77-yard pass from Kevin Sweeney (Luis Zendejas kick) 0 21
Eagles Dave Jacobs 40-yard field goal 3 21
2nd Eagles Kevin Bowman 62-yard pass from Scott Tinsley (Dave Jacobs kick) 10 21
Cowboys Luis Zendejas 44-yard field goal 10 24
Cowboys Luis Zendejas 50-yard field goal 10 27
3rd Cowboys Tony Dorsett 10-yard rush (Luis Zendejas kick) 10 34
Cowboys Alvin Blount 1-yard rush (Luis Zendejas kick) 10 41
Eagles Mike Siano 13-yard pass from Scott Tinsley (kick failed) 16 41
4th Eagles Clemons 13-yard pass from Scott Tinsley (kick failed) 22 41

Week 5

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Sunday, October 18, 1987 Kickoff 12:00 pm Central

Played at Lambeau Field on a grass playing surface in 46F degrees with wind at 11 MPH. Played with replacement players.

1 2 3 4 OT Final
Philadelphia Eagles (1–4) 7 0 0 3 0 10
Green Bay Packers (2–2) 0 3 7 0 6 16
SCORING PLAYS PHIL GB TIME
1st Eagles Alvin Ross 5-yard rush (Dave Jacobs kick) 7 0
2nd Packers Max Zendejas 42-yard field goal 7 3
3rd Packers Lee Morris 46-yard pass from Alan Risher (Max Zendejas kick) 7 10
4th Eagles Dave Jacobs 44-yard field goal 10 10
OT Packers Jimmy Hargrove 5-yard rush 10 16

Week 6

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Sunday October 25, 1987 Kickoff 1:00 pm Eastern

Played at Veterans Stadium on an Astroturf playing surface in 56F degrees with wind at 15 MPH. This was the first week the Eagles played after the NFLPA strike ended.

This was the revenge game for Week 4, where the Cowboys ran up the score against an Eagles replacement squad. Despite the game being effectively over, with the Eagles leading and having possession of the ball, the Eagles performed a fake kneel into a pass. Pass interference was called, and the Eagles successfully scored from the 1-yard line on the next play as time expired.[5]

1 2 3 4 Final
Dallas Cowboys (3–3) 3 7 3 7 20
Philadelphia Eagles (2–4) 3 10 7 17 37
SCORING PLAYS DAL PHIL TIME
1st Cowboys Roger Ruzek 23-yard field goal 3 0
Eagles Paul McFadden 46-yard field goal 3 3
2nd Eagles Paul McFadden 45-yard field goal 3 6
Eagles John Spagnola 10-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 3 13
Cowboys Herschel Walker 1-yard rush (Roger Ruzek kick) 10 13
3rd Cowboys Roger Ruzek 25-yard field goal 13 13
Eagles Anthony Toney 1-yard rush (Paul McFadden kick) 13 20
4th Eagles Paul McFadden 21-yard field goal 13 23
Eagles John Spagnola 5-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 13 30
Cowboys Tony Dorsett 19-yard pass from Danny White (Roger Ruzek kick) 20 30
Eagles Keith Byars 1-yard rush (Paul McFadden kick) 20 37

Week 7

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Sunday, November 1, 1987 Kickoff 12:00 pm Central

Played at Busch Stadium on an AstroTurf playing surface in 68F degrees with wind at 10 MPH.

1 2 3 4 Final
Philadelphia Eagles (3–4) 0 7 14 7 28
St. Louis Cardinals (2–5) 6 0 7 10 23
SCORING PLAYS PHIL ST L TIME
1st Cardinals Earl Ferrell 8-yard rush (kick failed) 0 6
2nd Eagles Cris Carter 22-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 7 6
3rd Eagles Keith Byars 2-yard rush (Paul McFadden kick) 14 6
Eagles Kenny Jackson 70-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 21 6
Cardinals J.T. Smith 14-yard pass from Neil Lomax (Jim Gallery kick) 21 13
4th Cardinals Jim Gallery 43-yard field goal 21 16
Cardinals Robert Awalt 8-yard pass from Neil Lomax (Jim Gallery kick) 21 23
Eagles Gregg Garrity 9-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 28 23

Week 8

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Sunday, November 8, 1987 Kickoff 1:00 pm Eastern

Played at Veterans Stadium on an Astroturf playing surface in 52F degrees with wind at 10 MPH.

1 2 3 4 Final
Washington Redskins (6–2) 7 14 0 6 27
Philadelphia Eagles (4–4) 7 10 0 14 31
SCORING PLAYS WASH PHIL TIME
1st Eagles Anthony Toney 5-yard rush (Paul McFadden kick) 0 7
Redskins George Rogers 3-yard rush (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) 7 7
2nd Redskins Art Monk 19-yard pass from Jay Schroeder (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) 14 7
Redskins Darrell Green 26-yard fumble return (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) 21 7
Eagles Paul McFadden 37-yard field goal 21 10
Eagles Mike Quick 6-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 21 17
4th Eagles Mike Quick 32-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 21 24
Redskins Gary Clark 47-yard pass from Jay Schroeder (kick failed) 27 24
Eagles Gregg Garrity 40-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 27 31

Week 9

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Sunday, November 15, 1987 Kickoff 4:00 pm Eastern

Played at Veterans Stadium on an Astroturf playing surface in 50F degrees with wind at 8 MPH.

1 2 3 4 Final
New York Giants (3–6) 7 3 7 3 20
Philadelphia Eagles (4–5) 10 0 7 0 17
SCORING PLAYS NY G PHIL TIME
1st Eagles Randall Cunningham 4-yard rush (Paul McFadden kick) 0 7
Eagles Paul McFadden 25-yard field goal 0 10
giants Lionel Manuel 36-yard pass from Jeff Rutledge (Raul Allegre kick) 7 10
2nd Giants Raul Allegre 53-yard field goal 10 10
3rd Eagles Keith Byars 8-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 10 17
Giants George Adams 1-yard rush (Raul Allegre kick) 17 17
4th Giants Raul Allegre 52-yard field goal 20 17

Week 10

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Sunday, November 22, 1987 Kickoff 1:00 pm Eastern

Played at Veterans Stadium on an Astroturf playing surface in 26 °F (−3 °C) with wind at 19 MPH with a wind chill of 12 °F (−11 °C).

1 2 3 4 Final
St. Louis Cardinals (4–6) 7 24 0 0 31
Philadelphia Eagles (4–6) 3 0 7 9 19
SCORING PLAYS ST L PHIL TIME
1st Eagles Paul McFadden 44-yard field goal 0 3
Cardinals Roy Green 20-yard pass from Neil Lomax (Jim Gallery kick) 7 3
2nd Cardinals J.T. Smith 6-yard pass from Neil Lomax (Jim Gallery kick) 14 3
Cardinals Jim Gallery 20-yard field goal 17 3
Cardinals Smith 32-yard pass from Neil Lomax (Jim Gallery kick) 24 3
Cardinals Earl Ferrell 35-yard rush (Jim Gallery kick) 31 3
3rd Eagles Mike Quick 16-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 31 10
4th Eagles Mike Quick 27-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 31 17
Eagles Safety, Cater stepped out of end zone 31 19

Week 11

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November 29, 1987 Kickoff 1:00 pm Eastern

Played at Sullivan Stadium on an AstroTurf playing surface in 38F degrees with wind at 11 MPH.

1 2 3 4 OT Final
Philadelphia Eagles (5–6) 3 14 7 7 3 34
New England Patriots (5–6) 0 10 0 21 0 31
SCORING PLAYS PHIL NE TIME
1st Eagles Paul McFadden 19-yard field goal 3 0
2nd Patriots Tony Collins 24-yard pass from Tom Ramsey (Tony Franklin kick) 3 7
Eagles Mike Quick 61-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 10 7
Eagles Randall Cunningham 1-yard rush (Paul McFadden kick) 17 7
Patriots Tony Franklin 21-yard field goal 17 10
3rd Eagles Anthony Toney 1-yard rush (Paul McFadden kick) 24 10
4th Eagles Mike Quick 29-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 31 10
Patriots Stanley Morgan 13-yard pass from Tom Ramsey (Tony Franklin kick) 31 17
Patriots Willie Scott 3-yard pass from Tom Ramsey (Tony Franklin kick) 31 24
Patriots Tom Ramsey 1-yard rush (Tony Franklin kick) 31 31
OT Eagles Paul McFadden 38-yard field goal 34 31

Week 12

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December 6, 1987 Stadium Kickoff 1:00 pm Eastern

Played at The Meadowlands on an AstroTurf playing surface in 38F degrees with wind at 22 MPH and a wind chill of 27F.

1 2 3 4 OT Final
Philadelphia Eagles (5–7) 0 6 0 14 0 20
New York Giants (4–8) 7 0 6 7 3 23
SCORING PLAYS PHIL NY G TIME
1st Giants Mark Bavaro 19-yard pass from Phil Simms (Raul Allegre kick) 0 7
2nd Eagles Paul McFadden 41-yard field goal 3 7
Eagles Paul McFadden 49-yard field goal 6 7
3rd Giants Raul Allegre 20-yard field goal 6 10
Giants Raul Allegre 46-yard field goal 6 13
4th Giants Stephen Baker 16-yard pass from Phil Simms (Raul Allegre kick) 6 20
Eagles Kenny Jackson 36-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 13 20
Eagles Jimmie Giles 40-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 20 20
OT Giants Raul Allegre 28-yard field goal 20 23

Week 13

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Sunday, December 13, 1987 Kickoff 1:00 pm Eastern

Played at Veterans Stadium on an Astroturf playing surface in 43F degrees with wind at 15 MPH.

1 2 3 4 Final
Miami Dolphins (7–6) 0 14 14 0 28
Philadelphia Eagles (5–8) 0 10 0 0 10
SCORING PLAYS MIA PHIL TIME
2nd Eagles Mike Quick 44-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 0 7
Dolphins Mark Duper 20-yard pass from Dan Marino (Van Tiffin kick) 7 7
Eagles Paul McFadden 27-yard field goal 7 10
Dolphins Ron Davenport 1-yard rush (Van Tiffin kick) 14 10
Dolphins Mark Clayton 11-yard pass from Dan Marino (Van Tiffin kick) 21 10
Dolphins Mark Clayton 20-yard pass from Dan Marino (Van Tiffin kick) 28 10

Week 14

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Sunday, December 20, 1987 Kickoff 1:00 pm Eastern

Played at The Meadowlands on an Astroturf playing surface in 42F degrees with wind at 11 MPH.

1 2 3 4 Final
Philadelphia Eagles (6–8) 10 14 14 0 38
New York Jets (6–8) 3 17 0 7 27
SCORING PLAYS PHIL NY J TIME
1st Eagles Anthony Toney 3-yard rush (Paul McFadden kick) 7 0
Eagles Paul McFadden 38-yard field goal 10 0
Jets Pat Leahy 42-yard field goal 10 3
2nd Jets Kurt Sohn 9-yard pass from Ken O'Brien (Pat Leahy kick) 10 10
Jets Roger Vick 5-yard rush (Pat Leahy kick) 10 17
Eagles Mike Quick 45-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 17 17
Eagles Mike Quick 13-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 24 17
Jets Pat Leahy 29-yard field goal 24 20
3rd Eagles Keith Byars 2-yard rush (Paul McFadden kick) 31 20
Eagles Cris Carter 14-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 38 20
4th Jets Al Toon 51-yard pass from Ken O'Brien (Pat Leahy kick) 38 27

Week 15

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Sunday, December 27, 1987 Kickoff 1:00 pm Eastern

Played at Veterans Stadium on an Astroturf playing surface in 35F degrees with wind at 10 MPH with a wind chill of 28.

1 2 3 4 Final
Buffalo Bills (7–8) 0 0 0 7 7
Philadelphia Eagles (7–8–0) 0 10 7 0 17
SCORING PLAYS BUFF PHIL TIME
2nd Eagles Paul McFadden 39-yard field goal 0 3
Eagles Anthony Toney 18-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) 0 10
3rd Eagles Anthony Toney 2-yard rush (Paul McFadden kick) 0 17
4th Bills Andre Reed 4-yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) 7 17

Standings

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NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Washington Redskins(3) 11 4 0 .733 7–1 9–3 379 285 W1
Dallas Cowboys 7 8 0 .467 4–4 5–7 340 348 W2
St. Louis Cardinals 7 8 0 .467 3–5 7–7 362 368 L1
Philadelphia Eagles 7 8 0 .467 3–5 4–7 337 380 W2
New York Giants 6 9 0 .400 3–5 4–8 280 312 W2

Awards and honors

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  • Mike Quick, 1987 Pro Bowl selection

References

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  1. ^ 1987 Philadelphia Eagles at Pro Football Reference.
  2. ^ Players are identified as Pro Bowlers if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career.
  3. ^ Ferraro, Michael X.; Veneziano, John (2007). Numbelievable!. Chicago: Triumph Books. p. 147. ISBN 978-1-57243-990-0.
  4. ^ "Philadelphia Eagles vs. San Francisco 49ers Results". The Football Database.
  5. ^ Wagner, Laura (June 28, 2016). "Why Did Buddy Ryan Run Up the Score On the Cowboys in 1987? Revenge". Slate. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
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