How much did Kurt Warner kill the Eagles?
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How much did Kurt Warner kill the Eagles?
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Ten years from now, when you think back about Kurt Warner and how he performed against the Eagles, two games will come to mind.
The one freshest in your memory is last year's NFC championship game in Arizona.
Warner faced the Eagles seven times in his NFL career, but that game was by far his most successful performance against the Birds. He picked the Eagles' defense apart, completing 21 of 28 passes for 279 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. The Eagles couldn't stop the run on that fourth-quarter drive that gave Arizona a 32-25 lead and chewed 7:52 off the clock, but Warner did his part, going 5-for-5 for 56 yards and a touchdown.
And the other game, of course, is the 2002 NFC championship game when the Eagles traveled to St. Louis for a shot at the Super Bowl. Marshall Faulk carried 31 times for 159 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Warner completed 22 of 33 passes for 212 yards and a TD.
Warner's success against the Eagles was remarkably different in the regular season and the playoffs. Would you believe that he was just 1-4 against the Birds in five regular-season meetings? In those games, he completed 55.4 percent of his passes, throwing six touchdowns and nine interceptions with a QB rating of 64.6. Of teams that Warner faced more than once in his career, only the Bucs held him to a lower number (53.5).
In two playoff meetings, he completed 70.5 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and no INTs.
In the regular season meetings, the Eagles managed to pick him off two times or more in four of the five games. But the Birds' defense went without an interception in two playoff meetings against Warner.
Below are a couple charts, showing Warner's games against the Eagles.
Regular season:
| Date | Team | Result | Comp. | Att. | Yards | TDs | INTs |
| 1/20/00 | Rams | 38-31 L | 12 | 24 | 151 | 2 | 2 |
| 9/9/01 | Rams | 20-17 W | 28 | 42 | 308 | 1 | 2 |
| 12/1/02 | Rams | 10-3 L | 20 | 42 | 218 | 0 | 2 |
| 9/12/04 | Giants | 31-17 L | 16 | 28 | 203 | 0 | 0 |
| 11/27/08 | Cardinals | 48-20 L | 21 | 39 | 235 | 3 | 3 |
Playoffs:
| Date | Team | Result | Comp. | Att. | Yards | TDs | INTs |
| 1/27/2000 | Rams | 29-24 W | 22 | 33 | 212 | 1 | 0 |
| 1/18/2009 | Cardinals | 32-25 W | 21 | 28 | 279 | 4 | 0 |
The discrepancy is not unique to the Eagles though. Warner's postseason accolades are ridiculous. He owns the three highest passing yardage totals in Super Bowl history to go along with a 9-4 playoff record. And his 104.6 postseason QB rating is second in league history.
Warner announced his retirement Friday afternoon.
His connection to the Andy Reid/Donovan McNabb Eagles teams will always be unique. Warner reached the Super Bowl three times and twice beat the Eagles to get there. And he's the only quarterback to have twice denied the Birds of a Super Bowl berth.
Feel free to share your favorite (or least favorite) memories from his 12-year career in the comments below.
Come on, give me a break. You're labeling the guy an Eagles "killer" because he had one really good playoff game against the Eagles? His other playoff game he had 212 yards and a TD...that's hardly a career day for any NFL QB...those numbers are stats are pretty average. Then, he went 1-4 in the regular season against them. That makes the guy an Eagles "killer"? Come on. You guys sure know how to write in hyperbole.— JimG- I would have a hard time deciding whether Warner should be in the HOF if I were a voter. In his favor: 3 SB appearances, with one championship. 9-4 playoff record with very good stats, 2(?) mvps, very high passer rating (not my favorite stat, but even so). On the other hand, KW only ranks 48th in career wins (67-49 with a good .578%), and only had 3 or 4 really good years. From 2002-07, he had, I believe, a 13-29 record. Give him props for new life in 'zona, but you can't discount those years completely. Qualitatively, at his peak, he was terrific, and he was also surrounded by unbelievable talent - in St Louis, Faulk (perhaps the best O player in the league then), Bruce and Holt..In Arizona, Fitz (one of the two best wr's in the league), Boldin, Breaston, etc... When he had an average supporting cast, he did nothing -- he really did nothing.— MG44
As we saw from our own Eagles experience, it doesn't matter what weapons are around...the QB has to execute, and Kurt Warner delivered big time when it mattered most. Winning the Super Bowl solidifies his HOF career. To top it off, this guy is the epitome of class. I tried to think of something negative that people might jump on, but he had no shot in NY as soon as Manning was drafted. This is what jumps out at me- Kurt Warner could have easily came back and padded his stats to make his HOF bid stronger, but decided immediately to step away in order to give his team a chance to make adjustments and get Leinart ready. Happy trails, Kurt- you kept it real.— kjuggs77- Warner's postseason performances will probably tilt the vote in his favor. Gotta like a guy who shows up at crunch time. Two league MVPs, Super Bowl ring, 9-3 in the playoffs and a better completion % than any QB enshrined since 1985 look pretty good on a HoF resume.— Joe Funk
MG44, I don't know any HOFer that didn't have someone to throw to and QBs always suffer when they have lesser talent around them. Case in point Eli Manning this year vs. last few years. No Burress, No Shockey, No Tiki, No Toomer, no playoffs. It actually makes DMs run here all the more immpressive IMO. In no way can you call his supporting cast the equal of what KW, Pman, Favre and others have had. Still think KW belongs.— tpizza- tpizza, I probably lean toward putting him in, and you know that I am D-Mac's biggest fan (or one of 'em), but it's just hard to discount that KW was mediocre at best for 6 years in a row. The dropoff was precipitous, and he rose not quite as high as his ST Louis glory years, but almost as high, the last couple years with Fitzgerald and company. As for Eli, I see your point, and still say that he has some very good O players around him --Manningham, Nicks (will be a stud), Smith, Boss, good rb's. I don't care that much for Eli, but it's not Pinkston, Thrash and Mitchell there. He's got as much or more to work with as McNabb has - right now - and doesn't make nearly as much with it.— MG44
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