2018 NFC Championship Game vs Saints
One missed call stole a trip to Super Bowl LIII.
The 2018 NFC Championship Game stands as the most agonizing 'what if' in Philadelphia Eagles history. Played on January 20, 2019, inside the humid, deafening cauldron of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the defending Super Bowl LII champions faced a high-powered New Orleans Saints squad. While the final score was tight, the game is defined not by a dominant performance, but by a singular, inexplicable non-call on third down in overtime that effectively ended the Eagles' season before they could touch the ball.
- Final Score
- Philadelphia Eagles 20, New Orleans Saints 14
Lore & Background
The fallout rippled through the NFL, forcing the league to admit an egregious officiating error just two days later. It marked the first time in playoff history that a championship game ended via coin toss without the losing team ever getting a possession. While the controversy eventually sparked rule changes regarding overtime and pass interference reviews, for Philadelphia, it remains a permanent scar—a haunting reminder of how quickly a season can evaporate on a single play.
In Their Own Story
The air in the Superdome was thick with humidity as the clock bled out, the Eagles' fourth-quarter comeback hope fading into silence. Then came overtime: the coin toss, lost by Philadelphia. The Saints marched forward, desperate to end it. On third-and-10 from their own 28-yard line, Drew Brees fired a laser toward the sideline intended for Michael Thomas. The ball struck Thomas's helmet, bounced off his shoulder pads, and settled into his hands for a first down. The stadium erupted in a roar of disbelief; Eagles players and fans screamed for a penalty that would have reset the chain. The referees stood motionless. No flag fell. In that deafening silence, the Eagles' season didn't just end—it was erased.
Reader's Guide
Remembered as one of the most controversial games in NFL history, this matchup ignited a national debate on officiating standards and directly led to the NFL admitting its error within 48 hours. For the Eagles, it represents a heartbreaking pivot point—a painful chapter where a missed call denied them a chance at back-to-back glory, forever altering the franchise's modern narrative.
Did You Know?
- This was the first time an NFL playoff game ended via coin toss without the losing team getting possession.
- The non-call on the pass interference was so egregious it led to the NFL admitting the error two days later.
- Eagles head coach Doug Pederson expressed deep frustration with the officiating, focusing his post-game comments on how the missed call altered the course of the game.
- The game featured a combined 34 points (20 for Philadelphia, 14 for New Orleans), making it one of the lower-scoring NFC Championship games in history.