49ers, Eagles join exclusive list of NFL’s 5-0 teams since 1990: What history says about Super Bowl chances

It’s only been five weeks, but the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers already find themselves in the NFL record books. By virtue of their 5-0 starts, the Eagles and 49ers have joined an exclusive club of teams that have been undefeated through five weeks since 1990, when the NFL first expanded the postseason.

Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers stampeded through their first five opponents while running their regular season unbeaten streak to 15 games dating back to last season. Shanahan’s team has been buoyed by the NFL’s second-ranked scoring offense and top-ranked scoring defense. Christian McCaffrey, who has never lost a regular season game as a 49er, is in the early-season MVP conversation with eight touchdowns and nearly 700 total yards so far. 

The defending NFC champion Eagles haven’t been as dominant but are nonetheless undefeated. Jalen Hurts has picked up where he left off last season, while running back D’Andre Swift has enjoyed a stellar start to his career in Philadelphia. The Eagles’ defense has been stellar against the pass and have applied steady pressure on opposing quarterbacks, led by rookie Jalen Carter’s 3.5 sacks. 

As you can see below, the Eagles and 49ers have joined the list of 62 teams that have started 5-0 since 1990. Nine of those have gone on to win the Super Bowl. Can either the 49ers and Eagles make it 10? Before we tackle that question, here’s a look at each 5-0 team since 1990, listed in order by point differential through five games. 

One of the biggest takeaways from the above list is that nine of the top 10 teams that started 5-0 going by point differential made it to the Super Bowl. That’s a plus for this year’s 49ers, who outscored their first five opponents by a combined score of 167-68. 

Another thing that stands out is that eight of the nine 5-0 teams that won the Super Bowl had an elite offense. The majority of those teams had Hall of Fame quarterbacks (i.e. John Elway, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner, Drew Brees) leading the way. The lone exception was the 1990 Giants, who famously won the Super Bowl with backup Jeff Hostetler under center. 

Each of those teams also had a defense that wasn’t a detriment and found its own way to contribute to the Super Bowl win. The ’97 Broncos weren’t very good against the run, but it was a well-coached, hard-hitting defense that excelled at forcing turnovers. The same can be said of the 2006 Colts’ defense that scored the game-clinching touchdown in Super Bowl XLI. 

In that vein, both the 49ers and Eagles have a legitimate shot at becoming the 10th 5-0 team since 1990 to win the Super Bowl. Philadelphia has the edge at quarterback with Jalen Hurts, but Brock Purdy is no slouch as he has never lost a regular season game. The 49ers have the edge on defense, especially after acquiring former Eagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave this past offseason. 

San Francisco looks more like the nine previous Super Bowl champions that started 5-0, but no one should be counting out the Eagles, who defeated 49ers this past January en route to representing the NFC in the Super Bowl.