Are Eagles worst 9-1 team ever in NFL? Teams with low point differential and same record show title pedigree

The Philadelphia Eagles shouldn’t have to prove to anyone in the NFL how their resume stacks up against the best. 

Philadelphia is 9-1 for the second consecutive season, knocking off the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in accomplishing the feat. The Eagles are undefeated against their NFC brethren and are 4-0 against teams currently with a winning record, which includes victories against the Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, and Dallas Cowboys. 

The Eagles have held or shared the best record in the NFL since Week 1 of the 2022 season, a span of 30 weeks heading into Week 12. The amount will be at least 31 since the Eagles hold the best record in the league by two games in the loss column. 

Even at 9-1 with their resume, there are some doubts whether the Eagles can sustain their success. Philadelphia doesn’t win games convincingly like their NFC East rivals in Dallas, having six one-score victories (eight points or less) and going 6-1 in one-score games. 

The Minnesota Vikings proved last season that winning one-score games doesn’t hold up in the playoffs, losing to a nine-win New York Giants team in the wild card. The Eagles are still 9-1, holding more merit than the Vikings due to overall record and Philadelphia being the team that represented the NFC in the Super Bowl last season. Also helps that Philadelphia beat the top teams on their schedule.

The Eagles have a point differential of +61, third-fewest through a 10-game start by any team in NFL history. Does the low point differential matter? Does it lead to a championship? 

Here’s a look at the other 9-1 teams with a low point differential with a 9-1 record after 10 games and how they fared: 

1976 Oakland Raiders (+22)

One of the best teams in NFL history didn’t have a high point differential through 10 games. In fact, they have the lowest points differential for any team that was 9-1 or better in NFL history. 

That Raiders team — coached by John Madden — found their stride come late November and December. They won each of their final four games by double digits, a margin of 134-53. They won the AFC Championship by 17 points and Super Bowl XI by 18 points, finishing the year with a 16-1 record and solidifying themselves as one of the greatest teams ever. 

The season certainly didn’t start like that after the first 10 games, as Oakland was 6-0 in one-score games. Proof that the 9-1 record held merit. Also helped Ken Stabler was at quarterback with plenty other Hall of Fame players. 

Peyton Manning’s first Super Bowl team certainly wasn’t a juggernaut going by point differential. The Colts actually won their first nine games before losing 21-14 to the Dallas Cowboys to put their record at 9-1. The Colts actually lost four of their last seven after the 9-0 start to finish 12-4 with a point differential of +67. 

The Colts actually had to play in the wild card round as the No. 3 seed. They beat the Kansas City Chiefs and upset the Baltimore Ravens on the road. Indianapolis ended up hosting the AFC Championship game after the No. 4 seed New England Patriots (also 12-4) upset the No. 1 seed San Diego Chargers.

After a thrilling victory over New England to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1970 season, Indianapolis beat the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. This was a team that had the No. 2 scoring offense, but the league’s worst run defense. 

The point differential through 10 games didn’t seem to matter with Manning at quarterback. 

The outlier of the group is the Cardinals, who didn’t play many one-score games (3-0 in the three they played). A blowout loss to the Denver Broncos ended up affecting the point differential, but the Cardinals also suffered a major injury to Carson Palmer in Week 10 that cost him the rest of his season.

Drew Stanton ended up starting eight games and Ryan Lindley two, as the Cardinals went a combined 5-5 in their starts (5-3 with Stanton). Arizona actually had to start Lindley in a wild card game against the Carolina Panthers, after losing four of six to close the regular season (finished 11-5). Lindley had to start the last two games because Stanton was lost for weeks with a partially torn MCL suffered in Week 15. 

The 2014 season was certainly a “what if” for the Cardinals, especially given Palmer and Stanton’s health. That might have been Bruce Arians’ best chance at a Super Bowl with Arizona.