2006: Eagles 23, Cowboys 7
It was a far different Christmas Day experience for Philadelphia quarterback Jeff Garcia in 2006, when he guided the Eagles to a 23-7 victory over the Cowboys in Texas. That Monday game capped an unprecedented run for the Eagles, who beat all three NFC East opponents on the road in consecutive weeks.
That win was the capper. Not only did the Eagles beat the hated Cowboys, but also they spoiled the day for spotlight-stealing Dallas receiver Terrell Owens, who had been with Philadelphia the season before.
As he left the field, a gleeful Garcia delivered a line on national TV — “Merry Christmas, Philadelphia” — that secured him a permanent spot in that city’s sports lore.
Philadelphia was 5-6 at Thanksgiving before tearing off five wins in a row to clinch the NFC East. The Eagles beat the New York Giants in a wild-card game before losing at New Orleans in the divisional round.
As with other quarterbacks, Garcia’s relationship with Philadelphia fans was complicated. They loved him after that threegame run, but were less enthusiastic about him when he first replaced the injured Donovan McNabb in mid-November. The Eagles lost their first two games with Garcia under center.
“I was able to play for the
Niners and Cleveland and Detroit, and you see the passion in fans,” Garcia said. “But you go to Philadelphia and it’s just a different experience. It literally is love-hate. Fans there thought the season was over when Donovan went down.”
That all changed as the Eagles started stacking wins in December, and especially with that Christmas Day game.
1995: Cowboys 37, Cardinals 13
Christmas fell on a Monday in 1995, too, when Dallas played at Arizona and pounded the Cardinals 37-13. Troy Aikman threw for 350 yards in that game, which secured home-field advantage for the Cowboys throughout the playoffs.
The Cardinals were heading in the opposite direction. It would be the final game for coach Buddy Ryan, who started heading up the tunnel before the clock expired so he was nowhere to be found for the traditional postgame handshake.
There was plenty of dysfunction in the Cardinals’ organization at the time, including a fistfight during a Friday film session between a practice-squad defensive lineman and a starting linebacker that spilled over into the locker room Saturday.
Footage from that game was used in the film “Jerry Maguire,” and the on-field scenes with Cuba Gooding Jr. were shot at halftime.
2005: Bears 24, Packers 17
The Bears traditionally had difficulties against Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers, so in Chicago this is a major Christmas memory. The Bears won 24-17 at Green Bay, intercepting four Favre passes and sweeping the Packers for the first time since 1991.
Bears long snapper Patrick Mannelly remembers that game for an entirely different reason. His daughter was born the day before. He was there for her birth, then rode north to Lambeau Field with the team doctor.
Mannelly played that game with the blue-ink footprint of his newborn daughter stamped on his forearm.
“I was tired as can be from not sleeping,” he said. “Then fortunately we won the game and won the division. I don’t remember a lot from the game, but it was just a great Bears-Packers memory and my favorite Christmas ever.”