The Body Bag Game

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The Body Bag Game was a Monday Night Football game that was played on November 12, 1990. During this game, eight Redskins were injured, including starting quarterback Jeff Rutledge and backup Stan Humphries. The Redskins had to end the game with rookie running back/kick returner Brian Mitchell at quarterback.

One of the most fondly remembered Redskins-Eagles games ever, at least by Eagles fans, was avenged by Washington in the playoffs.

Following the Body Bag Game game the Eagles would go on to win five of their last seven under Randall Cunningham, finish the season 10-6 and earn a wild card playoff berth, the fourth seed in the tough NFC.

The Redskins meanwhile also would win five of their last seven to finish the season 10-6, losing the number four seed spot to the Eagles.

The Rematch later that year

The teams would meet in Philadelphia at Veterans Stadium for a Body Bag rematch. That November regular season game, that one game turned the playoff seedings. If Washington had won in November the Redskins would have been the higher rated team and the Eagles would have captured the fifth seed, there being no 9-7 wild card team (the Saints qualified for the final wild card spot that season with an 8-8 record). This first round playoff game would have been hosted at RFK, where the Redskins rarely lost in the playoffs and the road to the Super Bowl would have been much tougher for the Eagles.

But thanks to Buddy Ryan’s ruthless ways, alienating much of the press, his team’s owner and many other NFL coaches and executives, the team had captured a home playoff game against the Redskins, the team that just a month and half before had had to finish a game in the Vet with a tailback at quarterback.

Randall Cunningham, in what would be remembered as his best ever year with the Eagles, had thrown 30 touchdown passes and had a QB rating of 91.6, the highest rating he would have as a Philadelphia quarterback. Cunningham had almost a thousand yards rushing and the feature back, Heath Sherman, had better than a 4.0 rushing average. Four of Randall’s receivers, tight ends Keith Byars and Keith Jackson along with receivers Calvin Williams and Fred Barnett, each had over 600 yards receiving. The Eagles could score from any position in many different ways.

When gameday finally arrived the Eagles led 6-0 after the first half with two Roger Ruzek field goals. But after that Washington would allow no more points. Redskins quarterback Mark Rypien threw two touchdowns and Chip Lohmiller kicked two field goals. Things were going so poorly that Buddy Ryan benched Cunningham for one series in the third quarter in favor of Jim McMahon who threw three straight incomplete passes.

The final score was 20-6 Redskins.

Aftermath

Three days later Buddy Ryan was fired. Owner Norman Braman, estranged from the coach he had hired, promoted offensive coordinator Rich Kotite to head coach. Over the coming seasons the core of this Eagles team would move on.

Scoring Summary

• PHI: Frizzell 30-yard interception return (Ruzek kick)
• WAS: Warren 8-yard pass from Rutledge (Lohmiller kick)
• PHI: Sherman 9-yard pass from Byars (Ruzek kick)
• PHI: Simmons 18-yard fumble recovery (Ruzek kick)
• PHI: Sherman 2-yard pass from Cunningham (Ruzek kick)
• WAS: Mitchell 1-yard run (Lohmiller kick)

External links

• Pro-Football-Reference.com: Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles, Monday, November 12, 1990 - Box score of the game

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