View source for Body Bag Game

{{Short description|American football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL single game
| name = The Body Bag Game
| image = [[File:Veterans Stadium satellite view.png|200px]]
| caption = [[Veterans Stadium]], the site of the game.
| visitor = [[1990 Washington Redskins season|Washington Redskins]]
| visitor_abbr = WAS
| visitor_coach = [[Joe Gibbs]]
| visitor_record = 5–3
| home = [[1990 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]]
| home_abbr = PHI
| home_coach = [[Buddy Ryan]]
| home_record = 4–4
| visitor_qtr1 = 0
| visitor_qtr2 = 7
| visitor_qtr3 = 0
| visitor_qtr4 = 7
| visitor_qtr5 =
| visitor_total = 14
| home_qtr1 = 7
| home_qtr2 = 0
| home_qtr3 = 21
| home_qtr4 = 0
| home_qtr5 =
| home_total = 28
| date = November 12, 1990
| stadium = [[Veterans Stadium]]
| city = [[Philadelphia|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]
| referee = [[Jerry Markbreit]]
| attendance =
| odds =
| network = [[Monday Night Football|ABC]]
| announcers = [[Al Michaels]], [[Frank Gifford]] and [[Dan Dierdorf]]
}}

The '''Body Bag Game''' was a ''[[Monday Night Football]]'' game that was played on November 12, 1990, between the [[1990 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]] and [[1990 Washington Redskins season|Washington Redskins]] at [[Veterans Stadium]]. The Eagles defeated the Redskins, 28–14. Its nickname comes from a pre-game boast from Eagles head coach [[Buddy Ryan]], who told reporters his team would inflict a beating on Washington so bad "they'll have to be carted off in body bags".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sports.cbslocal.com/2015/11/12/25-years-later-the-body-bag-game-still-resonates/|title=25 Years Later, The 'Body Bag Game' Still Evokes Memories|date=November 12, 2015}}</ref>  Then during the game, nine Washington Redskins players left with injuries, and an Eagles player reacted to one of those injured Redskins by yelling, "Do you guys need any more body bags?"<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/redskins/longterm/book/pages/173.htm|title=WashingtonPost.com: The Redskins Book: Page 173|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=20 April 2017}}</ref>

==Background and game==
This was the second game of the year between the two [[NFC East]] rivals. The Redskins were two years removed from winning [[Super Bowl XXII]], but were an aging team, behind a new quarterback, [[Jeff Rutledge]]. The Eagles were in their fifth season under defensive mastermind [[Buddy Ryan]], but coming off two straight early playoff exits. In the previous game, on October 21, the 3–2 Redskins beat the 2–3 Eagles 13–7, behind a rushing touchdown by [[Gerald Riggs]] and two [[Chip Lohmiller]] field goals. The rematch came three weeks later, on ''[[Monday Night Football]]'', with the second-place Redskins being 5–3 and the third-place Eagles being 4–4.

The Eagles scored first, on a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown by cornerback [[William Frizzell]]. In the second quarter, the Redskins tied the game 7–7 behind a Rutledge pass to tight end [[Don Warren]]. However, by the third quarter, the Eagles took control with three touchdowns. The first came on a trick play, with fullback [[Keith Byars]] throwing a 9-yard pass to [[Heath Sherman]]. The second came via the defense, with defensive end [[Clyde Simmons]] returning a fumble 18 yards. The final touchdown was another pass to Sherman, this time by quarterback [[Randall Cunningham]]. The Redskins finished the scoring in the fourth quarter, with [[Brian Mitchell (running back)|Brian Mitchell]] scoring on a one-yard run, but it would not lead to a comeback, with the Eagles winning 28–14.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199011120phi.htm|title=Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles - November 12th, 1990 - Pro-Football-Reference.com|website=[[Pro-Football-Reference.com]] |access-date=20 April 2017}}</ref>

During this game, nine Redskins players were injured, including starting quarterback Jeff Rutledge and backup [[Stan Humphries]]. Washington, already playing without quarterbacks [[Mark Rypien]] (who was injured earlier in the season) and [[Gary Hogeboom]] (inactive), had to end the game with rookie running back Brian Mitchell at quarterback. Mitchell, who had played quarterback in college, went 3-for-6 for 40 yards passing and ran for a touchdown.

==Aftermath==
Following the Body Bag Game, the Eagles won five of their last seven under Cunningham, finished the season 10–6 and earned a wild card playoff berth, the fourth seed in the tough NFC. The Redskins meanwhile also won five of their last seven to finish the season 10–6, losing the number four seed to the Eagles. Despite this, the Redskins would return to Veterans Stadium and defeat the Eagles in the [[1990–91 NFL playoffs#NFC: Washington Redskins 20, Philadelphia Eagles 6|Wild Card playoff game]], 20–6. The Redskins lost to defending Super Bowl champion [[San Francisco 49ers|San Francisco]] in the divisional round. However, as told in the NFL Network presentation ''America's Game: The Story of the 1991 Washington Redskins'', coach [[Joe Gibbs]] and others pointed to this game as the foundation for the successes of the [[1991 Washington Redskins season|1991 Redskins]], who would go on to win [[Super Bowl XXVI]].

After the season, the NFL addressed the problem of two quarterbacks being injured in the same game by instituting the [[third quarterback rule]], which would allow an NFL team to dress a third quarterback outside of the 45-man game-day roster. Under that rule, the third quarterback could be played, but if he entered the game before the fourth quarter, neither of the other quarterbacks could return to the game. That rule was changed again for the 2011 season when the game-day roster size was increased to 46.

==Scoring summary==
*PHI: [[William Frizzell|Frizzell]] 30-yard interception return ([[Roger Ruzek|Ruzek]] kick)
*WAS: [[Don Warren|Warren]] 8-yard pass from [[Jeff Rutledge|Rutledge]] ([[Chip Lohmiller|Lohmiller]] kick)
*PHI: [[Heath Sherman|Sherman]] 9-yard pass from [[Keith Byars|Byars]] (Ruzek kick)
*PHI: [[Clyde Simmons|Simmons]] 18-yard fumble recovery (Ruzek kick)
*PHI: Sherman 2-yard pass from [[Randall Cunningham|Cunningham]] (Ruzek kick)
*WAS: [[Brian Mitchell (running back)|Mitchell]] 1-yard run (Lohmiller kick)

== Officials ==
*'''Referee:''' [[Jerry Markbreit]] (#9)
*'''Umpire:''' Bob Boylston (#101)
*'''Head linesman:''' Leo Miles (#35)
*'''Line judge:''' [[Dale Orem]] (#51)
*'''Back judge:''' Doug Toole (#4)
*'''Side judge:''' Bill Quinby (#58)
*'''Field judge:''' Bill Schmitz (#122)

==See also==
* [[Commanders–Eagles rivalry]]
* [[List of nicknamed NFL games and plays]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199011120phi.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com: Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles, Monday, November 12, 1990] – Box score of the game

{{Philadelphia Eagles}}
{{Washington Commanders}}
{{NFL on ABC}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Body Bag Game}}
[[Category:Washington Commanders]]
[[Category:NFL games]]
[[Category:1990 NFL season]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Eagles]]
[[Category:1990 in sports in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:American football competitions in Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Monday Night Football]]
[[Category:November 1990 sports events in the United States]]
[[Category:1990 in American football]]
[[Category:Nicknamed sporting events]]