Eagles Analysis: Rodney Harrison says 2007 Patriots would dominate 2024 Birds

Rodney Harrison, a key piece of the 2007 Patriots defense, decided to stir the pot this week by weighing in on the 2024 Eagles’ historic run.

Harrison confidently stated: “We were really good. Really smart on defense. Had a lot of veterans, were very explosive on offense, averaged 37 points a game. We won in different ways—blowouts and close games. That’s a team the Eagles definitely couldn’t stand up to.”

Rodney Harrison says that the 2007 #Patriots team (who lost to the Giants in the SB) would've beaten the 2024 #Eagles: "We were really good. Really smart on defense. Had a lot of veterans, were very explosive on offense, averaged 37 points a game.. We won in different ways-… pic.twitter.com/8TAIFLskTv

— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) May 27, 2025

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Big words from a guy who watched his team come up three points short in the Super Bowl. Let’s unpack this.

Eagles’ 2024 Season Wasn’t Perfect, But It Was Championship-Caliber

No one’s denying how dominant those 2007 Patriots were. They steamrolled just about everyone in sight, finishing with a perfect 16–0 regular season. Their 36.8 points per game in the regular season was an NFL record at the time. Tom Brady threw 50 touchdowns. Randy Moss broke the single-season receiving TD mark with 23. They didn’t just beat teams — they embarrassed them.

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But let’s not act like the 2024 Eagles were some footnote in NFL history. They finished 14–3, ripped off 12 wins in their last 13 games, and capped it off by smashing the two-time defending champion Chiefs 40–22 in the Super Bowl. They also dropped 55 points on Washington in the NFC title game, setting a new NFL playoff scoring record with 145 total points. That’s not the résumé of a team that would fold if they lined up across from the 2007 Patriots.

Eagles’ Defense Was Different

Rodney loves to talk about how “smart” and “veteran” his Patriots defense was, but he might want to check the tape on what the Eagles did in 2024. The Eagles had the best pass defense in the league, allowing just 192 passing yards a game. They ranked second in points allowed and first in total yards allowed. In the Super Bowl, they held Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs to just 23 total yards in the first half. That’s not a typo. Twenty-three.

Sure, the Patriots had a good defense in 2007 — top five in most categories — but it wasn’t as suffocating as what the Eagles put on display this past season. And while the Patriots had veterans like Harrison and Mike Vrabel making plays, the Eagles had a young, hungry rotation of pass rushers that could get home without needing to blitz. Nolan Smith, Josh Sweat, Jalen Carter — the Eagles’ front four would have been a nightmare even for Brady and that offensive line.

The Offense Had a Different Kind of Swagger

The 2007 Patriots were a passing juggernaut. No one disputes that. But the Eagles’ offense was built to pound teams into submission. Saquon Barkley ran for over 2,000 yards — just the ninth player in NFL history to do it. Jalen Hurts wasn’t winning MVPs with his arm alone, but his legs and decision-making in the RPO game were lethal. And when they needed to throw it? AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith were as good a 1-2 punch as any in the league.

This wasn’t a team that relied on shootouts or finesse. They beat teams up. And in the biggest games, they were unstoppable — dropping 55 on Washington and 40 on Kansas City in the postseason is proof of that.

Rodney’s Patriots Were All-Time Great… But They Didn’t Finish the Job

Let’s be real: the 2007 Patriots were a better regular-season team than the 2024 Eagles. They had a higher point differential (+315 vs. +160), led the league in nearly every offensive category, and had Football Outsiders’ highest-rated offense of all time. But that’s not the whole story.

The Eagles actually finished the job. They didn’t blow it at the final hurdle. They didn’t let a wild helmet catch in the final minutes undo a perfect season. They played their best ball when it mattered most and won the damn Super Bowl. And if we’re talking about “who was better,” that matters.

Eagles Would Have Matched Up Better Than Rodney Thinks

Would the Eagles be underdogs if they played the 2007 Patriots? Probably. New England’s offense was that good. But let’s not act like the Eagles wouldn’t have had answers. They had the league’s best pass defense in a pass-heavy era, a pass rush that would test even that New England offensive line, and an offense that could grind out yards and keep Brady on the sidelines.

It wouldn’t be a cakewalk for either side. If the Patriots were vulnerable to anything, it was a defense that could get home with four — and that’s exactly what the Eagles did better than anyone in 2024. So while Rodney’s comments might make for good barbershop talk, they overlook just how complete and versatile the Eagles were this past season.

Verdict: Respect the Rings

Here’s the bottom line: the 2007 Patriots were probably the better team overall if you’re talking 60-minute dominance week-in and week-out. But football isn’t played in Excel spreadsheets or DVOA rankings. It’s played on the field, and only one of these two teams has the jewelry to prove it.

The Eagles didn’t have the perfect regular season. They had some slip-ups early. But when the lights were brightest, they left no doubt — on both sides of the ball. So until someone takes that Lombardi away from them, the Eagles get the final word in this debate.