Despite the four major sports organizations reaching the playoffs all in the same season, early exits have been the theme for Philadelphia sports, starting with the Phillies and Eagles.
While the majority of the teams in Philadelphia all witnessed early exits, that does not remove the successful regular seasons that these teams were able to accomplish. The Phillies and Eagles finished first in their divisions and the Flyers and Sixers both earned playoff berths.
The Phillies in 2025 finished with a 96-66 record and back-to-back division titles, and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber finished with 56 home runs, tied for the National League lead in homers. Bryce Harper also finished the year with 27 home runs despite missing some time.
However, once the playoffs arrived, the fun would begin to end as the Phillies, who earned a first-round bye, would lose in the divisional round to the eventual World Series champions, the LA Dodgers. As of 2026, the Phillies sit at 9-19 in the NL East.
Looking over to the Eagles, after a memorable Super Bowl run, they would follow up with an 11-6 record and an NFC East crown. Jalen Hurts finished with a career high in passing touchdowns, along with Dallas Goedert finishing with double-digit touchdowns.
Once again, lackluster playoff success would follow as the Eagles would struggle offensively, a common theme in 2025, against the San Francisco 49ers, losing 23-19 in the wildcard round at home. As of 2026, the Eagles’ biggest transaction was drafting wide receiver Makai Lemon out of USC, a replacement for soon-to-be traded A.J. Brown.
The Sixers entered the 2025 season with a handful of young talent and aging veterans and a high heel to return to the playoffs after going 24-58 and missing the playoffs last year. The arrival of guard VJ Edgecomb helped pave the way for a playoff berth.
Edgecomb averaged 16 points per game, 35 minutes per game and started 75 games. The Sixers would work their way through the play-in tournament and upset the Boston Celtics after falling 3-1 in the series, winning the next three games and advancing to the semi-finals.
The Sixers will have a big test and matchup against the New York Knicks, who defeated the Hawks 4-2 in their series, winning the final game by nearly 50 points. The Sixers and Knicks met four times in the regular season and split the series 2-2.
The Flyers have had the most success out of all the playoff teams in Philadelphia, as they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs 4-2 in a best-of-seven series. They will now have a big matchup against the number one seed in the Carolina Hurricanes, who swept the floor against the Ottawa Senators in their series.
Looking away from the playoff losses and lackluster success from the Phillies and Eagles, the city of Philadelphia has yet again witnessed another successful year in professional sports, being the only city to see all four major programs reach the playoffs within the calendar year (2025-2026).
With all of this momentum for each organization, not reaching the playoffs for the 2026-2027 would be a major disappointment, though every team has something to build off of and work during the off-season to compete for their respective championship trophies.
