It's been a long time since oddsmakers expected the New York Giants to march into the Philadelphia Eagles' Lincoln Financial Field and emerge victorious. 17 years and seven days from their upcoming matchup — to be exact — yet who's counting?
Nov. 1, 2009. That's the last time the Giants were road betting favorites against the Eagles, per Yahoo Sports' Ben Fawkes, which is the case for Week 9. Back then, Philadelphia demolished Big Blue 40-17, though that's beside the point.
Things looked a bit different when New York was laying the points in Philly, to say the least. Not just in the NFL, but in general, life was completely unlike what it is now, for better or worse.
Don't believe us? Here's what was (or wasn't) going on in the world the last time the G-Men were minus-money in the City of Brotherly Love. It properly puts into perspective how infrequently this happens, with the Giants on the rise and the Eagles' season spiraling out of control.
The world the last time the Giants were road betting favorites vs. the Eagles
Instagram, Bitcoin weren't launched yet
Instagram, the social media powerhouse, hadn't hit Apple's App Store until October 2010. The platform many of us use to connect with friends and family, stay up to date on the news or enjoy some mindless scrolling didn't exist. Neither did the cryptocurrency that started it all, Bitcoin, which officially rolled out on Jan. 3, 2009.
One Bitcoin was originally priced at $0, and the value has exceeded $100,000 as recently as 2026. Instagram has roughly three billion (with a capital "B") active monthly users.
Top songs, movies and TV shows
Jay Sean's "Down," featuring Lil Wayne, was the No. 1 track on the Billboard Hot 100, and Michael Bublé's "Crazy Love" was the top-selling album. Both have become timeless classics, and they dropped before the Giants were the chalk in Philadelphia during the 2009 campaign. Let that sink in for a moment.
Average New York gas price
Way back when, gasoline in New York cost $2.72/gallon compared to over $4 now. That might not sound like much; however, it also doesn't factor in inflation. Yesterday's price isn't today's price, as the saying goes, and this is a prime example.
The NBA landscape has dramatically changed
For our basketball fans, the Association wasn't what we know it as today. Derrick Rose, whose jersey now hangs in the Chicago Bulls' rafters, was the reigning Rookie of the Year. The Oklahoma City Thunder, previously called the Seattle SuperSonics, were starting their second season in a new city after relocating. Golden State Warriors icon Stephen Curry, the all-time three-point leader (by far), hadn't been drafted yet.
Curry, Rose and several other legends had yet to officially make their mark on the league, if at all. The style of play at the time is almost unrecognizable to folks who have grown up watching the modern era.
John Harbaugh was in his second season as a head coach
The man brought in to raise the standard in East Rutherford was early in his leadership journey. Harbaugh served as an assistant/coordinator at various stops in college and the pros for 24 seasons before the Baltimore Ravens hired him in 2008. He finally got a shot, hit the ground running and never looked back, and the rest is history.
Harbaugh guided the Ravens to an 11-5 record and an AFC Championship appearance in his inaugural campaign at the helm. It was the beginning of a legendary near-two-decade run in Baltimore, including a Super Bowl XLVII victory. The seeds of the culture-setting qualities that made him so attractive to New York this offseason were just being planted.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were the reigning Super Bowl champions
As crazy as it sounds, the Steelers, who haven't won a playoff game in nearly a decade, were defending a title. And guess who they beat on the way to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for the sixth time in franchise history? The Harbaugh-led Ravens.
Pittsburgh and Baltimore have one of football's greatest rivalries, with countless memories from the Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin eras, respectively. This was the early stage of a budding feud between divisional foes with outstanding head coaches going toe-to-toe, and one has landed in New York.
Add us as a preferred source on Google