The 1980 Philadelphia Team Were the First Eagles in the Super Bowl. A Playoff the Year Before Helped to Propel Them.
This is the story of an Eagles team that had it all. An up and coming young coach, a nearly unstoppable top running back, and an elite possession receiver. No, this is not the 2024 Philadelphia Eagles.
We’ve all heard the story of the 1980 Philadelphia Eagles. One of the best seasons in Eagles history. An NFC East best 12–4 record. A Divisional Round win with Marion Campbell’s defense locking down the Minnesota Vikings. Eagles running back Wilbert Montgomery blasting through the offensive line forty-two yards for a touchdown in the NFC Championship Game. The Cowboys never recovered in that game as the Eagles won the NFC Title 20–6.
It’s been forty-six years since Dick Vermeil’s Philadelphia Eagles lost in the Divisional Round of the NFC Playoffs in Tampa Bay by a final score of 24–17. The loss — which helped propel the Eagles into the Super Bowl the following year — had many parallels of the disappointment of last season’s 32–9 thumping in Tampa that ended with a closeup of Jason Kelce’s emotional outpouring on the sideline of his last game and the resurgence of this team the following year.
The following year in 1980 — the Eagles returned to the playoffs as the second seed in the NFL Playoffs after posting a 12–4 regular season record — and beat the Minnesota Vikings 31–16. During the NFC Championship Game at Veteran’s Stadium — the Eagles faced the franchise that they had worked so hard to eclipse — the Dallas Cowboys and would advance to the franchises’ first Super Bowl ever.
The parallels between the 1980 and 2024 Eagles are unmistakable. This year’s team secured the second seed in the NFC Playoffs, just as they did in 1981. They will be walking into the Playoffs after a bad loss in Tampa Bay the prior year, just like this Eagles team. They are both led by young NFL Head Coaches. One major difference remains — however.
These 2024–2025 Eagles — are the much better team.
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