Eagles at Falcons NFCCG, 1980

[74_75_78_79_]

If Duel in Dixie goes the other way, how does that Wk#14 rematch turn out the following Sunday? This time it’d be in Fulton County instead of the Vet.

And if you think Atlanta wins, how do they fare in two weeks against Oakland?

[Brian wolf]

I feel the Falcons would win at home, similar to the 1978 Wild card win over Philly. They would lose to the Raiders though. The Raiders pass rush would have gotten to Bartkowski and they were a team on a mission ...

[Jay Z]

I'd pick the Eagles. Not a fan of teams with bad pass defense in that era, which is why the Falcons lost to the Cowboys in the first place

[GameBeforeTheMoney]

Probably the Eagles - and I say that for three reasons. First, Atlanta couldn't hold the lead at home against Dallas, giving up 3 touchdowns in the 4th quarter.

Second, the Eagles were so confident about winning the NFC Championship. When I interviewed Coach Vermeil, he said he had George Allen in the locker room before the 1980 NFC Championship Game. Allen pulled him aside and said, "There's no way anybody could beat this team in the frame of mind they're in."

Third, Philly ran for over 250 yards against the Cowboys. Probably not the best Cowboys defense but I think they would have still done well against Atlanta. The outrushed Atlanta by about 100 yards when they met each other earlier that year, and I think that's as much a credit to the Philly defense. My guess is that if you put those two teams up against each other in Atlanta, the Eagles would win probably 7 out of 10 times. I'd take the Eagles front 7 over Atlanta's - Hairston was a very underrated player, and I think the situational pass rushing of Claude Humphrey would have made Atlanta regret losing him.

[Brian wolf]

Great viewpoints, guys ...

You have to wonder the way the games played out. It was easier for the Eagles to get up for Dallas, who nearly took the division from them in Texas Stadium and now had to deal with a rabid Veteran Stadium crowd.

The Falcons had the Cowboys by the throat but couldnt account for the clutch play of Drew Pearson, who Danny White couldnt find in the Vet. Would the Eagles had gotten up for the Falcons the same way in Fulton County Stadium? A great game that never came to be ...

I hope newer fans watch those older playoff games, including the NFC's first wild card game in Atlanta against Philly in 1978. Lots of physical hits and big plays. A great game that Philly could have won, forcing turnovers but the Big Ben plays were the difference.

[LeonardRachiele]

Yes the NFC Championship game was a great day. The Eagle loss to Atlanta did hurt, 20 to 17 at the Vet in Dec. Had the Eagles won that game, they could have played the final game at Dallas just like an exhibition. As it was, if they lost the game by 25 points or less, they would have first place in the AFC East. The Eagles were losing 21 to 0 at halftime.

On the last Dallas drive before the half, Jerry Robinson intercepted a pass at the Eagle 10 & returned it to the Dallas 20. The score should have been 14 to 7; but a penalty nullified the play. The Eagles scored 10 points in the third quarter but Dallas pulled away and the score in the early fourth quarter was 35 to 10.

Philadelphia was playing too conservative and had to open up the game. So

--Tony Franklin kicked a field goal, 35 to 13,
--Ron Jaworski threw a touchdown pass to Rodney Parker, 35 to 20,

Then came three great plays
--Punter Max Runager pinned Dallas inside their five yard line;
--Danny White and Tony Dorsett mishandled a lateral and Jerry Robinson recovered it;
--Jaworski handed off to Wilbert Montgomery for a touchdown, 35 to 27

The Eagles lost the battle but won the war.