This current Philly free-fall is reminding me of the '86 Jets just a little bit along with the '83, and 2020, Steelers.
But more-so the '81 Eagles themselves; and that very NFL season itself!
Defending conference champs they also were. And if Dallas ends up winning the division, and San Fran has home-field...(and Tampa Bay wins their division)...(Dolphins, Bills, Bengals make AFC playoffs; Buf@Mia finale perhaps for division title as exactly was the case in ’81)...and the NFC East matched up against the AFC East both seasons. As did AFC North (Central) and NFC West; and AFC West/NFC North (Central)!
2023 Eagles, ’23/’81 parallels
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74_75_78_79_
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Re: 2023 Eagles, ’23/’81 parallels
Well, as for parallels between the 1981 and 2023 NFL seasons in-general...
San Fran getting NFC top-seed - check!
Dallas second-seed - check!
Tampa Bay wins their division - check!
Buffalo at Miami final week for the division - check!
And Eagles being defending-NFC champs and faltering down the stretch into the playoffs also, of course, already mentioned. But if we're talking strictly comparing this very '23 Birds team with '81, I'd like to think that Vermeil's penultimate campaign in the City of Brotherly is a lesser example than others who've faltered down the stretch.
At least in '81 those four-straight defeats they suffered...each and every one of them, including the loss at Dallas, could have gone the other way. Each were close. And then their offense, and especially that #1-ranked defensive, did some serious muscle-flexings in front of their fans for that 38-0 finale rout against an otherwise respectable Hanifan Cardinal squad!
2020 Steelers? They didn't exactly get blown away in their late losses either. And at least they post a respectable win penultimate week vs the Colts to "break" up the slide. '83 Steelers? Yes, the 45-3 Turkey Day demolition at Pontiac following a 23-10 loss at home to Cincy which the game was more lopsided than the score indicated (just look at the boxscore), but beat Jets at Shea for You-Know-Who's last hurrah and then the finale...well, Steelers already had the division.
I think the best team to compare the '23 Eagles to, are definitely the '86 Jets. And that infamous Joe Walton installment ended things even worse than Sirianni's bunch. For one, yes, at least Philly won a game during that stretch - a close one at home vs the Giants in that first game vs them. As for the losses...three blowout defeats (SF, @Dal, @NYG finale) but as for the Jets...ALL FIVE remaining games were each losses, and each one lopsided!
But the Jets caught an arguably flukey Chiefs team at home for the Wild Card Game, and easily advanced. And then they do what they almost did at top-seed Marty's Browns, apparently "waking up"!
Eagles advancing next weekend against a, no, not flukey Tampa Bay team, but a quite unspectacular 9-8 division-winner just the same? Not at all a stretch. But then possibly bringing San Fran, or Dallas, into double overtime thus waking up themselves?
Heavily unlikely!
San Fran getting NFC top-seed - check!
Dallas second-seed - check!
Tampa Bay wins their division - check!
Buffalo at Miami final week for the division - check!
And Eagles being defending-NFC champs and faltering down the stretch into the playoffs also, of course, already mentioned. But if we're talking strictly comparing this very '23 Birds team with '81, I'd like to think that Vermeil's penultimate campaign in the City of Brotherly is a lesser example than others who've faltered down the stretch.
At least in '81 those four-straight defeats they suffered...each and every one of them, including the loss at Dallas, could have gone the other way. Each were close. And then their offense, and especially that #1-ranked defensive, did some serious muscle-flexings in front of their fans for that 38-0 finale rout against an otherwise respectable Hanifan Cardinal squad!
2020 Steelers? They didn't exactly get blown away in their late losses either. And at least they post a respectable win penultimate week vs the Colts to "break" up the slide. '83 Steelers? Yes, the 45-3 Turkey Day demolition at Pontiac following a 23-10 loss at home to Cincy which the game was more lopsided than the score indicated (just look at the boxscore), but beat Jets at Shea for You-Know-Who's last hurrah and then the finale...well, Steelers already had the division.
I think the best team to compare the '23 Eagles to, are definitely the '86 Jets. And that infamous Joe Walton installment ended things even worse than Sirianni's bunch. For one, yes, at least Philly won a game during that stretch - a close one at home vs the Giants in that first game vs them. As for the losses...three blowout defeats (SF, @Dal, @NYG finale) but as for the Jets...ALL FIVE remaining games were each losses, and each one lopsided!
But the Jets caught an arguably flukey Chiefs team at home for the Wild Card Game, and easily advanced. And then they do what they almost did at top-seed Marty's Browns, apparently "waking up"!
Eagles advancing next weekend against a, no, not flukey Tampa Bay team, but a quite unspectacular 9-8 division-winner just the same? Not at all a stretch. But then possibly bringing San Fran, or Dallas, into double overtime thus waking up themselves?
Heavily unlikely!
Last edited by 74_75_78_79_ on Mon Jan 08, 2024 1:13 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Brian wolf
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Re: 2023 Eagles, ’23/’81 parallels
I like to stir' da pot, whether right or wrong ... its fun to talk football and now the season finally starts to get exciting and separate the cream from the crop ... With Mayfield hurting, the Eagles pass rush--Reddick--will smell blood in Tampa. Can the Eagles find a way to flip the switch?
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Brian wolf
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Re: 2023 Eagles, ’23/’81 parallels
You called it right 74_75_78_79 ... I knew I could find this post again somewhere, haha ...
I believe the Birds' made a mistake getting rid of Desai though.
He had to be Sirianni's fallback guy ...
What is your take on the Eagles collapse Leonard? Did it remind you of 1981 or worse? What did you think of what happened on both sides of the ball?
I believe the Birds' made a mistake getting rid of Desai though.
He had to be Sirianni's fallback guy ...
What is your take on the Eagles collapse Leonard? Did it remind you of 1981 or worse? What did you think of what happened on both sides of the ball?