Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Lovely thread and deep dive into a series I never really thought about before. This forum needs a like button, I would definitely be over using it.

For me I'm reminded of the 2001 season. I was super hyped for those playoffs all year long because I was sure we would get 2 matchups that I really wanted to see, Oakland vs Pittsburgh in the AFCCG, and Chicago vs St. Louis in NFCCG. Of course the tuck rule and the Eagles messed that up for me. Perhaps the closest we got to seeing these two face off in a Super Bowl?

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Mon Nov 24, 2025 8:43 pm For me I'm reminded of the 2001 season. I was super hyped for those playoffs all year long because I was sure we would get 2 matchups that I really wanted to see, Oakland vs Pittsburgh in the AFCCG, and Chicago vs St. Louis in NFCCG. Of course the tuck rule and the Eagles messed that up for me. Perhaps the closest we got to seeing these two face off in a Super Bowl?

That 01 Eagles team was one of the worst team to ever reach a conference championship game.

They basically made the playoffs by default because the NFC East was terrible, a with a 5-11 caliber team propped up by smoke and mirrors

CSKreager wrote: ↑Tue Nov 25, 2025 1:08 pm

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Mon Nov 24, 2025 8:43 pm For me I'm reminded of the 2001 season. I was super hyped for those playoffs all year long because I was sure we would get 2 matchups that I really wanted to see, Oakland vs Pittsburgh in the AFCCG, and Chicago vs St. Louis in NFCCG. Of course the tuck rule and the Eagles messed that up for me. Perhaps the closest we got to seeing these two face off in a Super Bowl?

That 01 Eagles team was one of the worst team to ever reach a conference championship game.

They basically made the playoffs by default because the NFC East was terrible, a with a 5-11 caliber team propped up by smoke and mirrors

I thought that in real time. I was shocked that they outhit the Bears in that playoff game the way they did though, I for sure the Bears were on to the NFCCG and was hyped basically that whole season for Chicago/St. Louis game that we never got. Then the tuck rule eliminated the Raiders that same weekend. Those were not the Conference title games or Super Bowl I wanted in 2001, total buzzkill.

CSKreager wrote: ↑Tue Nov 25, 2025 1:08 pm

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Mon Nov 24, 2025 8:43 pm For me I'm reminded of the 2001 season. I was super hyped for those playoffs all year long because I was sure we would get 2 matchups that I really wanted to see, Oakland vs Pittsburgh in the AFCCG, and Chicago vs St. Louis in NFCCG. Of course the tuck rule and the Eagles messed that up for me. Perhaps the closest we got to seeing these two face off in a Super Bowl?

That 01 Eagles team was one of the worst team to ever reach a conference championship game.

They basically made the playoffs by default because the NFC East was terrible, a with a 5-11 caliber team propped up by smoke and mirrors

Those early-00's Eagles weren't as good as they maybe should have been because of poor drafting under Andy Reid.

I can agree with that 7D ... especially the Eagles picking skill position players. Other than McNabb and Westbrook, that was it.
I am not sure who the GM was towards the end of Reid's time in Philly but they drafted much better later, getting Jackson, Macklin and McCoy. Didnt have the QB to save Reid's job though. He was smart enough to add Macklin to the Chiefs.

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Tue Nov 25, 2025 8:46 pm

CSKreager wrote: ↑Tue Nov 25, 2025 1:08 pm

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Mon Nov 24, 2025 8:43 pm For me I'm reminded of the 2001 season. I was super hyped for those playoffs all year long because I was sure we would get 2 matchups that I really wanted to see, Oakland vs Pittsburgh in the AFCCG, and Chicago vs St. Louis in NFCCG. Of course the tuck rule and the Eagles messed that up for me. Perhaps the closest we got to seeing these two face off in a Super Bowl?

That 01 Eagles team was one of the worst team to ever reach a conference championship game.

They basically made the playoffs by default because the NFC East was terrible, a with a 5-11 caliber team propped up by smoke and mirrors

I thought that in real time. I was shocked that they outhit the Bears in that playoff game the way they did though, I for sure the Bears were on to the NFCCG and was hyped basically that whole season for Chicago/St. Louis game that we never got. Then the tuck rule eliminated the Raiders that same weekend. Those were not the Conference title games or Super Bowl I wanted in 2001, total buzzkill.

I don't know, just my opinion, I think the actual Eagles@Rams match turned out to be the better one than had the Bears showed up. A win is a win, but a bit paper-tiger-ish/flukey Chicago seemed to be. For starters, they get swept by Green Bay; each loss by more than 7. Statistically they were quite weak, I started a thread here not too long ago comparing them with the '22 Vikings. The Eagles, however, a noticeable positive-PD along with a noticeable positive Y/P. A real enough playoff-team to me. They were in the playoffs the year before along with this being their first of four-straight CCG-berths consummating into a Super Bowl appearance in '04. Five-straight losing seasons to the left of those '01 Bears, three-straight losing seasons to the right. Eagles beating the Bears at Soldier by 14 seemed to make sense, end-of-day.


As for the actual Steelers/Bears subject at-hand...Pittsburgh, in '98, barely beating the Curtis Enis-led Bears at home in Wk#2 can arguably be seen as the main signal of their temporary demise to soon come.