Were '79 Eagles actually better than '80?

[74_75_78_79_]

Evan posting Tampa's playoff triumph over Philly in '79 as one of the greatest post-season upsets of the '70s and myself bringing up the '80 Eagles 1st Q/half scoring ineptitude inspires me starting this thread. I would have to think '79 as being more impressive.

Philly beat more good, or at least better, teams during the regular season then they did the following Super Bowl year, pretty simple. First off, they beat the Steelers in late-September - beat Washington the following week. They do suffer a three-game skid (that concluded with a 37-13 shellacking at the hands of 4-12-to-be, Cincy) and then, as Evan pointed out, won at Dallas MNF Week #11 and then, after losing their rematch against Dallas by 7 in the penultimate week (Saturday) of season, they beat Oilers on the road in the finale thus preventing Houston from winning AFC Central.

Yes the Birds made it to the Bowl in '80, beating Dallas convincingly on the way there too boot. They also got off to that 11-1 start. Losing three of their final four, the true 'beef' of their schedule (@SD, Atl, @Dal), I can remember leading some to believe that Philly's hot start was a biproduct of an easier schedule though 2 of those first 11 wins were against Dallas and Oakland (both at home, both close). Eagles' lack of first-half scoring throughout '80 doesn't help their cause. This especially applies to them going scoreless 12 times total in the 1st quarter. Not too great at scoring early in '79 either. They had a few scoreless 1st Q's as well, but not nearly as many as the following year.

Yes, as some of you in here already mentioned who know/remember details of the game much better, Eagles may have got 'lucky' vs Payton's Bears in that '79 Wild Card Game, and then would lose to a Bucs team the following week that basically collapsed into the playoffs (only to goose-egg it vs Rams in the NFCC), but regular season body-of-work and not as inept early in games gives them the nod with me.

Go figure...they go 2-2 vs AFC Central beating Steelers and Oilers but LOSING to the other two! Though Forrest Greg was a year away from hopping onboard, perhaps Bengals burying the Eagles - and also Steelers - at Riverfront was the first hint of good things ('81, '82) to come in Cincy; the next hint sweeping Steelers early the following year.