Throwback Thursday

This Sunday the Philadelphia Eagles will face off against the Las Vegas Raiders. It is a regular season matchup that occurs just once every four years, yet still has some history to it.

In 13 meetings the Eagles lead the series 7-6. Their last stand off occurred during the Eagles super bowl season in 2017. In week 16, the Eagles defeated the Raiders 19-10. This was not the first time the Eagles ran into the Raiders during their path to the Super Bowl. In 1981, they met up in the pinnacle matchup, Super Bowl XV.

The conference champions met in the Louisiana Superdome on January 25, 1981. The Oakland Raiders were making their third Super Bowl appearance after an 11-5 season. For the Eagles, it was their first trip to the promised land after a 12-4 record.

The Eagles offense ranked 6th in the league that year. Led by QB Don Jaworski and half back Wilbert Montgomery. Their defense led the league in points allowed. The birds defeated the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys to advance to the big game.

Oakland got out to a hot start in this one. QB Jim Plunkett threw for two touchdowns in the first quarter. He would throw one more on his way to being named Super Bowl MVP. The Eagles were unable to recover from their slow start. QB Ron Jaworski would be intercepted by linebacker Rod Martin on three occasions. A Super Bowl record that still stands today.

Oakland would defeat Philadelphia 27-10, becoming the first wild card playoff team to win the Super Bowl after being just the second to ever make it there.

It would be a disappointing end to a great season for the Eagles. They would not find themselves in another Super Bowl for nearly a quarter of a century.