One of the most fondly remembered Redskins-Eagles games ever, at least by Eagles fans, a true old school Buddy Ryan beatdown, was avenged by Washington in the playoffs, ensuring the Eagles would go another year with no Super Bowl trophy.

Following the Body Bag Game game the Eagles would go on to win five of their last seven under Randall Cunningham, finish the season 10-6 and earn a wild card playoff berth, the fourth seed in the tough NFC.

The Redskins meanwhile also would win five of their last seven to finish the season 10-6, losing the number four wild card spot to the Eagles.

The teams would meet in Philadelphia at Veterans Stadium for a Body Bag rematch. That November regular season game, that one game turned the playoff seedings. If Washington had won in November the Redskins would have been the higher rated team and the Eagles would have captured the five seed, there being no 9-7 wild card team (the Saints qualified for the final wild card spot that season with an 8-8 record). This first round playoff game would have been hosted at RFK, where the Redskins rarely lost in the playoffs and the road to the Super Bowl would have been much tougher for the Eagles.

But thanks to Buddy Ryan’s ruthless ways, alienating much of the press, his team’s owner and many other NFL coaches and exeutives, the team had captured a home playoff game against the Redsksins, the team that just a month and half before had had to finish a game in the Vet with a tailback at quarterback.

Randall Cunningham, in what would be remembered as his best ever year with the Eagles, had thrown 30 touchdown passes and had a QB rating of 91.6, the highest rating he would have as a Philadelphia quarterback. Randall had almost a thousand yards rushing and the feature back, Heath Sherman, had better than a 4.0 rushing average. Four of Randall’s receivers, tight ends Keith Byars and Keith Jackson along with receivers Calvin Williams and Fred Barnetts, each had over 600 yards receiving. The Eagles could score from any position in many different ways.

On defense, the Eagles played with one of the fiercest front fours ever assembled. The tools were all there for a deep playoff run.

When gameday finally arrived the Eagles went up 6-0 in the first half to two Roger Ruzek field goals. But after that Washington would allow no more Philadephia points. Redskins quarterback Mark Rypien would hook up with his receivers for two touchdowns and Lohmiller chipped in two field goals. Things were going so poorly that Buddy Ryan benched Randall for one series in the third quarter in favor of Jim McMahon who sent the Eagles to a three and out on three incomplete passes.

The final was 20-6 Redskins, the Eagles, such a powerful team, could not defend home field and left the Vet that day in defeat, another year of effort squandered.

Three days later Buddy Ryan was fired. Owner Norman Braman, estranged from the coach he had hired, promoted offensive coordinator Rich Kotite to the top spot. Over the coming seasons the core of this Eagles team would move on.

The Body Bag Game so fondly remembered by Eagles fans as the crystallization of the Buddy Ryan mentality, had given way to the Weak Tit Game, another blown opportunity to realize the true meaning of Eagles football.