BGN Memories: Eagles vs. Vikings 1980 Divisional Playoffs

All season, we’ve been looking back 40 years at the 1980 Philadelphia Eagles team that beat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game and went on to the team’s first ever Super Bowl appearance.

The Eagles finished 12-4 as the No. 2 seed in the conference and hosted the 9-7 Minnesota Vikings in the divisional round of the playoffs on a frigid Saturday afternoon at Veterans Stadium. The Birds had beaten Bud Grant’s Vikings 42-7 in the regular season, but that was all the way back in Week 2. Minnesota struggled to a 3-5 record in the first half but got hot in the second half of the season, going 6-2.

On this week’s edition of BGN Memories, we take a look back at a game that nearly saw the Eagles’ dream season nearly come to an abrupt end before their legendary game against Dallas. As Minnesota built up a second quarter 14-0 lead, the crowd at the Vet began to get tight. But in the end, the Eagles prevailed thanks to EIGHT Minnesota turnovers as the two teams combined for eight turnovers in nine possessions late in the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter in one of the sloppiest playoff games in NFL history.

Eventually, the Eagles would pull away and win this ballgame handily, as Marion Campbell’s 3-4 defense forced five Tommy Kramer interceptions and three fumbles. You can watch the full game right here, or listen to this week’s BGN Memories podcast for all the pertinent highlights and action!

And if you missed our earlier interviews with former linebacker Jerry Robinson and head coach Dick Vermeil, you can listen to those episodes too!

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