21 years after appearing in (and winning) their last NFL Championship Game, the Eagles got back for the first time in the Super Bowl Era on January 25th, 1981. The Birds, led by Ron "Jaws" Jaworski at QB, dispatched the Vikings and the Cowboys on the way to a meeting with the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV. The two teams had met before in the regular season, where the Eagles had edged the Raiders 10-7, thanks to a dominant defensive performance that resulted in Raiders QB Jim Plunkett getting sacked a stunning eight times.
This game, regrettably, would go differently. The Raiders got off to a quick lead as a Rod Martin interception led to a two-yard Plunkett toss to Pro Bowl wideout Cliff Branch for a score. The Raiders would add another TD when Kenny King burned Eagles corner Herm Edwards on a twenty-yard catch, which turned into an eighty-yard streak to the end zone. The Eagles only managed a field goal in the first three quarters, as Jaworski threw for 291 yards on the game but was picked off three times, and could never catch up. Final Score in Philly's first-ever Super Bowl: Raiders 27, Eagles 10.
The Super Bowl appearance was the height of the Dick Vermeil / Ron Jawoski era in Philly football, the culmination of three straight playoff appearances. The next season, the Birds would get to the post-season a fourth straight time, but would lose to the rival New York Giants in the first round. The Eagles would not actually get back to the Super Bowl for another 24 years, until they faced the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX--with closer, but still ultimately unsatisfactory results. Despite making the playoffs 18 times over the time span, two Sundays from now will mark the 43rd time in just as many Super Bowls that a team besides the Eagles will be walking away with the Lombardi trophy.
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