They, too, were an old-line NFL franchise coming off many years in the doldrums. They had not been to the playoffs since winning their third NFL title in 1960, and had only notched two winning seasons in the 17 years since then. However, their fans were less inclined to be forgiving than Giants' fans. A loss to the slumping Giants would have dealt a severe blow to the confidence the team needed to maintain over the last quarter of its schedule, in which it would face not only the Cowboys, but the equally formidable Minnesota Vikings as well as the Giants again in Philadelphia. 1978 was also viewed as an important season for head coach Dick Vermeil, as there was little doubt the Eagles were playing much better under his watch, but there was also a great deal of local impatience for concrete results.