With the NFL Wildcard weekend concluded, the Eagles’ loss to Tampa Bay wasn’t their most significant one that also occurred down South.

That honor belongs to the inaugural Wild Card weekend back in 1978 when the NFL expanded its regular schedule to 16 games as well as its postseason.

It easily can be one of the forgotten Eagles’ playoff games, but it certainly had some unforgettable moments in a heartbreaking loss.

Does the thought of punter/kicker Mike Michel trigger any memories?

This latest installment of my look back at YESTERDAY -- a trip back in time to the late 1960s’, 70s’ and sometimes dipping into the early 80s’ -- is a recollection of some of the more memorable events from 1978 and surrounding years involving events, pop-culture situations and items.

It was Dec. 24, 1978 and the 9-7 Eagles traveled to cold and rainy Atlanta, who was in search of their first-ever playoff victory. This was the year of the “Miracle of the Meadowlands” game involving the Joe Pisarck-Larry Csonka fumble, and Herb Edwards’ return for the game-winning score.

Head coach Dick Vermeil elected to have Michel handle the placekicking duties after Nick Mike-Mayer went down with a rib injury in Week 12. Michel whiffed on a punt, and missed two extra points down the stretch.

Yet, Vermeil decided to stay the course with him.

The Eagles dominated play most of the game and carried a 13-0 lead into the fourth quarter. Michel has missed an extra point on one of the two touchdowns.

Atlanta quarterback Steve Bartkowski – once seen as the Aaron Rodgers of the late 1970s but injuries slowed his career – took advantage of an Eagles’ fumble and orchestrated a 7-play, 85-yard drive.

After Atlanta’s defense stopped the Eagles, Bartkowski flipped a 37-yard touchdown pass to Wallace Francis, and the extra point gave the Falcons a 14-13 lead with 1:39 left to play.

Ron Jaworski drove the Birds down to the Atlanta 16 with 13 seconds remaining.

Out came Michel for a 33-yard attempt. Unfortunately, he shanked it right.

Michel never played another NFL game. Mike-Mayer was traded to Buffalo, and barefoot lefty kicker Tony Franklin took over in 1979.

Most people forget about this Christmas Eve crusher. It was a tremendous game to watch, and you can find it on YouTube.

More Old School: If you were a junior in high school in 1977-78, this was about the time when the Driver-Ed teacher would take you out before your test. First, you had to complete the classroom end of it, and then you took to the road.

At Notre Dame, I remember being filled with anxiety about the thought of going out on Route 22 with legendary football coach Marty Hlay. The Driver-Ed cars back then had the extra emergency brake on the passenger’s side just in case.

If you could pass that test, you were on your way. But the real nerve-wracking test came next.

Remember going to the State Police barracks to gain your license? You had this intimidating burly, stern, and barely talking trooper enter your car and tell you to drive around a course. You then had to wait to see if you passed. The master plan certainly gave you an initial respect for the road.

Phanatical Phillies Debut: On April 25, 1978 in a game between the Phillies and the Cubs, the Phillie Phanatic made its debut. He replaced Phil and Phillis, who were the mascots from when Veterans Stadium opened in 1971. When a home run was hit, Phil would light a cannon, and the water fountains danced in the air behind the fence.

Played by University of Delaware football coach Tubby Raymond’s son Dave, the Phanatic was an instant success not only in Philly, but also across the country. The move also re-energized baseball mascots such at the San Diego Chicken, Mr. Met, the Expos’ Souki, and the Braves’ Bleacher Creature to name a few.

One of the lost ones was A’s owner Charlie Finley’s mule, Charley-O, which would sometimes bring relievers to the mound from the bullpen.

The Phillies’ 92-70 season also was the final year of one of the better three-year runs in club history, as they won 292 games, but no World Series.

After an offseason in 1979 that saw the end of manager Danny Ozark, the Phillies won their first-ever title the following season.

A final Phillies’ thought...if you were in college in the late 70s or early 1980s, did you ever attend any of their “College Nights?”

Sights and Sounds: At the movies, the top flicks in 1978 were “Grease” as Olivia Newton-John continued to burst onto the scene and the classic, “Animal House” (the references are too many), both of them highlighted the summer.

Don’t forget “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” with its unforgettable lyrical taps. And the scariest film of 1978? Halloween was, hands down.

The top song of 1978? It belonged to the late Andy Gibb, whose “Shadow Dancing” further extended the Bee Gees run from “Saturday Night Fever.”

“Laverne and Shirley” dominated the television front in 1978.

Read On: If you were a teen in 1978, “Seventeen” was the magazine to read for girls, and “Sports Illustrated,” “The Sporting News,” and “Sport” were the boys’ side.

For boys, the end of each week was special when “Sports Illustrated” would be on the stands Thursday and “The Sporting News” arrived for Friday.

How many of you miss the old “newspaper stores” that carried newspapers, all types of magazines, and comic books.

It was such a simpler and easier life then.

As they used to say, “Catch you on the flip side.”