Here’s Hoping the Indianapolis Colts Lose in First Round of the Playoffs

Today was New York Football TV watching day. It is rare that I actually watch both the New Jersey Giants and Jets on the same day, but both games were important to the decent to slim playoff chances each team had.

Also, my Dallas Cowboys team did not play until the NBC Sunday night game at 8:20 p.m.

The Giants blew their season because they can’t stop the run. The Jets, with help in three early 1:00 PM games, had destiny in their own hands. They only had to beat the undefeated 14-0 Indianapolis Colts and win next week at home versus the Cincinnati Bengals.

And with 5:06 left in the third quarter, losing 15-10, the Jets won the game.

That is because the Colts continue with their ridiculous premise of resting their starters late in the season so they don’t risk injury. Never mind that all their stars, including Peyton Manning, have been unscathed the entire season.

In fact, Manning has started EVERY GAME in his 12 year career. He has NEVER suffered a major injury. The best part of Manning’s game is his preparation and intelligence. He continually knows where all the defenders are on every play, and on passing plays seems to know where the pressure is coming from. From there, he moves well in the pocket to avoid direct hits. He has been sacked only 10 times this season and 215 times in his career.

I have not witnessed every game the Colts have played, but I have never seen Manning take a huge hit where you think he might be hurt and miss a game.

Back in 1972 (and in prior NFL seasons), the home teams in the playoffs were decided based on a yearly divisional rotation, excluding the wild card teams who would always play on the road. Therefore, in their undefeated season of 1972, the AFC Championship game was already predetermined and the Dolphins, despite their perfect record, did not host the AFC title game. That game was played in Pittsburgh.

That means while the Dolphins held the overall best record, they were not playing late in the season for playoff positioning. At the end of the regular season, they did what Herman Edwards stated so eloquently—”You play to win the game!”

And with no playoff positioning to attain, the 1972 Dolphins played the final six regular season games for an opportunity at a perfect season. (I said the last six games because the next best record in the AFC East was the New York Jets at 7-7).

In the last few weeks starting QB Earl Morrall played most of the games, as did running backs Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Mercury Morris plus star wide receiver Paul Warfield. The veteran Morrall was the starter the last nine weeks after Bob Griese broke his ankle in Week 5.

Morrall was only removed from the final few games after the game was well in hand. Reserve QB Jim Del Gaizo came in for mop up duty in Week 12 and Griese, back from his injury, came in late in Week 14.

The Dolphins wanted to make history and they achieved their goal, a perfect 17-0 record and the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory. The 1972 Dolphins players could have used the baby, sorry I mean safety, time off like the 2009 Colts received, even more than the Colts needed. The Colts have home field advantage throughout the playoffs and get a first round bye. The 1972 Dolphins did not have a bye and played the first playoff game the following week.

In the 2007 and 2005 seasons with a first round playoff bye wrapped up, the Colts also rested their players (especially Manning) the final week, essentially giving him TWO consecutive weeks off. They proceeded to lose their first round games. In 2005 the Colts began the season 13-0 before losing to San Diego. They mailed in the next game as Manning only played a half, and won the final game without Manning playing. The best and most important player in the league therefore had almost three weeks off from competitive football.

Last season, Manning sat for most of their final game and lost against the San Diego Chargers in the first round of the playoffs.

I like Peyton Manning. He is a superstar player who always tries to perfect his craft. He watches an ungodly amount of film to learn all he can about his opponent, and based upon his overall 117-59 (now 60) record, he learns very well.

He stays out of the public eye off the field and appears to be the all around type guy you would want your son to emulate.

But I really am now rooting for the Indianapolis Colts to lose their first playoff game three weeks from now. You absolutely know now after today’s loss that Manning and his starters will sit most of the game next week, too. I want the Colts to lose to teach them about the shot at history then gave up on.

One of the best parts of sports is the history. While the Dolphins are the only undefeated NFL team since the Super Bowl era began, there have been other teams which have knocked on the door.

As recently as 2008, the New England Patriots played all their starters the last several games of the season and came one miracle play from an undefeated 19-0 season. Their final regular season game against the Giants was a classic game with both teams, knowing what was at stake, going all out.

The 1984 San Francisco 49ers team went 15-1 in the regular season and clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs by week 13. Starting QB Joe Montana started every game at the end and was never pulled from a game until the game was out of reach. In Week 16 he started and played the entire game in a 19-16 victory over the Los Angels Rams. They went on to go 18-1 and won the Super Bowl.

A year later, the 1985 Chicago Bears had home field wrapped up by Week 14, and their starters Jim McMahon and Walter Payton both played every game down the stretch, even a 37-17 Week 16 dismantling of the Detroit Lions. They ended up similar to the 49ers, at 18-1 and Super Bowl Champions.

But unlike their predecessors, the Colts mailed it in today, relinquishing their chance at history to save a few plays from one of their stars getting hurt. With almost 19 minutes left in the game and the lead, Manning would likely have thrown the ball maybe 12-15 more times. That is 12-15 drop backs and possible chances at injury. Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!

As I mentioned earlier, Manning has been sacked 215 times in his career and has never missed a game. And make no mistake about it, even though other starters like Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark were pulled early, this was about Manning.

Decades after they played, the great football teams are looked upon on how many championships they won. The 1960s Packers won a few NFL titles and the first two Super Bowls. The 1970s Cowboys finally got the monkey off their back and won two Super Bowl titles themselves.

Those Cowboys beat the Dolphins once, who then won their back-to-back Super Bowls. Both those teams lost AFC Championship games and Super Bowls to the great 1970s Steelers teams, which won four Super Bowls and are considered one of the greatest NFL dynasties.

Then the 1980s San Francisco 49ers won their run of Super Bowls, the 1990s Cowboys won their three and this decades New England Patriots won their three.

While the Colts have amassed an amazing amount of regular season wins during the Manning era, they are only 7-8 in playoff games. They have an amazing six one-and-dones where they lost their first playoff game of a post season.

The Colts have constantly sat their starters, but particularly Manning the last game of the season many times and only once, in 2004, have the Colts won their first game of the playoffs. But that was with no bye in the first round, and it was against the same team (the Denver Broncos) they lost to that final week.

Manning has only reached the AFC Championship game TWICE in his storied career, losing to the Patriots in 2003 before winning the Super Bowl in 2006.

It is no coincidence that in both those seasons, Manning was forced to play that final week of the regular season, then the next week in the playoffs.

But this first year new coach Jim Caldwell (probably under the direction of President Bill Polian) went against what history has dictated to this franchise, that when Peyton plays late in the season, they win in the playoffs.

Now that Peyton was sat to avoid a non-existent injury and the Colts cheated their fans and the NFL at a shot at history, I hope that the Colts lose again, three weeks from now in the first round of the playoffs.

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Can The Cowboys-Eagles and Packers-Cardinals Play Back to Back Weeks?

After tonight’s 24-9 win by San Francisco 49ers over the Arizona Cardinals, the NFC West just go a little closer. The Niners now sit at 6-7, two games behind the West—leading Cardinals (including sweeping both games this year) with three games to go.

If only the Niners could have made one more play at Minnesota in Week 3 in Brett Favre’s miracle game. They also had a fourth quarter lead at Indianapolis in Week 7, but almost all NFL teams have those types of games in the course of a 16 games season.

As Bill Parcells is fond of saying, “You are what your record says you are.” In the NFL, there are no moral victories, and Al Davis is fond of saying, “Just win, baby!”

These two quotes arguably are the best NFL quotes of all time and because of the limited schedule each season, give the true meaning of the league.

However, if the season ended today, the Cardinals would be in the playoffs as NFC West Champ, hosting a first round game against the Green Bay Packers, the top NFC Wild Card entrant. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles, as NFC East Champs, would host the Dallas Cowboys, the No. 6 seed.

A quick look at the schedule shows that these teams have the same opponent in the final week of the season as they would in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see Philadelphia at Dallas in Week 17, then Dallas having to go to Philadelphia a week later, with Green Bay traveling to Arizona in Week 17, then having to travel back down there again.

That has probably never happened before in the Wild Card era.

And each of the teams could be playing for playoff positioning in Week 17. It is obvious the Cowboys have the toughest schedule of the five teams (including the New York Giants) vying for the final four spots in the NFC. I know that the Niners and Atlanta Falcons are both still alive, but they really aren’t.

Here are the remaining schedules for the current top four:

The Eagles host San Francisco and Denver, then travel to Dallas.

The Cowboys play at New Orleans, at Washington and host the Eagles.

The Cardinals play at Detroit, then host the St. Louis Rams and Packers.

The Packers play at Pittsburgh, host Seattle and finish at Arizona.

Let’s assume the Eagles win both home games. Even though both teams are tough, they have to travel across the country—not easy.

Also, let’s assume the Cowboys split (L at NO, W at WASH).

Arizona should have no problem with their first two games, both WINS.

And Green Bay is playing well, so we will give them wins at Pitt and vs. Seattle.

Then entering week 17, that leaves the Eagles at 11-4, Arizona at 10-5, Green Bay at 11-4 and Dallas at 9-6. Assuming the Giants win their games at WASH and home vs. Carolina, they will be tied with the Cowboys for the final spot also at 9-6, with the tie breaker in hand.

If the teams play out as predicted, how will they handle the back-to-back games?

Would the Packers stay the entire week in Arizona or travel back and forth? Also, would each team play “vanilla” football or show the other teams some wrinkles to force them to prepare for extra plays and schemes? If Philadelphia had the No. 3 spot wrapped up (and they hold the common opponent tiebreaker over the Cardinals), would they lay down a little against Dallas (and not risk injury) or play them tough to help the Giants?

While Philadelphia matches up better against the Cowboys, they already have beaten the G-Men twice this season.

Three of the four teams are pretty well set. It is up to the Dallas Cowboys to keep up their end of the bargain. 

And with the rock band The Who playing at half time of the Super Bowl, the Cowboys would gladly “Bargain ” for the best they ever had!  

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The Cowboys’ Marion Barber Is Not an NFL Starting Running Back

During yesterday’s game against the San Diego Chargers, the Dallas Cowboys ran the ball consistently well, including for big chunks of yardage on two different drives. The first drive was in the second quarter, when the Cowboys ran the ball 14 times on a 15 play drive, culminating in a game deciding goal line stand.

Second year tailback Felix Jones was superb on that drive (five rushes for 37 yards), but curiously did not get the ball on any of the plays inside the four yard line when the Cowboys had a first and goal. Marion Barber got the call four straight times and was unable to penetrate the Charger defense for the score. A touchdown there and Dallas would have tied the game at 10-10 heading into halftime.

The second drive came in the third quarter, when the Cowboys went 99 yards and finally reached the end zone. All season long, the Cowboys have been real good at piling up yardage, but have not turned many of those drives into scores. That long drive was helped by some nice runs by Barber and Jones.

Barber had been effective in both of those drives and had similar numbers to Jones. But what does not show up in the stats was Barber’s inability to consistently elude tacklers at the point of attack, and his lack of speed when he bumps runs outside.

Most of Barber’s successful runs are up the middle, and if a running hole is there, Barber can get good yardage. But he rarely turns the corner any more, evidenced by the no gain he had in the first drive when he turned a stalled run outside but was upended near the sidelines by the safety. A season or two ago, Barber used to be able to turn that corner and bull his way for a few more yards.

That is not the case anymore.

When Barber was his most effective two seasons ago, Julius Jones was the starter with Barber getting an occasional play or two, many times a screen pass which he gained chunks of yardage. Barber would then come in middle of the third to fourth quarter and with his punishing style of running (and fresh legs) would chew up the tired defenses for big gains. Whether the Cowboys were winning or losing this was the M.O., but Barber was even more effective with a Cowboy lead.

Barber was the “closer,” football’s equivalent to Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees. When Barber came into the game as the lead back with the Cowboys ahead, they were almost always assured a victory.

But Barber is not a lead back, especially with two seasons on those used to be fresh legs. All those instances of running over defenders getting the extra couple of yards have taken their toll.

The Cowboys have had their share of tremendous running backs. Emmitt Smith, Duane Thomas, and Tony Dorsett were three of the best. Many people back in the late 1970’s and the 1980’s used to say Dorsett was “tough enough” as he usually slid out of bounds after gaining yardage, instead of taking on a hit. But because of his style of running, Dorsett was able to last 11 years and gain 12,739 yards, including eight seasons over 1,000.

Barber will likely not make it another couple seasons, as those type of backs fizzle out quickly once the legs go and little injuries mount. If the Cowboys want to extend Marion’s usage and get more from him (both in terms of seasons and production), they need to start Felix Jones the next three games. Use 2009’s Jones/Barber tandem similar to how the 2006-2007 Jones/Barber tandem was used. Start Jones and close with Barber.

Felix is a much more dynamic rusher and play maker and needs to be used more often. Felix needs to touch the ball at least 25 times from scrimmage this Saturday night against New Orleans. His speed and game breaking skills are exactly what the Cowboys need to open up a statistically successful, but stagnant scoring offense. He has three runs of 40 yards or more this season, averages 6.2 yards per carry in 2009 and 7.0 yards per carry over his first two seasons!

And when Jones begins to make big plays during the course of the game and the Cowboys finally have a late game lead, that is the time for Marion the Barbarian to do his thing.

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Cowboys Offense Proves They Still Have Big Play Potential

The primary question mark this offseason concerning the Dallas Cowboys was their perceived lack of big play receivers. Since the releasing wide receiver Terrell Owens, many questioned whether the trio of Roy Williams, Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin would be able to consistently get open, create mismatches and get deep.

None of these three receivers were the threat Owens was, and except for big drops by Crayton two seasons ago, none had particularly distinguished themselves in the NFL. But they also didn’t carry the baggage Owens did. They also appear to not demand the ball all the time and don’t cry when they the ball doesn’t come their way.

The Cowboys obtained former first-round pick Williams in a desperation move last season when they lost quarterback Tony Romo for a few games with a bad throwing hand. I don’t see how picking up a receiver in midseason helps a backup QB, but Jones has won three Super Bowls.

Williams is a self-proclaimed possession type receiver, Crayton has had cases of the drops in pressure situations and Austin has an injury history, while not having a full opportunity to perform.

It was interesting to see where the Cowboys were going to get their “non-T.O.” big plays during Sunday’s game.

Actually, the Cowboys got their big plays from the Big Three – Williams, Crayton and Miles Austin.

While none of the three touchdowns were of the Daryle Lamonica “long bomb” variety, each receiver caught a short to medium Tony Romo pass and used their speed and maneuverability to score a long touchdown pass play.

The trio had a combined eight receptions for 263 yards and the three touchdowns, averaging a big play 32 yards per catch (and run).

Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett used his variety of weapons creatively, wanting to getting everyone involved. Seven different receivers had passes thrown in their direction, while six different receivers caught passes.

The Cowboys started by going to Williams for the first two pass plays, both completions. It is important to get a new receiver into the game early, especially one so embattled during the offseason as Williams.

Pressured much of the first half, Romo made the most of the situation, hitting a variety of short patterns to TE/WR Jason Witten, two for key first downs.

Then the Cowboys struck gold just before the first half, with Romo eluding a rusher before throwing an out to Austin, who came back nicely to the ball, caught it over far shoulder and deked two defenders before going into the end zone.

This late-second-quarter touchdown came one possession after Romo overthrew an open Austin streaking down the field for what would have been an easy touchdown. Austin has four TDs in his brief career, with the yardage accounting for 52, 11, 14 and 42 yards each.

Those are big play numbers.

The second half for the Cowboys’ offense was more of the same. Tony Romo said after the game, “Once again, it was taking what the defense was giving us.” Garrett made some adjustments and the Cowboys began to attack the Buccaneers’ weaknesses.

What was billed as a sturdy set of cornerbacks began to break down in the second half. Williams caught a nice seam route from Romo, split two defenders and bolted for a 66-yard TD. One possession later, Romo looked towards Witten in the flat, and on a short roll out, pump-faked both the corner and safety up, then hit Crayton in stride for an 80-yard catch and run.

It was a play the Cowboys were setting up all day. The starting safety for the Bucs, Tanard Jackson, was suspended for the game, and the Cowboys picked on his backup, Sabby Piscitelli, for both Crayton and Williams’ long touchdowns.

While this big play outburst will likely not happen every game, Romo has insisted all summer that the Cowboys have the weapons to consistently break the big play, especially against aggressive defenses.

Their big play TE/WR Jason Witten also had five catches, three of which went for first downs. I say WR because the Cowboys love spreading both Witten and second-year man Martellus Bennett out wide to allow them to match up either on a smaller safety or slower linebacker.

Bennett’s size (6’6”, 265 lbs.) and speed allow him to be a weapon near the goal line on jump balls. I am surprised the Cowboys did not try that more often down near the goal line.

The big play ability of the Dallas Cowboys is still apparent, even without their leading receiver from a year ago. They had seven completions of more than 18 yards, two long runs (23 yards from Marion Barber & 19 yards from Felix Jones), plus Jones’ 36-yard kickoff return to open the game.

That is ten potential game breaking, long distance plays from six different players.

Big plays from the wide outs, aggressive and balanced play calling from offensive coordinator (27 passes, 24 rushes), and probably the best closer in the game in Barber, gives the Cowboys lots of weapons for opposing defenses to worry about.

What the Cowboys don’t have to worry about are major off-the-field distractions, and that is welcome news.

 

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Cowboys-49ers: Breaking Down the Best 12 Games in the NFL’s Best Rivalry

In the NFL, the third week of the preseason is where the starters play the most. The first two weeks are used to weed out the fringe players, the guys in camp to help fill out squads, while the last exhibition is for the extra guys trying to make earn a spot on the end of the roster.

 

Teams also do not want to get their starters injured the final week*, so as to go into a new season already hurting.

 

* However, in 1999, the Rams played starter Trent Green in the final preseason game and he suffered a season-ending knee injury. If not for that hit by Rodney Harrison, backup Rams quarterback Kurt Warner might not have received his opportunity to play.

 

So, it is this week of preseason games where we will see more of Peyton and Eli Manning, more of Tom Brady, more Tony Romo and more of Shaun Hill.

 

Shaun who? Shaun Hill, the starting QB for the San Francisco 49ers, who play the Dallas Cowboys this week at the new, star-less Cowboys Stadium, also known as Jerry Jones Field.

 

While not having the major impact on a football as many prior games, the Niner-Boy game this Saturday night conjures up images of prior battles. These games which included QB names like Eddie LeBaron, Don Meredith, John Brodie, Roger Staubach, Craig Morton, Joe Montana, Steve Young, Danny White, and Troy Aikman.

 

In the 40th year of Cowboy football (Dallas began playing in the NFL in 1960), even guys like Elvis Grbac and Bernie Kosar have played significant roles in key games of this long rivalry series.

 

The teams have played 32 games, with the 49ers holding a slight 16-15-1 advantage. The tie was on Thanksgiving Day in 1969, the last tie in Cowboys history. But while the Niners own the overall advantage, the Cowboys have won more of the important contests.

 

The Cowboys and 49ers met in the playoffs seven times, with an amazing six of those games for the conference championship, the Cowboys winning four of those contests. After five of those conference title games, the winner has advanced to win the Super Bowl.

 

While the Cowboys have played the Los Angeles Rams (remember when they were on the West Coast?) more often in the playoffs, those games were confined from 1973 through 1985, completely within the Tom Landry era.

 

No football rivalry since 1960 has encompassed such passion over a multi-decade span as the one between the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys. NFC title games were settled during the early 1970s, early 1980s and early to mid-1990s.

 

In 1975, the Cowboys—coming off of a terrible 1974 campaign where they missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade—drafted 12 players who found their way on the opening day roster. These guys were known as the “Dirty Dozen.”

 

To honor that group of Cowboys players, here is a run-down of the top dozen games in the long-running Dallas-San Francisco rivalry:

 

 

12) September 25, 2005 @ the ‘Stick – Dallas 34, San Francisco 31

 

Why is this early season game on the list, especially when neither team was playoff-bound? I was there.

 

When the 2005 schedule came out, I noticed the Cowboys were playing three of their first four games on the West Coast. Opening at San Diego, then home, then at San Francisco and at Oakland. Two games in the Bay Area in back-to-back weeks? I knew the ‘Boys would stay out there and I was going out, too.

 

I am there. So my odyssey began to obtain tickets, book flights and arrange for hotels and stay the week in San Francisco at Napa Valley.

 

The game was meaningless compared to the experience, but the Cowboys did come back from a 31-19 fourth quarter deficit to win 34-31.

 

On Wednesday after the game, on my way up to Napa Valley, I stopped with my girlfriend at the time for lunch at a small seafood place in Sausalito, a nice town built into the side of the mountain across the bay from the city. You need to take the Golden Gate Bride to get there.

 

After ordering lunch, in walked Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. I mentioned to the waiter who he was and said that I wanted to buy his table a bottle of wine. After just perusing the menu and ordering a bottle for my table, I had noticed no bottles were higher than $55.

 

Surprisingly, Jones accepted my offer, raised his hand and waved. A few minutes later he got up, came over to my table, and sat down for about five minutes to talk football. He said how happy he was to see Cowboy fans from New Jersey supporting the team on the road.

 

On our way out, Jones again motioned us over and we sat with him at his table for another five minutes talking about the upcoming Oakland Raider game.

 

Not much here game-wise, but the experience (and weeklong trip to the San Francisco area) was worth a spot on the list.

 

 

11) November 20, 1960  @ the Cotton Bowl –  San Francisco 26, Dallas 14

 

It was the inaugural season for the Cowboys*, and going into this contest the ‘Boys were 0-8. They held only one brief one-point fourth quarter lead in week five against the St. Louis Cardinals. However, after a long 76-yard TD throw from Eddie LeBaron to Frank Clarke with 5:45 remaining in the game, the Cowboys took a five-point lead in the fourth quarter. Plus, they had the momentum.

 

*The original thought for the team name was the Steers.

 

That momentum lasted all of a few minutes as the 49ers pounded the air on the ensuing drive, eventually scoring on a draw play for the go-ahead TD. The Cowboys fumbled the NEXT TWO kickoffs to allow the 49ers to build on their lead and 17 overall points.

 

And thus, the 1960 San Francisco 49ers did not become the first team to lose to the expansion Cowboys.

 

The Niners were lead by John Brodie and 172 yards on the ground, while the Cowboys received TD passes form both LeBaron and rookie QB Don Meredith.

 

This game marked the first time that head coach Tom Landry alternated his quarterbacks every play, calling the play on the sideline and sending the QB in with the new play. Landry also performed this unusual trait with Roger Staubach and Craig Morton some years later.

 

 

10) November 7, 1965  @ the Cotton Bowl –  Dallas Cowboys 39, San Francisco 31

 

This game holds no special meaning and, as one of the best offenses in the game, the 49ers dominated the offensive stats. They totaled 411 total yards and 26 first downs, compared to Dallas’ nine.

 

So how did Dallas chalk up 39 points? Future Hall of Famer (and at that time, kickoff return man extraordinaire) Mel Renfro ran the opening kick back 100 yards for a TD and, within one minute of game clock, the Cowboys turned two turnovers in the second quarter into defensive touchdowns.

 

A fumble recovery from defensive end George Andrie (a very underrated player) was immediately backed up by a 17-yard interception return for a touchdown by Hall of Famer Bob Lilly. It was to be Lilly’s only INT of his career.

 

Although the 49ers moved the ball at will, the Cowboy defense caused five turnovers.

 

 

9) December 12, 1977 @ the ‘Stick – Dallas 42, San Francisco 35

 

This is the highest-scoring game in the rivalry, and what is amazing is both teams combined for 750 total yards and six scoring plays of over 20 yards. Ironically, with so many points, not one turnover was recorded.

 

The game started off quietly enough with each team getting a one-yard touchdown run. But then the fireworks began. Veteran Jim Plunkett threw four TDs, with scoring strikes of 10, 27, 1 and 47 yards. Two of their TDs were set up by first downs on fake punts.

 

Coming off some recent injuries, Cowboy QB Roger Staubach threw TDs of 36 and 22 yards while rookie Tony Dorsett scored on TD runs of 20 and 22 yards.

 

 

8) January 3, 1971 @ Kezar Stadium – Dallas 17, San Francisco 10

 

The game is the first of six NFC title games on the list, but it is by far the most boring. With a suffocating defense and typical Cowboy strong running game, after an opening-drive field goal by Bruce Gossett the 49ers were never really in the game until the end.

 

The fourth-quarter TD by San Francisco stopped a string of 23 straight quarters the Cowboys held their opponents’ offenses without a TD.

 

Dallas rushed for 229 yards on 51 attempts—becoming a tougher team than the late 1960s squads—while the defense harried Brodie all afternoon.

 

The last game ever at Kezar Stadium did not go well for San Francisco, and the Cowboys headed to their first Super Bowl appearance.

 

 

7) November 12, 1995 @ Texas Stadium – San Francisco 38, Dallas 20

 

The game was a mismatch, on paper and on the field. The 8-1 Cowboys hosted the defending Super Bowl Champion 49ers, who were 5-4 and coming off two embarrassing home losses to New Orleans and Carolina.

 

The 49ers combined for 14 points in those two games, riding QB Elvis Grbac into the game. Grbac took over for an injured Steve Young several weeks earlier.

 

But when the second play from scrimmage went 81 yards to Jerry Rice for a TD, the real mismatch was on. George Seifert of the 49ers completely outcoached Dallas’ Barry Switzer, putting Rice as the slot receiver all afternoon and taking him away from new Cowboy cornerback (and former 49er) Deion Sanders.

 

In the slot, Rice was matched up against Cowboys linebackers all day, eventually grabbing five catches for 161 yards.

 

It also didn’t help Dallas that QB Troy Aikman was knocked from the game with his own injury. And the game began similar to the NFC title game (#5 on this list) ten months earlier: Quick scores for the ‘Niners and early turnovers for the Cowboys.

 

As a Cowboy fan, the worst part about the game for me was that I was there with my dad to witness the carnage first hand.

 

However, the Cowboys would regroup and win their fifth Super Bowl title.

 

 

6) January 2, 1972 @ Texas Stadium – Dallas 14, San Francisco 3

 

Almost a year to the day both teams competed for the NFC title, but this time the game was held in Dallas. Similar to how Game no. 8 above was played, once again the Dallas defense and rushing attack manhandled the overmatched 49ers.

 

It was the second straight season in which Tom Landry beat his former assistant Dick Nolan with the Super Bowl on the line.

 

Both teams employed the 4-3 flex defense, a Landry innovation which drops back certain members of the defensive front line, confusing offensive linemen and the quarterback. Kind of like a zone scheme up front.

 

The Cowboy rushing attack didn’t  get going until later in the game, but Staubach’s scrambles helped the Cowboys extend drives, wear out the 49er defense and help the Cowboys win.

 

The Cowboys, easily the best team in football that season, went on the beat the Miami Dolphins for their first Super Bowl win.

 

 

5) January 15, 1995 @ the ‘Stick – San Francisco 38, Dallas 28

 

Before the pizza guy even arrived at my friend’s house, the 49ers were leading 21-0. Committing three turnovers in the first five minutes, the Cowboys dug themselves into a deep enough hole they weren’t able to escape from.

 

Even after clawing back to within 10 points late in the first half, Dallas made a ton of coaching mistakes, culminating in a late TD pass from Steve Young to Jerry Rice.

 

The game within a game was between 49er cornerback Deion Sanders and Dallas wide receiver Michael Irvin. When behind, Aikman continuously worked Irvin on short patterns, trying to set up Sanders for the big play.

 

With the Cowboys down 38-28 with about five minutes to go, Aikman had Irvin open for a TD, but Sanders bumped well before the ball arrived (no interference call was made), and the Cowboys’ last chance died. After a few bad coaching decisions during the game, head coach Barry Switzer further made a fool of himself by getting a 15-yard penalty following the non-call.

 

One decision Switzer made which constantly killed the Cowboys was leaving rookie right tackle Larry Allen in the game with a leg injury, one which obviously hurt his ability to block oncoming rushers. San Francisco defenders were in Aikman’s face all day, especially late when Dallas was trying to mount a comeback.

 

 

4) January 23, 1994 @ Texas Stadium – Dallas 38, San Francisco 21

 

A year after upsetting the 49ers on their own turf, the Cowboys went to their second straight Super Bowl by beating the Niners at the comfy confines of Texas Stadium.

 

The game is known by the Jimmy Johnson pledge, “the Dallas Cowboys will win the game!” Johnson was on his way home the Thursday night before the game, and called into a local radio show proclaiming the Cowboys would win that upcoming Sunday.

 

The team seemed to accept the challenge as Troy Aikman helped the team to 251 first-half yards and a 28-7 lead. Even after Aikman left the game with a concussion, veteran backup and former University of Miami QB Bernie Kosar led the Cowboys on two scoring drives in the second half. The big play for Kosar came on a 3rd-and-9 with the Cowboys up 28-14, when he hit Michael Irvin for a 12-yard gain.

 

Said Johnson afterwards, “that was as big a play as any in the game,” 

 

The Cowboy game plan was to isolate running back Emmitt Smith on the slower 49er linebackers, and the plan worked. Smith caught seven passes for 85 yards and a TD.

 

 

3) January 17, 1993 @ the ‘Stick – Dallas 30, San Francisco 20

 

What resonates most about this game is a little-known event late in the fourth quarter that makes head coach Jimmy Johnson one of the best football coaches ever.

 

He had a great amount of confidence in his players and took very big chances.

 

In the slop of the ‘Stick, Emmitt Smith churned his legs for 114 yards and a TD on 24 carries. But when it mattered most, and when everybody though Emmitt was getting called upon, Johnson threw a curveball to the 49er defense and won the game for the Cowboys.

 

Johnson’s first gamble came with the Cowboys up 11 and facing a 4th-and-goal on the 49ers’ one-yard line. An easy field goal would give Dallas a two-touchdown lead and a likely victory. But Johnson wanted the jugular, and when Smith was stopped by the tough Niner defense, Steve Young marched his offense to a quick TD to make it a 24-20 game with over four minutes to play.

 

Everyone expected the Cowboys to milk the clock, but San Francisco had begun to stop Emmitt. That is when Johnson grabbed the headphones and barked up to offensive coordinator Norv Turner in the Cowboys booth, “Norv, get me a ^*$@*#& first down right now!”

 

Tuner called a quick pass for Irvin, but Aikman read man-to-man on Cowboy wideout Alvin Harper, who took the skinny post pass and rambled 70 yards to inside the 49er ten-yard-line.

 

“They took control in the second half,” said 49ers coach George Seifert. “They made good calls in key situations. A lot of people would have been conservative, but they took chances and it worked for them.”

 

Johnson had confidence in his people and it paid off. There was a changing of the guard, and after the game in the locker room Johnson uttered the famous line, “How ’bout them Cowboys?”

 

And on that day a new mini-dynasty was born.

 

 

2) December 23, 1972 @ the ‘Stick – Dallas 30, San Francisco 28

 

It was simply the greatest Dallas Cowboy non-Super Bowl victory in their 40-year-history.

 

Down 28-13 with 1:48 left in the third quarter, head coach Tom Landry changed his approach* and substituted Roger Staubach in the game to replace the Cowboy starter, Craig Morton.

 

*If Landry had done the same thing two years prior in Super Bowl V, the Cowboys probably would not have lost the 16-13 game to the Baltimore Colts, and would have won two consecutive Super Bowls. Morton was miserable all day, throwing three interceptions.

 

A third Toni Fritsch field goal had Dallas within 12, but with 1:53 left in the game Staubach began to get hot. A short 49ers punt gave the Cowboys the ball on their own 45, and four quick passes later Staubach had his team in the end zone.

 

Now, luck had to play its part. The Niners could not hold on to the Cowboys’ onside kick and Staubach made quick work of a tired Niners secondary.

 

A short nine-yard pass to backup Ron Sellers gave Dallas the comeback victory.

 

Unfortunately for the Cowboys, they ran into a buzz saw the following week, getting whooped by the Washington Redskins.

 

It was a second coming out party for Staubach, who—after leading the Cowboys to their first Super bowl win a year earlier—had missed most of the 1972 season with a separated shoulder.

 

Staubach took his opportunity and ran with it, and would not relinquish his grip on the most glamorous position in sports until his retirement after the 1979 season.  

 

 

1) January 10, 1982 @ the ‘Stick – San Francisco 28, Dallas 27

 

My friends would not remove the “Walter Iooss, Jr.” Sports Illustrated cover from the wall of their recreation room for more than a decade. There it was, thumbtacked to the high wall, immediately visible when you walked halfway down the stairs.

 

The cover showed Dwight Clark leaping high in the air, ball in his fingertips, as my favorite Cowboy player that season, rookie Everson Walls—a 12th-round draft pick that year—watched helplessly.

 

The game was spectacular throughout, with the lead changing six times.

 

San Francisco took an early 7-0 lead on an eight-yard TD pass from Joe Montana to Freddie Solomon just 4:19 into the game. During the regular season, the 49ers staked their claim as the NFC’s best team as they walloped the defending NFC champion Cowboys, 45-14.

 

It appeared that another rout was just beginning.

 

But the Cowboys played better than the previous meeting, forcing the 49ers into six turnovers while committing three of their own.

 

The back-and-forth game took an upward turn when Montana and the Niners took possession of the ball on their own 11-yard line with 4:54 left. After an incomplete pass, the Cowboys defense was looking for more passes with their nickel package on the field. Fourty-niner Head Coach Bill Walsh crossed them up by running three straight times, gaining 31 yards.

 

A nice mixture of runs and passes, including a double reverse to Solomon for 14 yards, got the ball down to the Dallas six. On that third-and-3, Montana and Clark made history.

 

Interestingly, “The Catch” play to Clark was the same play as that first touchdown to Solomon in the first quarter, but the Cowboys had Solomon covered (Clark was the secondary receiver).

 

Montana knew where Clark was supposed to be and threw it to a location—the perfect location.

 

What many people forget is that there was still 51 seconds left and the Cowboys only needed a field goal to win. The first play from scrimmage was a 31-yard completion to Drew Pearson, who would have run for a go-ahead touchdown (or at a minimum run into field goal range), but was hauled down at the 49er 45-yard line on a horse collar-style tackle by 49er safety Eric Wright.

 

On the next play, quarterback Danny White—seeing a wide-open Tony Hill along the sidelines—readied himself to pass but was struck from behind, fumbling the ball. It was pounced upon by 49er Jim Stuckey and a new NFC Champion was crowned.

 

Similar to what happened to former Cowboy quarterback Roger Staubach over a decade earlier versus the 49ers, Joe Montana had his coming out party in that 1981 NFC title game against the Cowboys, and his party would last for another decade.

 

San Francisco would go on to win the Super Bowl that season, the first of five that proud and distinguished franchise would earn.

 

Montana would go 5-0 in his 49er career against the Dallas Cowboys, going a combined 106-161 (66%) for 1,400 yards, 12 TDs and six interceptions. Three of those INTs came in that greatest game played between the two franchises.

 

 

Facing each other six times for a conference championship is the most ever between two teams, and since the Cowboys came into the league in 1960, both teams have combined to form the best rivalry in the NFL.

 

So when you sit down to watch the Cowboys-49ers game Saturday night, you might be watching the precursor to another chapter in the 40-year-old rivalry.

 

The best rivalry in the NFL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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