The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Seattle Seahawks in a memorable wild card playoff game in which Dak Prescott earned his first career playoff victory. Since the wild card round has been introduced into the NFL the Dallas Cowboys have played 12 wild card games with a record of 7 wins and 5 losses. There were some great moments along with some forgettable ones. Here are my top 5 most memorable wild card games in Dallas Cowboys history.
5) January 9, 2000: Minnesota Vikings 27 Dallas Cowboys 10
This playoff loss was significant because it was the final playoff game for Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith and marked the end of the 90’s dynasty. The Cowboys had an early lead but then the Vikings offense exploded, led by Jerry Jones‘ most famous draft day snub Randy Moss, who hauled in a 58 yard bomb to close out the second half. The Vikings took the lead on that play and never looked back scoring a total of 24 unanswered points.
4) December 28, 1980: Dallas Cowboys 34 Los Angeles Rams 13
This was first ever wild card game in Dallas Cowboys history. The Rams led for most of the 1st half in what appeared to be a low scoring affair. With the score tied 13-13 at half time Tom Landry made some adjustments and completely shut down the Rams offense. The Cowboys on the other hand scored 28 straight points and overpowered the Rams on the strength of 160 rushing yards and 2 TD’s from Tony Dorsett and 3 TD tosses from Danny White.
3) January 9, 1983: Dallas Cowboys 30 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17
This game was back and forth for 3 quarters with the lead changing 4 times. The Cowboys entered the 4th quarter down by 1 point but completed the comeback on the strength of a defensive TD to take the lead and a Danny White to Timmy Newsome TD pass to seal it. The Cowboys offense was led by Danny White throwing for over 300 yards and over 100 yards rushing from Tony Dorsett. Meanwhile the Dallas D shut down Bucs QB, and future Super Bowl MVP, Doug Williams to complete the victory.
2) January 4, 2015: Dallas Cowboys 24 Detroit Lions 20
This was Tony Romo’s finest hour as a member of the Dallas Cowboys He is often criticized for his playoff failures but he was stellar in this game. It was not looking good for the Cowboys early when they quickly went down 14-0. In the fourth quarter still down 20-17, Tony Romo led the Cowboys down the field, at one point converting on a crucial fourth down, and threw the game winning TD with just over 3 minutes left in the game. Lions fans are still bitter about a controversial non-call for pass interference on Anthony Hitchens, however the Lions still had the ball with 2 minutes left and an opportunity to win. DeMarcus Lawrence, then a rookie, sealed the game with not one, but two strip sacks to end the game.
1) January 6, 2007: Seattle Seahawks 21 Dallas Cowboys 20
This was not a good memory for Dallas Cowboy fans but it was without a doubt the most memorable wild card game in the team’s history. While the game against the Lions was Tony Romo’s finest hour this game was the lowest point of his career. His legacy is forever linked to that infamous fumbled snap on the potential game winning field goal attempt, a play that is forever etched into the memories of all football fans.What most people have forgotten is that the Cowboys had the lead in that game 20-13 with 6 minutes left when Terry Glenn fumbled the ball inside his own 2 yard line on an ill advised WR screen pass with a Seattle CB lined up directly in his face. The Seahawks scored a safety on that play and then drove the length of the field for the go ahead touchdown on the ensuing drive. The Cowboys would then drive the length of the field but failed to score a touchdown when Romo’s pass to Witten at the 1 yard line, which was originally ruled a first down but then overturned, fell short leading to the memorable mishap on the FG attempt.
*All statistics and data have been verified and confirmed through http://www.profootballreference.com
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/dal/playoffs.htm
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200001090min.htm
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198012280dal.htm
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198301090dal.htm
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201501040dal.htm
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200701060sea.htm