The divisional round of the NFL playoffs is upon us and only 8 teams remain alive in the quest to become Super Bowl champion. The Dallas Cowboys are one of those teams and they will look to end a twenty three year drought of divisional round frustration and return to the NFC championship for the first time since 1996. That season, the Cowboys went on to win the Super Bowl but they will have their hands full with a powerhouse Rams team that finished 13-3 this season. They Cowboys have played a grand total of 26 divisional playoff games with a record of 15-11 and there are have been many memorable moments in those games. There were some epic losses against the aforementioned Rams that included 2 blocked punts and an intentional safety in the closing seconds in 1976; A heartbreaking loss following Vince Ferragamo‘s 4th quarter comeback in 1979 and Eric Dickerson rushing for a record 248 yards against us in 1985. There were also some dominating performances by the great Cowboys dynasty from the 90’s but none of those games can compare to those compiled in this list. The following are the 5 most memorable divisional round playoff games in Cowboys history:
5) January 15, 2017 Dallas Cowboys 31 Green Bay Packers 34
Aaron Rodgers did it to us again! After an impressive 13-3 season in 2016 the Cowboys had Super Bowl aspirations, but it was not looking good early as the Packers jumped out to an early 21-3 lead. Down 28-13 in the 4th quarter, Dak Prescott led the Cowboys all the way back and they had an opportunity to take the lead but were held to a field goal, tying the game 31-31 with 35 seconds left. That was all the time Aaron Rodgers needed. After Rodgers hit Jared Cook to convert on a 4th and long with seconds left, Mason Crosby hit the game winning 51 yard field goal as time expired ending the Cowboys season.
4) January 11, 2015 Dallas Cowboys 21 Green Bay Packers 26
The 2017 playoff loss stung for many reasons, one of them was because Cowboys fans had seen their team lose to the Packers in heartbreaking fashion before. Only 2 years earlier the Cowboys went up to Lambeau field on a bitter cold day that was dubbed “Ice Bowl II”. The Cowboys had not lost a game on the road all season but despite outplaying the Packers for most of the game, they found themselves down by 5 points in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys were driving the length of the field to retake the lead with less than 5 minutes remaining. They seemingly converted on 4th and 1 to put them in position to win the game but the completion to Dez Bryant was overturned in one of the most controversial calls in recent history. What constitutes a catch is still a subject of great debate in the NFL but Dallas Cowboy fans are particularly sensitive to the issue thanks to that play. Regardless, the Cowboys still had an opportunity to stop the Packers and get the ball back but notoriously allowed a one-legged Aaron Rodgers to drive the length of the field and end the game.
3) January 4, 1981 Dallas Cowboys 30 Atlanta Falcons 27
In the previous divisional round matchup between these 2 teams, Danny White replaced an injured Roger Staubach and led the Cowboys to a fourth quarter comeback victory. History would repeat itself here as the heir apparent to Staubach threw 3 TD’s passes and 322 yards in leading the Cowboys back from a 24-10 deficit at one point. Dallas was still behind 27-17 with only 3 minutes left but the much maligned Cowboys QB came through for the win in one of the greatest games in NFL history. Both teams combined for over 600 yards passing in the game known as “The Duel in Dixie”.
2) December 28, 1975 Dallas Cowboys 17 Minnesota Vikings 14
This game was the setting for one of the most famous plays in football history. The Cowboys were down 4 pts with less than 2 minutes left in the game and had the ball on their own 15 yard line. Roger Staubach led the Cowboys to midfield with some clutch throws, including a conversion on 4th and 16! With only seconds left in the game he tossed a bomb to Drew Pearson who hauled in the game winning TD. When interviewed after the game, Staubach told reporters that when he threw the ball down the field he closed his eyes and said a Hail Mary thus coining the term “Hail Mary Pass.”
1) December 23, 1972 Dallas Cowboys 30 San Francisco 49ers 28
This is the game that launched the legendary career of Roger Staubach. The Dallas Cowboys had beaten San Francisco two straight years in the playoffs and it looked as though that streak would come to an end. The Cowboys had turned the ball over 5 times and 49ers had a 28-13 lead going into the 4th quarter. At that point Tom Landry replaced starting QB Craig Morton with Roger Staubach and the rest is history. Staubach led the Cowboys to a dramatic victory after tossing his 2nd TD pass in the final minute. On that day Roger Staubach earned the starting job and the nickname“Captain Comeback”.
*All data and statistics confirmed and verified through http://www.profootballreference.com
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/dal/playoffs.htm
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197212230sfo.htm
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197512280min.htm
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197612190dal.htm
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197812300dal.htm
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197912300dal.htm
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198101040atl.htm
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201501110gnb.htm
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201701150dal.h