Any Special for Niner Game Again Dallas

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 up out squads, while the concluding exhibition is for the extra guys trying to brand earn a spot on the stop of the roster.

Teams also practice not want to go 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 non for that hit by Rodney Harrison, backup Rams quarterback Kurt Warner might non take received his opportunity to play.

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

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

While not having the major impact on a football equally many prior games, the Niner-Boy game this Saturday dark conjures upwards 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), fifty-fifty guys like Elvis Grbac and Bernie Kosar have played significant roles in key games of this long rivalry series.

The teams accept played 32 games, with the 49ers property a slight 16-15-i advantage. The tie was on Thanksgiving Solar day in 1969, the final necktie in Cowboys history. Merely while the Niners own the overall advantage, the Cowboys take won more of the of import contests.

The Cowboys and 49ers met in the playoffs seven times, with an amazing six of those games for the conference title, the Cowboys winning 4 of those contests. After five of those briefing title games, the winner has advanced to win the Super Basin.

While the Cowboys take played the Los Angeles Rams (remember when they were on the West Coast?) more often in the playoffs, those games were bars 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 i 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 entrada where they missed the playoffs for the commencement fourth dimension in a decade—drafted 12 players who found their way on the opening day roster. These guys were known as the "Dirty Dozen."

To honour 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 on season game on the list, particularly when neither squad was playoff-bound? I was at that place.

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 Expanse in back-to-back weeks? I knew the 'Boys would stay out there and I was going out, too.

I am in that location. So my odyssey began to obtain tickets, book flights and adapt for hotels and stay the calendar 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 arrears to win 34-31.

On Wednesday after the game, on my way upwardly to Napa Valley, I stopped with my girlfriend at the time for luncheon at a modest seafood identify in Sausalito, a squeamish town built into the side of the mountain across the bay from the urban center. You need to take the Gilt Gate Bride to get there.

Afterward 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 vino. Subsequently just perusing the menu and ordering a bottle for my tabular array, I had noticed no bottles were higher than $55.

Surprisingly, Jones accepted my offer, raised his hand and waved. A few minutes afterward he got up, came over to my table, and sat down for about 5 minutes to talk football. He said how happy he was to meet Cowboy fans from New Bailiwick of jersey supporting the team on the road.

On our way out, Jones once more motioned u.s. over and we sabbatum with him at his table for another v minutes talking most the upcoming Oakland Raider game.

Non much here game-wise, just 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 cursory one-signal 4th quarter pb in week five confronting the St. Louis Cardinals. All the same, later a long 76-one thousand TD throw from Eddie LeBaron to Frank Clarke with 5:45 remaining in the game, the Cowboys took a v-bespeak 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 every bit the 49ers pounded the air on the ensuing drive, eventually scoring on a draw play for the become-ahead TD. The Cowboys fumbled the Next TWO kickoffs to allow the 49ers to build on their pb and 17 overall points.

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

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

This game marked the outset 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.

x) November seven, 1965  @ the Cotton Bowl -  Dallas Cowboys 39, San Francisco 31

This game holds no special significant and, as i of the all-time offenses in the game, the 49ers dominated the offensive stats. They totaled 411 total yards and 26 outset downs, compared to Dallas' nine.

So how did Dallas chalk up 39 points? Future Hall of Famer (and at that time, kickoff render man extraordinaire) Mel Renfro ran the opening kick dorsum 100 yards for a TD and, within one infinitesimal of game clock, the Cowboys turned two turnovers in the 2d quarter into defensive touchdowns.

A fumble recovery from defensive end George Andrie (a very underrated player) was immediately backed upward by a 17-one thousand 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 brawl at volition, the Cowboy defense caused five turnovers.

nine) 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 full yards and six scoring plays of over 20 yards. Ironically, with and so many points, not one turnover was recorded.

The game started off quietly enough with each team getting a i-yard touchdown run. But then the fireworks began. Veteran Jim Plunkett threw iv TDs, with scoring strikes of x, 27, 1 and 47 yards. Two of their TDs were set by first downs on faux 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 twenty and 22 yards.

eight) January 3, 1971 @ Kezar Stadium - Dallas 17, San Francisco 10

The game is the starting time of half-dozen NFC title games on the listing, just it is past far the most boring. With a suffocating defense and typical Cowboy strong running game, after an opening-bulldoze field goal by Bruce Gossett the 49ers were never really in the game until the stop.

The quaternary-quarter TD by San Francisco stopped a string of 23 directly 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 non 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 twenty

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

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

But when the 2nd 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 confronting Cowboys linebackers all twenty-four hours, eventually grabbing five catches for 161 yards.

It too didn't aid 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 before: Quick scores for the 'Niners and early on 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 starting time hand.

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

6) January two, 1972 @ Texas Stadium - Dallas 14, San Francisco 3

Near a year to the twenty-four hours both teams competed for the NFC title, simply this fourth dimension the game was held in Dallas. Like to how Game no. 8 above was played, once again the Dallas defense and rushing attack manhandled the overmatched 49ers.

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

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

The Cowboy rushing attack didn't  get going until afterward in the game, but Staubach's scrambles helped the Cowboys extend drives, wearable out the 49er defense force and assistance the Cowboys win.

The Cowboys, hands the best squad in football that flavour, went on the vanquish the Miami Dolphins for their first Super Bowl win.

5) January 15, 1995 @ the 'Stick - San Francisco 38, Dallas 28

Earlier the pizza guy even arrived at my friend's business firm, the 49ers were leading 21-0. Committing iii turnovers in the commencement 5 minutes, the Cowboys dug themselves into a deep enough hole they weren't able to escape from.

Even after clawing dorsum to within 10 points tardily in the kickoff one-half, Dallas made a ton of coaching mistakes, culminating in a late TD pass from Steve Immature 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 fix Sanders for the large play.

With the Cowboys down 38-28 with most 5 minutes to go, Aikman had Irvin open up for a TD, simply Sanders bumped well before the ball arrived (no interference call was made), and the Cowboys' final chance died. Afterwards a few bad coaching decisions during the game, caput coach Barry Switzer further made a fool of himself by getting a 15-yard penalty post-obit 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, 1 which obviously hurt his ability to block oncoming rushers. San Francisco defenders were in Aikman'south face all day, particularly tardily when Dallas was trying to mount a comeback.

four) 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 volition win the game!" Johnson was on his way home the Thursday dark 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 equally Troy Aikman helped the team to 251 outset-half yards and a 28-7 lead. Fifty-fifty after Aikman left the game with a concussion, veteran backup and sometime Academy of Miami QB Bernie Kosar led the Cowboys on 2 scoring drives in the second half. The big play for Kosar came on a 3rd-and-9 with the Cowboys upwards 28-14, when he hitting Michael Irvin for a 12-k gain.

Said Johnson afterwards, "that was every bit large a play equally any in the game,"

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

3) Jan 17, 1993 @ the 'Stick - Dallas xxx, San Francisco 20

What resonates about about this game is a little-known result late in the 4th quarter that makes head coach Jimmy Johnson one of the best football game coaches ever.

He had a bully corporeality of conviction 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. Simply when information technology 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 upwardly 11 and facing a 4th-and-goal on the 49ers' one-yard line. An piece of cake field goal would requite Dallas a 2-touchdown lead and a likely victory. But Johnson wanted the jugular, and when Smith was stopped by the tough Niner defense, Steve Immature marched his law-breaking to a quick TD to make information technology a 24-20 game with over 4 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 upwards to offensive coordinator Norv Turner in the Cowboys booth, "Norv, get me a ^*$@*#& first down right at present!"

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

"They took control in the 2nd one-half," said 49ers bus George Seifert. "They made good calls in key situations. A lot of people would have been bourgeois, just they took chances and it worked for them."

Johnson had conviction in his people and information technology paid off. There was a changing of the guard, and later the game in the locker room Johnson uttered the famous line, "How 'bout them Cowboys?"

And on that twenty-four hours a new mini-dynasty was built-in.

ii) 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 i: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 Basin Five, the Cowboys probably would non have lost the 16-13 game to the Baltimore Colts, and would have won two sequent Super Bowls. Morton was miserable all mean solar day, throwing 3 interceptions.

A third Toni Fritsch field goal had Dallas within 12, but with i: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 cease zone.

At present, luck had to play its role. The Niners could non hold on to the Cowboys' onside kick and Staubach made quick work of a tired Niners secondary.

A short nine-yard laissez passer to backup Ron Sellers gave Dallas the improvement victory.

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

Information technology was a 2d coming out party for Staubach, who—after leading the Cowboys to their first Super bowl win a twelvemonth earlier—had missed almost of the 1972 season with a separated shoulder.

Staubach took his opportunity and ran with information technology, 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. At that place it was, thumbtacked to the loftier wall, immediately visible when you walked halfway down the stairs.

The cover showed Dwight Clark leaping loftier in the air, brawl in his fingertips, as my favorite Cowboy role player that flavor, rookie Everson Walls—a twelfth-circular typhoon pick that year—watched helplessly.

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

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

It appeared that another rout was just beginning.

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

The dorsum-and-forth game took an upward turn when Montana and the Niners took possession of the ball on their ain 11-yard line with 4:54 left. Later on an incomplete pass, the Cowboys defense was looking for more passes with their nickel package on the field. Fourty-niner Head Coach Beak Walsh crossed them upwards past running iii straight times, gaining 31 yards.

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

Interestingly, "The Take hold of" play to Clark was the same play every bit that first touchdown to Solomon in the beginning quarter, but the Cowboys had Solomon covered (Clark was the secondary receiver).

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

What many people forget is that there was withal 51 seconds left and the Cowboys merely 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 downwardly at the 49er 45-one thousand line on a horse collar-way tackle past 49er condom Eric Wright.

On the next play, quarterback Danny White—seeing a wide-open Tony Hill along the sidelines—readied himself to pass simply was struck from backside, fumbling the ball. Information technology 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 Basin that season, the first of five that proud and distinguished franchise would earn.

Montana would go 5-0 in his 49er career confronting the Dallas Cowboys, going a combined 106-161 (66%) for 1,400 yards, 12 TDs and half dozen 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 nearly ever between two teams, and since the Cowboys came into the league in 1960, both teams accept combined to course the all-time rivalry in the NFL.

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

The best rivalry in the NFL.

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Source: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/243827-the-dozen-best-games-in-the-nfls-bestrivalry-dallas-and-san-francisco

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