San Francisco 49ers vs Dallas Cowboys Rivalry : Renewed Once Again
San Francisco 49ers vs Dallas Cowboys Rivalry surely makes its place in the top ten battles of all time. The two teams locked horns for the first time on Nov 20, 1960. Niners won the game 26-14. The two teams, unfortunately, don’t compete every year. They get to play once every three years. Ending up with the same place in divisions give them an ensuing season as well. But the lack of fixtures was never able to diminish the importance and power of this rivalry. Including the seven postseasons games, the two teams faced off for 35 times.
Analysis of the Rivalry
The overall tally of San Francisco 49ers vs Dallas Cowboys Rivalry is tied at 17-17-1. That explains the intensity of this rivalry. Matching them up in the postseason games, Cowboys are ahead in the neck-to-neck by 5-2. For the last five games, Cowboys have been better by a huge margin. They won three back-to-back games 34-31, 35-22, and 27-24. Then, Niners recorded a win by 28-17. Cowboys again came out victorious in the last game played between the two sides on Oct 2, 2016. The scoreboard read 24-17.
Origin of the Cowboys vs 49ers Rivalry
That what’s perceived as one of the hugest rivalries of all time surfaced in the 70s. The Cowboys beat the Niners in the NFC Championship games of 1970 and 1971. They won yet again in 1972 divisional playoff. San Francisco 49ers won the 1981 NFC Championship game that featured Joe Montana’s winning pass called “The Catch.” The intensity of the rivalry went to some other levels in the 1992-1994 seasons. They played three consecutive NFC Championship games where Cowboys grabbed the first two and Niners took away the third. The winner of these games went on to pull off Super Bowl wins.
The impact of Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers Rivalry
Cowboys and Niners rivalry created the most heated environment for NFC battles. The heat of the clashes was so high that once the Cowboys coach went too far away with his statement. Once in a radio show, the Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson openly stated that his team is going to beat the rear ends of the Niners. The captains of the two teams even denied the handshakes on the match day.
Some of the top players also appeared for both teams. Terrel Owens, Charles Haley, and Ken Norton Jr. switch sides. Haley lead the list of traitors as he turned from Niners to Cowboys and then came back to Niners as well. All the battles of Cowboys and Niners were too emotional for the fans and coaches as well. An error in a game used to mark a crime in a career.
Most Exciting Moments
Intervals in the meets of Cowboys and Niners were too long, and yet the rivalry tops the chart. Every San Francisco 49ers vs Dallas Cowboys Rivalry match arose curiosity in the crowds. Moments are many, and the best ones are here.
1. The Catch: This is going to be in the top moments. The catch is the nickname of the receive that Dwight Clark pulled off of a Joe Montana’s pass in 1982 NFC Championship game. Clark grabbed the ball and scored the match-winning touchdown for his side.
2. Niners’ trade ahead: In 1985, both Cowboys and Niners were eyeing the wide receiver Jerry Rice. In the race to grab the man, Niners traded ahead of the Cowboys.
3. The Captain’s Comeback: In the 1972 playoffs, Cowboys were lagging 28-13 against Niners. Coach Tom Landry created the comeback of the captain when he sent in Roger Staubach to replace the quarterback Craig Morton. The legend withing no time changed the game by assisting match-winning scores.
