It is Day 37 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff. We are looking back at the 100 most iconic games in Dallas Cowboys history. The countdown will leads us right up to the opening game of 2026. Our look back doesn’t depend on just one criteria for our rankings. We take into consideration things like how big the game was for the organization, how memorable the game was, games that had unusual events take place, games that are a part of NFL lore, Cowboys firsts, and games where the Cowboys just plain
dominated. Variety is the spice of life and we have all different kind of Cowboys games to review. At the bottom, we’ll link each day of the countdown so you can go back and check out any you missed.
We’re now on Day 37 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff, when we revisit a gritty rivalry win from the Cowboys’ last Lombardi Trophy run. Dallas entered the divisional round at 12-4, while Philadelphia arrived at 10-6 after scoring 58 points in its Wild Card win over Detroit. The Eagles had also beaten Dallas late in the regular season, but the Cowboys controlled the rematch.
Sunday, January 7, 1996 — 12:30 p.m. ET
Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 30, Philadelphia Eagles 11
Philadelphia had beaten Dallas 20-17 after stopping Emmitt Smith on consecutive fourth-and-one plays in the infamous “Load Left” game. The defeat raised questions about whether the Cowboys had become too predictable and whether the Eagles’ physical defense could disrupt them again in January. But the Cowboys opened the scoring on their second possession which gave the team optimism. Troy Aikman moved the offense into Philadelphia territory before Chris Boniol made a 24-yard field goal, giving Dallas a 3-0 lead. The Eagles’ defense then produced its first major play when Mark McMillian intercepted Aikman and returned the ball 34 yards to the Dallas 43.
Philadelphia turned that interception into points, but the drive came at a cost. Starting quarterback Rodney Peete suffered a concussion after Darren Woodson stopped him one yard short of a first down near the Dallas goal line. Gary Anderson made a 26-yard field goal tying the game at 3-3, but Randall Cunningham was forced to take over at quarterback.
Dallas responded with the game’s signature drive. Smith carried four times for 25 yards and caught a 22-yard pass, helping the Cowboys move 70 yards downfield. Barry Switzer then put Deion Sanders into the offense and called an end-around. Sanders took the handoff, accelerated around the edge, and raced 21 yards for the first touchdown of the afternoon. This play gave Dallas a 10-3 lead and demonstrated why Sanders was added to an already loaded championship roster.
Before halftime, the Cowboys added another touchdown. They marched 79 yards and relied on Smith to score from one yard out, making it 17-3. Boniol’s extra point completed a 14-point second quarter and put Philadelphia in a difficult position against a defense that was already controlling the line of scrimmage.
While the third quarter wasn’t spectacular, it was precisely what Dallas needed. The Cowboys maintained control of the ball, forcing punts and capitalizing on Philadelphia’s field position whenever they could. Boniol kicked an 18-yard field goal before drilling another from 51 yards, extending the lead to 23-3.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Eagles had scored only once in the previous three periods. Philadelphia’s coverage strategy focused heavily on Michael Irvin, effectively preventing him from catching a reception throughout the game. This strategy, however, created opportunities for other players. Kevin Williams had one of the best games of his career, repeatedly exploiting weaknesses in the Eagles’ secondary and providing Aikman with a reliable target in the passing game.
Irvin eventually got his moment. With Dallas already comfortably ahead in the fourth quarter, Aikman found him for a nine-yard touchdown. It was Irvin’s only catch of the afternoon, but it pushed the score to 30-3 and officially turned a physical playoff game into a decisive rivalry victory.
This game belongs on the countdown because it was a necessary step in the final championship run of the Cowboys’ 1990s dynasty. Dallas had been embarrassed in Philadelphia only weeks earlier and faced a rival that believed it had discovered a formula for stopping Smith and disrupting the Cowboys’ offense. Instead, Dallas won by 19 points, controlled both lines of scrimmage and showed that its roster was deep enough to win even when Irvin was removed from most of the game.
Interesting Facts About the Game
Deion Sanders affected the game in nearly every possible way. He scored on a 21-yard end-around, intercepted Cunningham, caught a 13-yard pass and returned two punts for 21 yards.
Countdown To Kickoff by day:
100, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 91, 90, 89, 88, 87, 86, 85, 84, 83, 82, 81, 80, 79, 78, 77, 76, 75, 74, 73, 72, 71, 70, 69, 68, 67, 66, 65, 64, 63, 62, 61, 60, 59, 58, 57,56, 55, 54, 53, 52, 51, 50, 49, 48, 47, 46, 45, 44, 43, 42, 41, 40, 39, 38
