It is Day 39 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.
Get ready Cowboys fans for Day 39 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff, when we revisit an exorcism game for an entire generation of Cowboys fans. Dallas entered the 2009 postseason carrying 13 years of January frustration, six consecutive playoff defeats and all the baggage attached to Tony Romo’s previous postseason failures. By the end of the night, none of that mattered.
Saturday, January 9, 2010 — 8:00 p.m. ET
Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 34, Philadelphia Eagles 14
The matchup itself felt unusual because the teams had played in the same stadium only six days earlier. Dallas had shut out Philadelphia 24-0 in the regular-season finale to win the NFC East, dropping the Eagles from a potential first-round bye to the sixth seed. That created an immediate rematch in the Wild Card round, with Philadelphia returning to Arlington and insisting the previous result would not be repeated.
The first quarter ended scoreless, but Dallas had already established control through long possessions and defensive pressure. The Cowboys finally broke through early in the second quarter after a deep throw toward Miles Austin drew a 40-yard pass-interference penalty against Sheldon Brown. From the one-yard line, Romo found reserve tight end John Phillips for the opening touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
Philadelphia answered almost immediately. Andy Reid brought Michael Vick into the game, and Vick launched a deep pass to rookie Jeremy Maclin. Cornerback Mike Jenkins lost his footing, allowing Maclin to complete a 76-yard touchdown that tied the score at 7-7. It was the Eagles’ first meaningful offensive success against Dallas in nearly six quarters, but it did not change the direction of the game for long.
The Cowboys responded with an impressive 85-yard drive, showcasing their composure. However, an apparent Philadelphia interception was overturned on replay, revealing that the ball had hit the ground, thus preserving the drive. Romo then orchestrated crucial gains by finding Jason Witten and Patrick Crayton. Tashard Choice capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run, giving Dallas the lead at 14-7. The Eagles were unable to recover and ultimately lost the game.
The second quarter became increasingly lopsided. Crayton returned a punt 31 yards, and Romo quickly connected with Austin for 36 yards, putting Dallas in scoring range. Shaun Suisham’s 25-yard field goal gave the Cowboys a 17-7 lead. On Philadelphia’s next possession, Vick mishandled an exchange with Leonard Weaver, leading to Bobby Carpenter recovering at the Eagles’ 18-yard line. Three plays later, Romo found Austin for a six-yard touchdown, extending Dallas’s lead to 24-7.
Before halftime, the Eagles gave the ball away again. Bradie James forced a fumble from Weaver and recovered it at the Philadelphia 42. Suisham converted from 48 yards as time expired, completing a 27-point second quarter and sending Dallas into halftime with a commanding 27-7 lead. In just under 14 minutes, the Cowboys had turned a tied rivalry game into a rout.
Any remaining doubt vanished midway through the third quarter. Felix Jones took a handoff, burst through the right side, and outran the Philadelphia secondary for a 73-yard touchdown. This run gave Dallas a commanding 34-7 lead and solidified its status as the longest rushing touchdown in Cowboys postseason history. Jones’ performance was nothing short of spectacular, finishing the night with 148 yards on just 16 carries, impressively averaging over nine yards per attempt.
The Cowboys finished with 426 total yards, including 198 on the ground, while forcing four Philadelphia turnovers. Dallas possessed the ball for more than 39 minutes and scored on five consecutive second-quarter possessions. It was not a fortunate escape or a narrow breakthrough. It was complete control of a division rival on the postseason stage.
This game belongs on the countdown because it released years of pressure. The Cowboys hadn’t won a playoff game since December 1996, and every postseason failure since then had added another layer of frustration. Romo had carried the team through the 2006 snap disaster and the home defeat to the Giants in 2007. Wade Phillips had faced his own questions about winning in January. Although beating Philadelphia didn’t erase everything that followed, for one night, Dallas looked like a genuine contender and finally stopped living under the weight of its postseason drought.
Interesting Facts About the Game
This was the first playoff game played at Cowboys Stadium, which had opened at the beginning of the 2009 season. The announced crowd of 92,951 was, at the time, the largest attendance for an NFL postseason game outside of the Super Bowl.
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