It is Day 17 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.
Here’s it is, Day 17 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff, when we revisit the defensive masterpiece that sent Dallas to a second consecutive Super Bowl. After playing nearly three quarters without scoring, the Cowboys forced one mistake after another and transformed a tense NFC Championship Game into a complete dismantling of the Los Angeles Rams.
Sunday, January 7, 1979 — 5:00 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 28, Los Angeles Rams 0
The matchup was steeped in history and filled with hostility. Both teams had finished 12-4, but Los Angeles held the home-field advantage and had defeated Dallas 27-14 at the Coliseum earlier that season. The Rams were determined to overcome years of postseason frustration, while the defending champion Cowboys sought their fifth Super Bowl appearance.
The opening half was a defensive struggle, with Dallas unable to find a consistent rhythm against the Rams’ talented front. Meanwhile, Los Angeles squandered its best chances when Frank Corral missed two field goals. As a result, the teams entered halftime tied 0-0, leaving the conference championship undecided.
The Doomsday Defense turned the tide of the game midway through the third quarter. Charlie Waters intercepted Pat Haden and returned the ball to the Los Angeles 10-yard line. Five plays later, Tony Dorsett scored on a five-yard run, giving Dallas the first points of the afternoon.
After Jackie Wallace’s punt return gave them possession at the Dallas 23, the Rams immediately threatened to respond. Los Angeles reached fourth-and-short at the 14, but Randy White and Larry Bethea stopped Jim Jodat before he could score. This pivotal stand preserved the lead and denied the Rams their best scoring opportunity to that point.
Waters struck again near the end of the third quarter, intercepting another Haden pass and returning it to the Rams’ 20-yard line. During the play, Haden injured his throwing hand on Randy White’s helmet and left with a broken thumb. Just 58 seconds into the fourth quarter, Roger Staubach found Scott Laidlaw for a four-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 14-0.
Vince Ferragamo, the backup quarterback, briefly gave Los Angeles hope by connecting with Willie Miller for 65 yards to the Dallas 10. However, Cullen Bryant mishandled the handoff on the following play, and Harvey Martin recovered the fumble at the 11. The Rams had moved within sight of the end zone, only to leave without points once again.
Dallas’s next drive sealed the game. Dorsett burst through for 53 yards on the first play, amassing 70 yards in the ensuing 89-yard possession. Staubach capitalized with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Billy Joe DuPree, securing a commanding 21-0 lead for the Cowboys.
Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson supplied the final exclamation point. After spending the week openly questioning whether the Rams could handle the moment, Henderson intercepted Ferragamo and returned the ball 68 yards for a touchdown with 1:19 remaining. His score completed the shutout and turned his pregame talk into one of the defining stories of the game.
This game belongs on the countdown because it demonstrated the ruthless postseason quality of Landry’s Cowboys. Dallas absorbed everything the Rams offered during a difficult first half, remained patient and then punished every mistake after halftime. What began as a close defensive contest ended as one of the most decisive conference-title victories in franchise history.
Interesting Facts About the Game
Dallas wore its royal-blue jerseys, making this the franchise’s last playoff victory in a blue uniform until its Wild Card win at Tampa Bay following the 2022 season.
Countdown to kickoff
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, 37, 36, 35, 34, 33, 32, 31, 30, 29, 28, 27, 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18
