It is Day 52 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 at Day 52 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff, when we revisit a statement win from Roger Staubach’s final regular season. The Cowboys hosted the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7 of the 1979 season, and Dallas delivered one of its cleanest performances of the year, and looked every bit like one of the NFC’s top teams.
Sunday, October 14, 1979 — 9:00 p.m. ET
Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 30, Los Angeles Rams 6
The Rams had been one of Dallas’ recurring NFC measuring-stick opponents throughout the 1970s, and the Cowboys had shut them out 28-0 in the previous season’s NFC Championship Game. A win here would make it two straight Dallas wins over Los Angeles and give the Cowboys another reminder that when Staubach and Tom Landry’s offense were in rhythm, they could overwhelm any opponent.
The Cowboys started by leaning on their stars. Staubach connected with Tony Hill for an 18-yard touchdown in the first quarter, giving Dallas the early lead. From there, the Cowboys steadily squeezed the Rams with balance on offense and control on defense. Los Angeles managed only two Frank Corral field goals, while Dallas kept finding ways to stretch the margin.
Tony Dorsett kept his strong midseason run going, rushing for 103 yards which gave the Cowboys balance, forced the Rams to defend the entire field, and helped open things up for Staubach in the passing game. Staubach was the headline in this game, throwing three touchdown passes. That performance pushed him to 137 career touchdown passes, breaking Don Meredith’s Cowboys franchise record. In a season that would eventually become his final NFL campaign, this was one more reminder that “Captain Comeback” was still operating at a high level.
The Cowboys put the game away with a 17-point third quarter, turning a competitive game into a comfortable primetime win. For a team that had been built for years on postseason toughness and big-game composure, this felt like a classic Landry-era control game, run the ball, protect the quarterback, hit explosive passes, and squeeze the opponent until the scoreboard reflected the gap.
By the time the fourth quarter arrived, the Rams were no longer threatening. Dallas had 403 total yards, including 201 rushing yards and 202 passing yards, while Los Angeles finished with only 158 total yards. The defensive side may have been the most impressive part. The Rams had explosive players, but Dallas kept them out of the end zone and forced three turnovers.
This game belongs on the countdown because it captures the Cowboys in one of their final regular-season peaks under Staubach. They were still dangerous, still balanced, and still capable of making a playoff-caliber opponent look ordinary.
Interesting Facts About the Game
Tony Dorsett rushed for 103 yards, part of a strong midseason stretch in which he also ran for 145 yards against Minnesota the week before and 111 against St. Louis the week after.
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
