It is Day 14 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 give you Day 14 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff, when we revisit perhaps the ultimate heavyweight fight of the NFL’s 1970s era. The defending champion Cowboys met the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first Super Bowl rematch, and a game loaded with Hall of Fame talent delivered on the hype.
Sunday, January 21, 1979
Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
Final Score: Pittsburgh Steelers 35, Dallas Cowboys 31
Pittsburgh struck first when Terry Bradshaw found John Stallworth for a 28-yard touchdown. Dallas answered when Roger Staubach hit Tony Hill for a 39-yard score, and the Cowboys then moved ahead 14-7 when linebacker Mike Hegman stripped Bradshaw and returned the fumble 37 yards for a touchdown.
The advantage disappeared quickly. Bradshaw responded with a 75-yard touchdown to Stallworth, then found Rocky Bleier from seven yards out late in the second quarter. Pittsburgh carried a 21-14 lead into halftime after a frantic opening half in which both teams repeatedly produced game-changing plays.
Dallas had a golden opportunity to tie the game during the third quarter. Staubach found veteran tight end Jackie Smith completely open in the end zone on third down, but Smith went to the ground and could not secure the pass. Instead of a touchdown, the Cowboys settled for Rafael Septién’s 27-yard field goal and remained behind 21-17. It became one of the most painful missed opportunities in franchise history.
The game swung decisively during the fourth quarter. A controversial 33-yard pass-interference penalty against Cowboys cornerback Benny Barnes helped Pittsburgh move deep into Dallas territory. Two plays later, Franco Harris broke through for a 22-yard touchdown to make it 28-17.
Disaster followed on the ensuing kickoff. Randy White fumbled the bouncing kick and Pittsburgh recovered. Bradshaw immediately capitalized by hitting Lynn Swann for an 18-yard touchdown, suddenly stretching the margin to 35-17. In a matter of moments, a four-point game had become an 18-point deficit.
Dallas still refused to go away. Staubach directed an 89-yard drive and found Billy Joe DuPree for a seven-yard touchdown with 2:27 remaining. Dennis Thurman then recovered the Cowboys’ onside kick, giving Staubach another opportunity. Dallas drove 52 yards and scored again when Butch Johnson caught a four-yard touchdown pass with just 22 seconds left. Suddenly, Pittsburgh’s lead had been reduced to 35-31.
The Cowboys attempted another onside kick, but Bleier recovered it and finally ended the comeback. Dallas had scored 14 points in barely two minutes, but the earlier missed opportunities proved too much to overcome.
This game belongs on the countdown because few games better represent what the Cowboys were during the 1970s. Dallas and Pittsburgh were two of the NFL’s defining powers, and Super Bowl XIII placed them against each other with a championship at stake for the second time in four seasons. The Cowboys lost, but their furious comeback helped turn the game into one of the defining Super Bowls of the era.
Interesting Facts About the Game
Super Bowl XIII was the first rematch in Super Bowl history. Pittsburgh had also defeated Dallas 21-17 in Super Bowl X three years earlier.
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, 17, 16, 15
