It is Day 41 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.
Welcome everyone to Day 41 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff, when we revisit one of the most painful and historically significant losses in Cowboys history. It was Dallas’ first Super Bowl appearance and the first Super Bowl staged after the AFL-NFL merger formally created the AFC and NFC. The Cowboys led for almost the entire afternoon, forced seven Baltimore turnovers, but the end result was heartbreaking for all of Cowboys nation.
Sunday, January 17, 1971 — 2:00 p.m. ET
Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
Final Score: Baltimore Colts 16, Dallas Cowboys 13
Dallas opened the scoring after Chuck Howley intercepted Johnny Unitas and returned the ball into Colts territory. The Cowboys could not reach the end zone, but Mike Clark made a 14-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead. Clark added another field goal from 30 yards early in the second quarter, giving Dallas a 6-0 advantage in a game that had already become physical, disjointed and filled with mistakes.
Baltimore’s first touchdown came on one of the strangest scoring plays in Super Bowl history. Unitas threw high and behind Eddie Hinton, the ball glanced off Hinton’s hands and was touched by Cowboys cornerback Mel Renfro before dropping to tight end John Mackey. Mackey caught the ricochet and ran 75 yards for a touchdown. Dallas blocked O’Brien’s extra point, keeping the score tied at 6-6.
The Cowboys reclaimed the lead before halftime. Craig Morton completed a seven-yard touchdown pass to Duane Thomas, and Clark’s extra point put Dallas ahead 13-6. Baltimore then drove to the Cowboys’ goal line in the final minutes of the half, but the Doomsday Defense stopped Norm Bulaich three times near the end zone before forcing an incompletion on fourth down. Dallas carried its seven-point lead into halftime.
Neither team scored in the third quarter, but the turnovers continued. Dallas’ defense repeatedly gave the offense chances to extend the lead, while the Cowboys failed to take advantage. Howley intercepted replacement quarterback Earl Morrall in the end zone on the opening play of the fourth quarter, preserving the 13-6 advantage and giving him his second interception of the afternoon.
Baltimore then produced another bizarre sequence. Sam Havrilak took a handoff on a planned flea-flicker but was unable to lateral the ball back to Morrall, so he threw downfield instead. Hinton caught it and headed toward the end zone, only for Cornell Green to strip him from behind. The loose ball bounced through the end zone for a touchback, seemingly giving Dallas another escape.
The relief lasted only three plays. Morton’s pass was deflected and intercepted by Colts safety Rick Volk, who returned it to the Dallas three-yard line. Tom Nowatzke scored from two yards out shortly afterward, and O’Brien’s extra point tied the game at 13 with 7:35 remaining.
The Cowboys still had an opportunity to win. They took possession near midfield with less than two minutes remaining, but a holding penalty against Ralph Neely pushed Dallas backward. Facing second-and-35, Morton threw toward Dan Reeves. The pass went off Reeves’ hands and into the arms of Baltimore linebacker Mike Curtis, who returned the interception to the Dallas 28 with 1:09 left.
Baltimore ran two plays to improve the position, and O’Brien came on for a 32-yard field goal. The rookie kicker made it with five seconds remaining, giving the Colts their first lead of the entire game. Dallas’ final desperation pass was intercepted, and Baltimore completed a 16-13 comeback that left Cowboys defensive tackle Bob Lilly so frustrated that he threw his helmet far downfield after the final whistle.
This game belongs on the countdown because it represents the deepest pain of the Cowboys’ rise from expansion team to NFL power. Dallas had been close before, but Super Bowl V put the franchise within seconds of its first championship before another late mistake took it away. The defeat also strengthened the perception that the Cowboys could reach the biggest stage but could not finish. But that was soon to change.
Interesting Facts About the Game
Super Bowl V became known as the “Blunder Bowl” because the teams combined for 11 turnovers. Baltimore committed seven, while Dallas turned it over four times.
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
