It is Day 68 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 68 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff, when we revisit one of the most satisfying rivalry beatdowns of the late-1990s Cowboys era. The 1998 Cowboys were trying to reestablish themselves under first-year head coach Chan Gailey after the disappointment of 1997, while the Eagles were buried in one of the roughest seasons in franchise history. But when Dallas and Philadelphia meet, the records only tell part of the story. On Monday Night Football at Veterans Stadium, the Cowboys turned a division road game into a humiliation that still gets referenced whenever Dallas’ long, weird history in Philadelphia comes up.
Monday, November 2, 1998 — 8:20 p.m. ET
Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 34, Philadelphia Eagles 0
Dallas took control early. Richie Cunningham opened the scoring with a 33-yard field goal, and later in the first quarter Troy Aikman found Michael Irvin for a 10-yard touchdown. That made it 10-0, and with the Eagles’ offense doing almost nothing, the game already had the feel of a long night for Philadelphia.
The signature play came in the second quarter from Deion Sanders. Philadelphia punted, Sanders got space, and Prime Time did what Prime Time did best, he took it back 69 yards for a touchdown. That return put Dallas ahead 17-0 and gave the game its defining highlight. In a rivalry that has produced plenty of ugly nights, this one was turning into a full public embarrassment for the home team.
The Cowboys kept squeezing after halftime. Aikman hit David LaFleur for a nine-yard touchdown in the third quarter, Cunningham added another field goal, and Emmitt Smith finished the scoring with a 15-yard touchdown run in the fourth. Dallas scored in every quarter. Philadelphia scored in none of them.
The box score was not about offensive fireworks as much as total control. Aikman finished 14-of-26 for 171 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 100 passer rating. Emmitt Smith rushed 23 times for 101 yards and a touchdown. Irvin caught the early score, LaFleur caught the second passing touchdown, and Sanders contributed both the punt-return touchdown and an interception on defense.
Defensively, Dallas suffocated the Eagles. Philadelphia managed only 200 total yards, converted just four of 15 third downs, went 0-for-3 on fourth down, and threw two interceptions. Bobby Hoying completed only 13 of 39 passes for 124 yards, two interceptions, and a 21.7 passer rating before Rodney Peete came in late. The Eagles punted eight times and never seriously threatened the shutout.
This game belongs on the countdown because rivalry games do not have to be close to be iconic. Sometimes the most memorable ones are the cathartic blowouts, especially on the road, in prime time, at the Vet. The Cowboys were no longer the dynasty Cowboys of 1992-95, but they still had Aikman, Irvin, Emmitt, Deion, and enough veteran pride to remind Philadelphia exactly who still owned the matchup that night.
Interesting Facts About the Game
The Eagles’ 1998 season was brutal. They finished 3-13 and were shut out three times, including this Monday night loss to Dallas and another 20-0 defeat against the Giants later that month.
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
