It is Day 54 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 back and to Day 54 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff, when we revisit a rivalry game with massive NFC East leverage and a strange historical twist. This regular-season finale was more interesting than others because the Cowboys needed to win by 25 points or more to take the division tiebreaker. What came was all out war between the two rivals.
Sunday, December 21, 1980 — 4:00 p.m. ET
Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 35, Philadelphia Eagles 27
The setup for this game in 1980 was enormous. Philadelphia entered the final week at 12-3, Dallas was 11-4, and both teams had already clinched playoff spots. The Eagles only needed to avoid losing by 25 or more to win the division. That sounded comfortable because Philadelphia had not allowed more than 24 points in any game all season. But Tom Landry’s team had other ideas, and the Cowboys came out with an aggressive plan designed to make the Eagles feel every bit of that tiebreaker pressure.
Dallas started fast. Danny White scored on a one-yard run in the first quarter, then hit Tony Hill for a 36-yard touchdown in the second. White added a nine-yard touchdown pass to Preston Pearson, and suddenly the Cowboys were up 21-0 at halftime, the dream was coming true. In a game where margin mattered almost as much as the result, Dallas had turned the afternoon into a real division-title chase.
Philadelphia finally answered in the third quarter on a one-yard Louie Giammona touchdown run, but Dallas kept applying pressure. White found Drew Pearson for an 11-yard touchdown, and after a Tony Franklin field goal made it 28-10, White struck again in the fourth quarter with a 15-yard touchdown to Billy Joe DuPree. The Cowboys led 35-10, exactly the 25-point margin they needed to steal the division and Texas Stadium was louder than ever.
The Eagles were losing the game, but they were still fighting the standings math, just a few points would help keep their top spot. Ron Jaworski hit Rodney Parker for a 30-yard touchdown, Franklin added a 19-yard field goal, and Wilbert Montgomery scored from six yards out. Dallas still won 35-27, but Philadelphia had trimmed the margin to eight and preserved the NFC East crown.
The numbers for the game were wild. Philadelphia actually outgained Dallas 407 total yards to 340, with 323 net passing yards, while Dallas controlled the scoreboard through efficiency. White threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score. Hill caught four passes for 110 yards and a touchdown, Drew Pearson had six catches for 65 yards and a score, and the Cowboys ran for 168 yards as a team.
This game belongs on the countdown because it was a win with a catch. The Cowboys beat their biggest division challenger, finished 12-4, stayed perfect at home, and proved they could score on Philadelphia’s elite defense. But because the Eagles survived the margin, Dallas had to go the wildcard route. This regular-season finale was one of the strangest rivalry wins in Cowboys history. It was satisfying on the scoreboard, frustrating in the standings, and loaded with playoff consequences.
Interesting Facts About the Game
The win closed out a perfect home regular season for Dallas. The Cowboys went 8-0 at Texas Stadium in 1980, and even won the wildcard game at home against the Los Angles Rams.
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
