It is Day 9 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 down to single digits now as we hit Day 9 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff and we go back to the heavyweight NFC Championship victory that kept the Cowboys on course for back-to-back Super Bowl titles. The Cowboys had won at Candlestick Park the previous year, then dominated the rematch at home during a magic season.
Sunday, January 23, 1994
Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 38, San Francisco 49ers 21
There was no shortage of confidence for this game. Dallas had beaten San Francisco twice in the previous 12 months, including a 26-17 regular-season victory, and Jimmy Johnson publicly guaranteed another win in the days leading up to the championship game. The 49ers arrived after crushing the Giants in the Divisional Round, but the defending champions immediately demonstrated who still controlled the NFC.
Dallas opened the game with an impressive 75-yard drive, marching down the field in 11 plays before Emmitt Smith finished it with a five-yard touchdown run. San Francisco answered early in the second quarter when Steve Young connected with Tom Rathman for a seven-yard score to tie the game at 7-7. From there, though, the Cowboys began to take complete control.
Daryl Johnston put Dallas back in front with a four-yard touchdown run before the defense delivered the next big moment. John Taylor deflected a Young pass into the hands of Thomas Everett, who returned the interception deep into San Francisco territory. Troy Aikman quickly made the turnover count, finding Smith for an 11-yard touchdown that extended the Cowboys’ lead to 21-7.
Dallas added another touchdown before the break, with Aikman finishing a 72-yard drive by connecting with Jay Novacek from 19 yards out. That sent the Cowboys into halftime with a commanding 28-7 advantage. Dallas had reached the end zone on four of its first five possessions while piling up 273 total yards and 19 first downs in a dominant opening half.
The biggest concern arrived early in the third quarter when Aikman suffered a severe concussion after defensive lineman Dennis Brown’s knee struck his helmet. Aikman eventually left the game and was later taken to hospital. He finished 14-of-18 for 177 yards and two touchdowns, and years later said he still had no memory of playing in the game.
San Francisco attempted to take advantage, with Ricky Watters scoring from four yards to reduce the deficit to 28-14. Backup quarterback Bernie Kosar responded exactly as Dallas needed. He led an 82-yard possession and connected with Alvin Harper for a 42-yard touchdown, restoring a three-score lead and crushing the 49ers’ hopes of a comeback.
Eddie Murray added a 50-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to make it 38-14. Young scored on a one-yard run with 4:06 remaining, but by then the NFC Championship had already been decided. Dallas had beaten its greatest conference rival for a second consecutive postseason.
This game belongs on the countdown because it confirmed that the Cowboys’ first championship was no one-year wonder. San Francisco remained one of the most talented teams in football, yet Dallas had now beaten them in consecutive NFC Championship Games. Even losing Aikman could not derail a roster deep enough to finish the job.
Interesting Facts About the Game
Kosar produced a 123.8 passer rating in relief, completing five of nine passes for 83 yards and the crucial touchdown to Harper.
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, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10
