It is Day 13 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.
It’s lucky number 13 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff, when we revisit the conference championship victory that put Dallas one win away from finally becoming Super Bowl champions. In a bruising defensive battle, the Cowboys allowed only three points, intercepted John Brodie three times and defeated the San Francisco 49ers to capture their second consecutive NFC title.
Sunday, January 2, 1972 — 1:30 p.m. ET
Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 14, San Francisco 49ers 3
Dallas, having finished the regular season with an impressive 11-3 record, secured a spot in the championship game by defeating Minnesota 20-12 on Christmas Day. San Francisco, on the other hand, completed a 9-5 season and eliminated Washington 24-20. This highly anticipated rematch marked the rematch of the previous season’s NFC Championship Game, where Dallas had emerged victorious 17-10, propelling them to their first Super Bowl appearance.
Dallas finally broke through because of its defense. Veteran defensive end George Andrie intercepted a Brodie screen pass and returned it seven yards to the San Francisco two-yard line. Calvin Hill scored from one yard out shortly afterward, and Mike Clark’s extra point gave the Cowboys a 7-0 lead.
That remained the only score through halftime. San Francisco finally responded during the third quarter when Brodie completed a 24-yard pass to Ted Kwalick, helping set up Bruce Gossett’s 28-yard field goal. The 49ers had reduced the margin to 7-3 and later had another opportunity, but Gossett missed from 47 yards.
Dallas responded with the game’s defining offensive possession. Roger Staubach completed a 17-yard pass to Dan Reeves late in the third quarter and then connected with Billy Truax for 23 yards early in the fourth. The Cowboys methodically travelled 80 yards in 14 plays, with Duane Thomas finishing the drive on a two-yard touchdown run to make it 14-3.
From there, the Doomsday Defense slammed the door. Chuck Howley broke up a fourth-down pass to end one San Francisco possession before Lee Roy Jordan intercepted Brodie on the next. Even when the 49ers blocked a Clark field-goal attempt and received one final opportunity, Cliff Harris intercepted Brodie and allowed Dallas to run out the clock.
This was not a game won through spectacular passing numbers. Dallas instead relied on patience and its running game. Staubach himself led the Cowboys with 55 rushing yards, Walt Garrison added 52 and Thomas contributed 44 as Dallas accumulated 172 yards on the ground.
The defense was even more impressive. San Francisco was held to only 61 rushing yards and nine first downs, while Brodie was intercepted three times. The 49ers never reached the end zone and managed only Gossett’s third-quarter field goal.
This game belongs on the countdown because it was the final hurdle before Dallas changed its reputation forever. The Cowboys had already reached one Super Bowl and lost narrowly to Baltimore, adding to years of criticism that Landry’s teams could not finish championship runs. Beating San Francisco gave Dallas another opportunity, and this time there would be no disappointment.
Interesting Facts About the Game
This was the first NFL playoff game at Texas Stadium.
Countdown to kickoff
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