The Dallas Cowboys take on the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday in their 40th all-time meeting with the chance for one team to break the 19-19-1 record tie. There have been a plethora of iconic games and moments throughout the matchup history.
Here are 10 of the best games in chronological order to give a glimpse into the rivalry.
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1971 NFC Championship: The Dawn of The Rivalry
In their first NFC Championship meeting on Jan. 3, 1971, the Cowboys shut down the San Francisco offense in a 17-10 win at Kezar Stadium.
The game was tied 3-3 at halftime before Dallas outscored the Niners 14-7 in the second half to take home the win. Dallas allowed only 63 rushing yards and forced two interceptions.
Dallas later lost Super Bowl V to the Baltimore Colts, the first of its five appearances in the 1970s.
1972 NFC Championship: Two in a Row
In their second meeting in the NFC Championship on Jan. 3, 1972, the Cowboys took down the Niners en route to their first Super Bowl championship. This was their second consecutive NFC Championship win over the Niners.
The Cowboys scored two touchdowns and held the Niners to only a field goal in the matchup.
The team went on to win the Super Bowl over the Miami Dolphins 24-3.
1980: Record-Breaking Win
The Cowboys’ 59-14 blowout over the 49ers at Texas Stadium on Oct. 12, 1980, still stands as their highest-scoring game in franchise history.
MORE: Dallas Cowboys Depth Chart
Dallas scored a total of eight touchdowns, and the loss was the catalyst of an eight-game losing streak for San Francisco.
1982 NFC Championship: ‘The Catch’
One of the most memorable plays in NFL history came from the 1981-82 NFC Championship game, where Dallas fell to the eventual Super Bowl champion 49ers after a remarkable play.
On Jan. 10, 1982, the San 49ers’ Dwight Clark caught Joe Montana’s pass in the back of the end zone for a touchdown with 58 seconds left in the game to give the Niners a 28-27 lead following the extra point. The play became known as “The Catch.”
On this day in 1982, Dwight Clark made "The Catch” to send the 49ers to their first-ever Super Bowl 🙌 pic.twitter.com/IrXqQRAq3g
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 10, 2023
1993 NFC Championship: Maintaining the Lead
The Cowboys were appearing in the NFC Championship game for the first time in ten years as they faced the 49ers on Jan. 17, 1993. Dallas blew out the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional playoff round to advance to the conference title game.
On a rainy day with a muddy field, the Cowboys nearly let their lead slip away. With a narrow 24-20 lead, a Troy Aikman pass fell into the arms of Alvin Harper for a 70-yard gain, setting up Emmitt Smith’s touchdown that would seal the deal and win the game.
1994 NFC Championship: ‘Three-Inch Headlines’
On Jan. 23, 1994, the Cowboys defeated the 49ers 38-21, as predicted by the Dallas head coach Jimmy Johnson.
Three nights before kickoff, Johnson called into Randy Galloway’s WBAP sports radio talk show and boldly predicted the Cowboys “will win the ball game” versus the 49ers, adding “You can put it in three-inch headlines!”
During the game, the Cowboys lost Aikman to a concussion that put him in the hospital, but after scoring three touchdowns in the final 10 minutes of the first half, their established lead was enough to carry them to victory and make Johnson’s prediction a correct one.
1995 NFC Championship: Avoiding the Three-peat
After falling to the Cowboys in two consecutive NFC Championships, the Niners got their revenge in a 38-28 win at Candlestick Park on Jan. 15, 1995.
San Francisco jumped out to a 21-0 lead and held on for the victory. They later went on to be Super Bowl champions in a blowout win over the Chargers.
2011: Tony Romo Plays Through Broken Rib, Collapsed Lung
During a regular-season game on Sept. 18, 2011, in San Francisco, a heroic Tony Romo performance came as he played through a broken rib and collapsed lung to lead the Cowboys to an overtime win.
The injury came in the third play of the game when 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks hit Romo, who played through the rest of the first half until getting a pain-killing injection and sitting out the third quarter.
He returned in the fourth quarter after the injection kicked in and led the Cowboys to victory, completing 20 of 33 passes for 345 yards and two touchdowns.
Romo threw the game-winning pass to Jesse Holley in overtime to take the win over the 49ers.
Throwback Thursday to when Romo threw the game winning pass in OT with a Collapsed lung and broken rib #Warrior pic.twitter.com/MSf5SpXO2x
— 🌈Drew Cash Rizzuti🌈 (@Rizzuti09) April 7, 2016
2022: 49ers Defeat Cowboys in Wild Card Matchup
The Cowboys have faced the 49ers in the playoffs for the last two years and fell short each time.
On Jan. 16, 2022, the team took a 23-17 loss after a late comeback attempt was a classic case of too little, too late. Dak Prescott ran for a touchdown to put the team within one score late in the fourth quarter, but time was not on their side as their next drive ended midfield on a failed fourth-down throw attempt.
2023: Cowboys Fall Again in Playoffs, but What’s Next?
In January, the Cowboys lost for the record seventh straight time in the Divisional Round. The team has failed to make it to the NFC title game since winning their fifth Super Bowl in 1996.
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In their most recent 19-12 loss to the Niners, Prescott threw two interceptions, and Brett Maher missed his fifth extra point of the postseason.
“Defense gave us an opportunity to win this game,” Prescott said after the loss. “They played hard against a really, really good offense, a really good team. For us to only put up the points that we did, that’s unacceptable. It starts with me. I’ve got to be better. There’s no other way to sugarcoat it.”
So far this season, Prescott has thrown one interception through four weeks. In the new “Texas Coast” offense, less pressure is put on Prescott to make deep passes, which so far has led to fewer interception issues.
It will be interesting to see how the Texas Coast offense, which prioritizes getting the ball out quickly and delivering quick strikes in the passing game, will hold up in a game where the opposing offense will likely be able to score often.