49ers–Cowboys rivalry


The 49ers–Cowboys rivalry is a National Football League rivalry between the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys lead the series 18-17-1. It is one of the great inter-division rivalry games in the NFL. The two teams do not play every year; instead, they play once every three years due to the NFL's rotating division schedules, or if the two teams finish in the same place in their respective divisions, they would play the ensuing season. Sports Illustrated ranked it as the eighth best rivalry while the NFL Top 10 ranked this rivalry to be the tenth best in the NFL. The rivalry was also the subject of two 2015 episodes of NFL Network's The Timeline series.

History

The rivalry between the Cowboys and 49ers has been going on since the 1970s, including seven postseason games. The Cowboys defeated the 49ers in the 1970 and 1971 NFC Championship games, and again in the 1972 Divisional Playoff Game. The 1981 NFC Championship Game in San Francisco, which saw the 49ers' Joe Montana complete a game-winning pass to Dwight Clark in the final minute is one of the most famous games in NFL history. The rivalry became even more intense during the 1992–1994 seasons. San Francisco and Dallas faced each other in the NFC Championship Game three consecutive times. Dallas won the first two match-ups, and San Francisco won the third. In each of these pivotal match-ups, the game's victor went on to win the Super Bowl. The rivalry has gone cold in recent years due to the two teams’ inability to make the postseason in the same year since.
Both the Cowboys and the 49ers are tied for third in Super Bowl victories with five each, trailing the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots who each have six.

The Catch

The Catch refers to the winning touchdown reception by Dwight Clark from a Joe Montana pass in the January 10, 1982, between the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers. The Catch is widely regarded as one of the most memorable events in NFL history.

Game results

DateScoreWinnerCompetitionLocationSeries
November 20, 196026–1449ersRegular SeasonDallasSF 1–0
November 10, 196331–2449ersRegular SeasonSan FranciscoSF 2–0
November 7, 196539–31CowboysRegular SeasonDallasSF 2–1
December 16, 196724–1649ersRegular SeasonSan FranciscoSF 3–1
November 27, 196924–24TieRegular SeasonDallasSF 3–1–1
January 3, 197117–10CowboysNFC Championship GameSan FranciscoSF 3–2–1
January 2, 197214–3CowboysNFC Championship GameDallasTied 3–3–1
November 23, 197231–1049ersRegular SeasonIrvingSF 4–3–1
December 23, 197230–28CowboysNFC Playoffs – DivisionalSan FranciscoTied 4–4–1
November 10, 197420–14CowboysRegular SeasonIrvingDallas 5–4–1
December 12, 197742–35CowboysRegular SeasonSan FranciscoDallas 6–4–1
September 9, 197921–13CowboysRegular SeasonSan FranciscoDallas 7–4–1
October 12, 198059–14CowboysRegular SeasonIrvingDallas 8–4–1
October 11, 198145–1449ersRegular SeasonSan FranciscoDallas 8–5–1
January 10, 198228–2749ersNFC Championship GameSan FranciscoDallas 8–6–1
December 19, 198342–1749ersRegular Season San FranciscoDallas 8–7–1
December 22, 198531–1649ersRegular SeasonSan FranciscoTied 8–8–1
October 13, 198931–1449ersRegular SeasonIrvingSF 9–8–1
November 11, 199024–649ersRegular SeasonIrvingSF 10–8–1
January 23, 199330–20CowboysNFC Championship GameSan FranciscoSF 10–9–1
October 17, 199326–17CowboysRegular SeasonIrvingTied 10–10–1
January 16, 199438–21CowboysNFC Championship GameIrvingDallas 11–10–1
November 13, 199421–1449ersRegular SeasonSan FranciscoTied 11–11–1
January 15, 199538–2849ersNFC Championship GameSan FranciscoSF 12–11–1
November 12, 199538–2049ersRegular SeasonIrvingSF 13–11–1
November 10, 199620–17 CowboysRegular SeasonSan FranciscoSF 13–12–1
November 2, 199717–1049ersRegular SeasonSan FranciscoSF 14–12–1
September 24, 200041–2449ersRegular SeasonIrvingSF 15–12–1
December 30, 200127–21CowboysRegular SeasonIrvingSF 15–13–1
December 8, 200231–2749ersRegular SeasonIrvingSF 16–13–1
September 25, 200534–31CowboysRegular SeasonSan FranciscoSF 16–14–1
November 23, 200835–22CowboysRegular SeasonIrvingSF 16–15–1
September 18, 201127–24 CowboysRegular SeasonSan FranciscoTied 16–16–1
September 7, 201428–1749ersRegular SeasonArlingtonSF 17–16–1
October 2, 201624–17CowboysRegular SeasonSanta ClaraTied 17–17–1
October 22, 201740–10CowboysRegular SeasonSanta ClaraDallas 18–17–1
December 20, 2020Regular SeasonArlington