Red Dragon
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I've been going down history lane again and it's remarkable just how many things had to fall the Cowboys' way for them to get that elusive 5th ring.
The Cowboys were slumping badly down the stretch and it took a fantastic leaping diving catch (inch-perfect) by Kevin Williams near the end of the Giants game for Dallas to get a game-winning field goal and win, 21-20.
But then the Niners were still poised to capture homefield advantage. It took Steve Young slightly overthrowing Jerry Rice on a deep pass with only a few seconds remaining in the season finale to lose to Atlanta. Had Young thrown that ball just a bit lower, the 49ers would have won and took the No. 1 seed. Instead, Dallas was buoyed by the Niners' loss and proceeded to beat the Cards the following night, taking homefield advantage.
But even then......the Cowboys needed one additional favor. They needed the Pack to beat the Niners. (These same 49ers had slaughtered Dallas 38-20 in the regular season, at Texas Stadium, without Steve Young. So even hosting the NFC title against San Fran at home would have been a mighty fierce battle for the Cowboys.)
And even then, when the Pack came to town, Green Bay temporarily held a 27-24 lead over Dallas, entering the fourth quarter of the conference championship game. With a play or two going the other way, it could have easily been a Packers win.
And even then, in the Super Bowl, the Cowboys found themselves clinging to a 20-17 lead for dear life as the Steelers had all the momentum going their way. O'Donnell made a bad read during a Dallas blitz and threw to a spot when in fact Andre Hastings was streaking deep. Had O'Donnell just held on to the ball one second longer and realized where Hastings was going, he could have thrown deep and the Steelers would be leading 24-20. Instead, the ball ended up in the arms of Larry Brown.
It was by far the unlikeliest of the Cowboys' five championships.
The Cowboys were slumping badly down the stretch and it took a fantastic leaping diving catch (inch-perfect) by Kevin Williams near the end of the Giants game for Dallas to get a game-winning field goal and win, 21-20.
But then the Niners were still poised to capture homefield advantage. It took Steve Young slightly overthrowing Jerry Rice on a deep pass with only a few seconds remaining in the season finale to lose to Atlanta. Had Young thrown that ball just a bit lower, the 49ers would have won and took the No. 1 seed. Instead, Dallas was buoyed by the Niners' loss and proceeded to beat the Cards the following night, taking homefield advantage.
But even then......the Cowboys needed one additional favor. They needed the Pack to beat the Niners. (These same 49ers had slaughtered Dallas 38-20 in the regular season, at Texas Stadium, without Steve Young. So even hosting the NFC title against San Fran at home would have been a mighty fierce battle for the Cowboys.)
And even then, when the Pack came to town, Green Bay temporarily held a 27-24 lead over Dallas, entering the fourth quarter of the conference championship game. With a play or two going the other way, it could have easily been a Packers win.
And even then, in the Super Bowl, the Cowboys found themselves clinging to a 20-17 lead for dear life as the Steelers had all the momentum going their way. O'Donnell made a bad read during a Dallas blitz and threw to a spot when in fact Andre Hastings was streaking deep. Had O'Donnell just held on to the ball one second longer and realized where Hastings was going, he could have thrown deep and the Steelers would be leading 24-20. Instead, the ball ended up in the arms of Larry Brown.
It was by far the unlikeliest of the Cowboys' five championships.