Most important playoff plays

[MikeB80]

Bill bates intercepted jim harbaugh to seal the win over the bears at soldier field in the wild card game in December of 91 securing the organization’s first playoff win since 83 …

also. The two huge momentum swings in the wild card game vs Detroit in 14. Romo hit Williams for a huge td to finally get the offense going.

then on 4th and goal from the 1 down 20-7 garrett voted to go for it and demarco Murray jammed it in their against the best defensive front they saw all season. That was right in front of me in my seat and it was an incredible moment.

the most heartbreaking play is the third down play on the final drive vs the giants in the divisional playoff game in January of 2008. Under 30 seconds to go, they had to score a td to win. The Safety blitzed and romo saw it and crayton saw it late. He was running a 7 route and took the outside step before correcting and heading straight up the field. Romo dropped In what would have been one of the all time td’s in Cowboys playoff history, it would have eliminated the giants and crayton who the giants hated would have had the giants goat for eternity. Instead the ball bounced off the turf of the endzone and crayton was a step late. Now Eli Manning is going to the hall of fame.

Also of course Leon let’s great game against the packers in the 95 nfc championship game.

 

[Reid1boys]

Bill bates intercepted jim harbaugh to seal the win over the bears at soldier field in the wild card game in December of 91 securing the organization’s first playoff win since 83 …

also. The two huge momentum swings in the wild card game vs Detroit in 14. Romo hit Williams for a huge td to finally get the offense going.

then on 4th and goal from the 1 down 20-7 garrett voted to go for it and demarco Murray jammed it in their against the best defensive front they saw all season. That was right in front of me in my seat and it was an incredible moment.

the most heartbreaking play is the third down play on the final drive vs the giants in the divisional playoff game in January of 2008. Under 30 seconds to go, they had to score a td to win. The Safety blitzed and romo saw it and crayton saw it late. He was running a 7 route and took the outside step before correcting and heading straight up the field. Romo dropped In what would have been one of the all time td’s in Cowboys playoff history, it would have eliminated the giants and crayton who the giants hated would have had the giants goat for eternity. Instead the ball bounced off the turf of the endzone and crayton was a step late. Now Eli Manning is going to the hall of fame.

Also of course Leon let’s great game against the packers in the 95 nfc championship game.

wait.... you mean we went 8 EIGHT years without a playoff win back then?

 

[cowboyec]

hail mary.

alvin harper's catch vs the 9ers in the 92 NFC Championship.

forever tho...its the hail mary.

 

[MikeB80]

wait.... you mean we went 8 EIGHT years without a playoff win back then?

actually I was wrong it was 82. The last playoff win was over the packers in the 82 divisional round.

almost ten years.

then of course from 96 to 09.

I thought they had enough mojo in 03 to steal that game at Carolina, that early Richie Anderson fumble screwed up the game.

 

[MikeB80]

This, so maddening

Should never have happened. There was not enough evidence to overturn the first down call on the Jason Witten catch the play before but somehow they overturned it even though it was called a first down on the field.

Not to mention the odd situation of having your starting qb continue to be your holder. I understand why parcells stayed with it but still it’s a weird situation.

the giants and Commanders lost wild card playoff games in the exact manner in the years previous to this but no one ever cares about that or talks about it.

 

[JohnsKey19]

The DeMarco Murray fumble vs GB in 2014 was the pivotal play of that game.

 

[MikeB80]

The DeMarco Murray fumble vs GB in 2014 was the pivotal play of that game.

everyone always says this and I disagree.

the packers returner, I can’t remember his name fumbled a kickoff right after Dallas had scored and James Hanna was by himself and on top of the ball and it squirted out and the packers ended up recovering it. Had Hanna hung onto that Dallas would have punched it in with Murray again and more than likely the dez no catch nonsense never happens.

 

[TWOK11]

In terms of singular plays that decided Cowboys playoff games, the Dez catch in 2014 (yes, it was a catch even by the rules of the day), Aikman to Harper in 1992 (SF had all the momentum and probably scores to win the game if they stop us there), the second Larry Brown INT in the SB in 1995 (Pittsburgh had momentum and we werent doing anything on offense), the Dak run in 2018, the Aaron Rodgers pass in 2016 (no way we lose that game if it gets to OT and we get the ball first, GB hadnt stopped us since the first quarter) are the ones to come to mind in my lifetime.

While not a play, I'm convinced we beat Carolina in 1996 if Irvin doesnt get hurt. The Panthers game us a bunch of chances to take that game and we just couldnt move the ball through the air after that.

 

[MikeB80]

Also because I am a downer here is another one that to this day I can still see unfolding from my seat at the stadium.

Early in the 4th qtr of the giants cowboys playoff game, the giants who had decided to play man coverage in the second half when they realized Owens was not running as well as normal decided to blitz and Garrett called the perfect play. Miles austin was all alone 30 yards down the field for what would have been a go ahead 65 yard td….buttttt….columbo was beat immediately and then Marion barber got caught in between and tried to get over to pick up the free man and was late…Romo was sacked….they punted. On the next possession they started driving and then in another sequence of odd plays that half….Leonard Davis got a personal foul after he jumped on Strahan who was already on the ground…..then Romo go hit with a grounding call for a play that wasn’t grounding.


This game all these years later still hurts and makes me mental.

 

[Corso]

I got one!

We'll call it, "The day Haevey Martin buried the "Over the Hill Gang......""


In 1979 bragging rights were on the line when the Cowboys met the Commanders in their final game of the season. And there was a lot on the line. The winner got the Divison crown; the loser was going home.Going into that final week, the NFC East was a three-way tie at 10-5. And the way the tiebreakers fell, the division title was simple — Dallas’ home game with Washington was for first place. Each team had tiebreakers on Philadelphia. And the Cowboys’ victory over the Bears at least ensured them a wild-card spot.

Dallas trailed 17-0 before a Ron Springs 1 yard run and a 26 yard pass from Staubach to Drew Pearson closed to gap to 17-14 at halftime.In the only score of the third, Robert Newhouse's 1 yard plunge made it 21-17 Cowboys.

A wild fourth quarter followed. The Commanders came back with a Moseley FG and two TDs by John Riggins. The longest being 66 yards and leaving the Cowboy faithful with little hope.

Then Roger took over. He first threw a 26 yard TD to Ron Springs and to top that, he tossed an 8 yarder to Tony Hill. All told he went 24 of 42 for 336 yards, 3 tds, 1 pick, all the while being sacked 4 times in a Division deciding game where the Cowboys came out 35-34 victors!

Yes, the Cowboys were division champs! The Eagles and Bears were wild-cards. The Commanders were out.

To add insult to injury, Cowboys defensive end Harvey Martin threw a funeral wreath at the Commanders players!
Now one might wonder, "Where did Harvey Martin get a funeral wreath at a football game?"

The story of the wreath is it was ordered by a Dallas fan and sent to the Cowboys as motivation. Dallas players thought it was the Commanders taunting them since the 'Skins had won the first game 34-20, kicking a meaningless FG to close out the scoring.

“I got to thinking, ‘Man, that means I’m dead or something. They sent me a wreath,’ ” Martin told the Associated Press. “I just kept looking at it. So on the way to the stadium, I told [the equipment manager] bring that thing with us.”

After the game, Martin grabbed the wreath and threw it at Washington players, who were too stunned and tired to quickly retaliate. The wreath hit kicker Mark Moseley’s knee who needed three stitches.

Today players don’t buy into the rivalry. It’s for fans. But back when, the Cowboys were the division’s best. Beat the Cowboys and you've beat the best.
Now, when the Cowboys square off with the WFT, don't forget to send a wreath!

You can't make that up.

Legendary.

 

[Ranching]

Smith's drop TD pass that would have beat Pittsburgh in the SB.....

 

[TheMightyVanHalen]

Since everyone took the good and obvious ones. I'll go with the 1994 NFC Championship game with the 49ers. Cowboys in control 28-7. Troy gets a concussion and leaves the game. 49ers march down the field to score a TD and it's 28-14. Bernie Kosar throws what looks like a certain pick-6 but goes right through the hands of the 49er defender into Harper's hands and he scores. IF that's a pick-6 it's a totally different game. So the TD to Harper was huge.

One the negative side and it still bothers me till this day. The obvious PI against Sanders that wasn't called. I still believe we win that game if that call is made. I will NEVER ever watch another Cowboys game with apposing fans attending unless it's at the game. My wife's uncle invited us to watch that game and he said there will be nothing but Cowboys fans there so I went over. Turns out we (her uncle and I) were the only Cowboys fans there. His wife and her brother and his wife and her family had 49ers pom-poms and they were waving them in my face. Ugh. When we started to come back I was going let them have it. Unfortunately the ref and Switzer prevented me from having the last laugh.

 

[TheMightyVanHalen]

Smith's drop TD pass that would have beat Pittsburgh in the SB.....

I always say the Cowboys/Broncos Super Bowl is the day I became a die-hard because they won and I vividly remember it. But the Super Bowl you're talking about is the game where I began to realize the importance of football. When he dropped that sure TD my dad broke my chair by slamming it to the ground. I was like, okay, football is a serious sport. Lol Cowboys only lost by a combined 8 points in two Super Bowls with the one of the greatest teams ever. A few mistakes and bad calls here and there and we win both and become the best team of the 70's.

 

[MarcusRock]

Here’s one EVERYONE should see. One of the most underrated great plays in Cowboys playoff history. It’s 2 plays before Hail Mary play.

It’s 4th and 17 from Cowboys own 33 yard line, no timeouts, trailing 14-10 with less than a minute left. Staubach hits Pearson with a beautiful 20 yard out pass where Drew tightropes the sideline for a 20 yd completion.

Two plays later, the Hail Mary play and Cowboys win. Most underrated play I can remember.

I was thinking of this one. Not because I remember but because I heard another talk about it here and went looking for it. Drew never actually got his feet down in bounds and it was a forceout that made it a catch. The defender was better off leaving Drew to try to land in bounds. He probably would have but a mis-step and the game is over. But also if Drew bobbles that ball the game is over too since he got hit right away. That's what you call a razor-thin margin of error but great pass in a great location and sure hands saved the day. No gloves either.

 

[Reid1boys]

actually I was wrong it was 82. The last playoff win was over the packers in the 82 divisional round.

almost ten years.

then of course from 96 to 09.

I thought they had enough mojo in 03 to steal that game at Carolina, that early Richie Anderson fumble screwed up the game.

Werent we in 3 straight NFC title games with Danny White? 81, 82, 83?

I was off... that was 80, 81, and 82.

 

[Bobhaze]

I was thinking of this one. Not because I remember but because I heard another talk about it here and went looking for it. Drew never actually got his feet down in bounds and it was a forceout that made it a catch. The defender was better off leaving Drew to try to land in bounds. He probably would have but a mis-step and the game is over. But also if Drew bobbles that ball the game is over too since he got hit right away. That's what you call a razor-thin margin of error but great pass in a great location and sure hands saved the day. No gloves either.

That’s the play. 4th and 17. Two plays before Hail Mary play. What a throw- what a catch.

 

[john van brocklin]

Not some of the greatest plays, but some of the most important . That we don’t win unless we make them. Deion sanders catch in the Super Bowl against Pittsburgh. We were stagnant. Until that play . Can Norton Junior , goal line stop against Buffalo. Demarcus Lawrence strip against the lions in the fourth quarter. Making up for his mistake. Name some of the most important plays you can remember. I know they were a lot of great ones. I’m looking for the ones that truly made a difference though.

Hail Mary stands out to me
But I am old school

 

[Jake]

Not some of the greatest plays, but some of the most important . That we don’t win unless we make them. Deion sanders catch in the Super Bowl against Pittsburgh. We were stagnant. Until that play . Can Norton Junior , goal line stop against Buffalo. Demarcus Lawrence strip against the lions in the fourth quarter. Making up for his mistake. Name some of the most important plays you can remember. I know they were a lot of great ones. I’m looking for the ones that truly made a difference though.

Larry Brown's two second half picks in SB XXX. The Cowboys offense did nothing in the second half, other than punch in those two red zone chances afforded them by Brown and Neil O'Donnell.

Alvin Harper's catch and run in San Francisco, after Irvin switched places with him thinking the ball would go the other way. That eventual TD killed the Niners comeback attempt.

Then, of course there's a little something called the original Hail Mary.

 

[Whirlwin]

Larry Brown's two second half picks in SB XXX. The Cowboys offense did nothing in the second half, other than punch in those two red zone chances afforded them by Brown and Neil O'Donnell.

Alvin Harper's catch and run in San Francisco, after Irvin switched places with him thinking the ball would go the other way. That eventual TD killed the Niners comeback attempt.

Then, of course there's a little something called the original Hail Mary.

I think Dion Sanders catch. It is what they got that game. Yes the interceptions were very important. But they catch was the unseen play

 

[plasticman]

A ton of great plays in the playoffs in my memory…

• Bob Lily’s 29 yard sack of Bob Griese in SB VI in Cowboys first SB win.
• Roger Staubach’s “Hail Mary” to Drew Pearson vs the Vikings in ‘75 divisional playoff win.
• RB Robert Newhouse’s surprise TD pass to Golden Richards to seal SB XII win.
• Roger Staubach’s amazing 4th qtr comeback- from down 28-13. His TD pass to Ron Sellers to seal the comeback to win 30-28.
• Troy Aikman’s pass to Alvin Harper in the 4th qtr of NFC championship vs niners in ‘92 that led to clinching TD.
• Michael Irvin’s TD catch right before half of SB 27 vs Bills.
• Ken Norton’s great defensive goal line tackle of Kenneth Davis, also in SB 27.
• In 1993 NFC Championship game vs niners- after Aikman had gone out with concussion- Bernie Kosar hits Alvin Harper with 42 yd TD pass to seal NFC championship.
• James Washington’s fumble recovery TD in early second half vs Bills in SB 28. It jump started the team.
• Larry Brown’s second INT vs the Steelers in SB 30 led to our last TD to seal 27-17 win.
• Down 20-14 vs lions in 2014 wild card game, Dan Bailey hits a 51 yard FG. We eventually win 24-20.

Great job.

I would add the takeaways by Chuck Howley in Super Bowl 5. The Dolphins were trying to stage a comeback and looked to be moving the ball....until Howley made the INT and returned it 41 yards, had the Dolphins scored, that would have made it a 17-10 ball game. Instead, Howley gave the offense primo field position and the chance to score again.

The interception by Mel Renfro in the 1970 playoff game against the Lions. It's 5-0 Cowboys with about a minute and a half left and the Lions are marching down the field. A TD would have won it for them but Renfro's INT inside the redzone sealed the Cowboy victory.

Speaking of the Hail Mary, it would have meant nothing had Charlie Waters not made a game saving tackle for a loss on 3rd and 2 just before that Cowboy drive. The Vikings had managed to run out the Cowboys time outs and so a 1st down with a minute and 15 seconds left in the 4th quarter would have ended the game.

Also, the big Staubach comeback against the 49ers required a beautiful onsides kick by Toni Fritsch late in the 4th quarter.