When the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers square off on Sunday, it’ll be just the latest chapter in the teams’ tightly-contested meetings the last few years.
Each of their last two bouts have come in the playoffs, renewing a rivalry that has often come in bunches during the postseason. This week’s meeting gives both teams a chance to make an early statement of their contender status and could give us a preview of another playoff clash.
Let’s explore the storied postseason history between these two teams.
From the current NFL standings to team depth charts to coverage of every game in the 18-week NFL schedule, we have all the news from around the league to keep you up to speed!
Playoff History Between Cowboys and 49ers
Dallas and San Francisco have squared off 39 times dating back to their first meeting in 1960, playing about as even as possible with the series currently split at 19-19-1.
The 49ers hold a slight edge in the regular season at 15-14-1, while the Cowboys are 5-4 in the teams’ nine postseason clashes. Those playoff meetings have often come in quick succession. All but one played one season removed from another showdown.
The first two spurts also came in three-season stretches, which could portend another meeting between the franchises in this year’s postseason.
1970-1972 Seasons
The team’s playoff history began in 1970 when Dallas and San Francisco squared off in the NFC Championship game. The Cowboys prevailed 17-10 behind two third-quarter touchdowns before falling 16-13 to the then-Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl 5.
Dallas and San Francisco again met in the NFC Championship the next season, and the Cowboys again came out on top as a pair of touchdowns proved more than enough in a 14-3 victory. This time, Dallas finished the season triumphantly with a 24-3 win over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl 6.
The Cowboys made it three straight postseason wins over the 49ers in 1972, overcoming a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win a Divisional Round meeting between the squads, 30-28. Dallas then fell 26-3 in the NFC Championship game to the then-Washington Redskins.
1981 Season
It took more than 11 years for the teams to meet again when they faced each other in the 1981 NFC Championship game.
Dallas fell victim to “The Catch” as Joe Montana found Dwight Clark for the game-winning touchdown pass with less than a minute left in San Francisco’s 28-27 victory. The 49ers later beat the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21 in Super Bowl 16. Dallas was left to reflect on before the teams’ next meeting a decade-plus later.
1992-94 Seasons
Dallas and San Francisco again met in the 1992 NFC Championship game, the franchises’ fourth bout for the conference crown. The Troy Aikman-led Cowboys knocked off Steve Young’s 49ers in a 30-20 bout that Aikman’s squad largely controlled before taking a 52-17 win over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl 27.
Dallas again defeated San Francisco in the next year’s NFC Championship as it jumped out to a 28-7 lead in the first half of the 38-21 win. The Cowboys then had a rematch with Buffalo in Super Bowl 28 and won their second straight league title, this time 30-13.
A sixth conference title game matchup was destined between the two teams as the 1994 season saw them battle for the NFC Championship for a third straight year. The 49ers finally found a way to win. They took a 31-14 lead into halftime before holding on for a 38-28 victory.
MORE: 2023 NFL Prime-Time Games
San Francisco defeated the San Diego Chargers 49-26 in Super Bowl 29, becoming the first franchise to win five Super Bowl championships.
2021-2022 Seasons
Twenty-seven more years passed before the franchises’ next postseason meeting in the 2021 season’s Wild Card round. The 49ers dispatched Dallas 23-17 in the game as they held onto a 23-7 lead entering the final period and staved off the Cowboys’ attempt at a fourth-quarter rally.
Dallas and San Francisco squared off again in last season’s Divisional Round, the most recent meeting between the two teams. Another competitive battle ensued as the game was tied at 9-9 entering the fourth quarter before the 49ers pulled away for a 19-12 win, then fell 31-7 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC title game.
