Mickey Spagnola reminded us today that the Cowboys were the first team to beat the Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts this season. This marks the first time in 10 seasons that the Cowboys have defeated the eventual Super Bowl champion and led me to wonder what the Cowboys all-time record in this obscure category might be. Here it is–
* In the regular season since the beginning of the Super Bowl era in 1966, the Cowboys are 6-16 against teams that eventually won the championship. This includes four seasons during which the Cowboys played the eventual winner twice because those teams were in the same division as Dallas.
* The Cowboys have lost eight times in the playoffs to the team that won the Super Bowl. This includes the three times that the Cowboys were the Super Bowl losers.
* Between 1960 and 1965, the Cowboys went 0-3 against teams that later won the NFL title.
The all-time record:
Pre-Super Bowl
1960– vs. Philadelphia, L 25-27
1964– vs. Cleveland, L 16-20
1965– vs. Green Bay, L 3-13
Regular Season
1973– vs. Miami, L 7-14
1979– vs. Pittsburgh, L 3-14
1980– vs. Oakland, W 19-13
1981– vs. San Francisco, L 14-45
1982– vs. Washington, W 24-10
1983– vs. L.A. Raiders, L 38-40
1985– vs. Chicago, L 0-44
1986– vs. N.Y. Giants, W 31-28
1986– vs. N.Y. Giants, L 14-17
1987– vs. Washington, L 7-13
1987– vs. Washington, L 20-24
1989– vs. San Francisco, L 14-31
1990– vs. N.Y. Giants, L 7-28
1990– vs. N.Y. Giants, L 17-31
1991– vs. Washington, L 31-33
1991– vs. Washington, W 24-21
1994– vs. San Francisco, L 14-21
1996– vs. Green Bay, W 21-6
1998– vs. Denver, L 23-42
2000– vs. Baltimore Ravens, L 0-27
2003– vs. New England, L 0-12
2006– vs. Indianpolis, W 21-14
Playoffs
1966– vs. Green Bay (NFL Championship), L 27-34
1967– vs. Green Bay (NFL Championship), L 17-21
1970– vs. Baltimore Colts (Super Bowl V), L 13-16
1975– vs. Pittsburgh (Super Bowl X), L 17-21
1978– vs. Pittsburgh (SuperBowl XIII), L 31-35
1981– vs. San Francisco (NFC Championship), L 27-28
1982– vs. Washington (NFC Championship), L 17-31
1994– vs. San Francisco (NFC Championship), L 28-38
I was thinking similar thoughts during yesterdays game. The Cowboys beat the Colts this year. The Cowbys could have won the Super Bowl! ? THat made me wonder when the last time was they had beaten the eventual super bowl champion and the last time I could remember was way back in 1996 vs Gree Bay. Glad to know my memory is not that bad after all.
Its one thing to look at the Cowboys W-L vs. the Super Bowl winner during the regular season (where our record now stands at 8-16 adding the two wins vs. the Giants in 2007).
Its quite another to look at our record in the playoffs. By definition, our record will be 100% losses — know why?
Because in those years when we didn’t lose in the playoffs, we won the SB ourselves — otherwise, the playoff year always ends on a loss, and some of those losses were to the eventual champion.
So our record in the playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl champion will always be 0-whatever.