Tim Seder vs. Cincinnati, 2000

Tim Seder vs. Cincinnati, 2000

The Cincinnati Bengals have visited Dallas five times in the past, with the Cowboys winning four of the games. In each of the four wins, the Cowboys have had some unexpected heroes lead the way. Below is a summary:

1973: Lee Roy Jordan’s Three Interceptions

The Cowboys sparked a three-game winning streak in 1973 with a 38-10 win over Cincinnati. Though Lee Roy Jordan was certainly a great leader on defense during his career, he seldom had a game like this one. His three first quarter picks of Ken Anderson set the tone for the game. Roger Staubach threw three touchdowns in the win.

1979: Day of the No-Name Defensive Backs

During the 1979 season, Randy Hughes, Aaron Mitchell, and Bruce Thornton combined for a total of four interceptions. Three of those picks came when the Bengals visited Dallas. Tony Dorsett had the big day on offense, rushing for 119 yards in a 38-13 Dallas win.

1988: (Um, Not Worth Mentioning)

The Cowboys lost their tenth straight to the Bengals in 1988 in front of a crowd of only 37,865. Fair to say that Jerry would not have a new stadium right now if the team had continued to have performances like this one. The two Dallas quarterbacks in the 38-24 loss: Steve Pelleur and Kevin Sweeney.

1991: Some Firsts for a Couple of Rookies

Most Cowboys fans remember linebacker Dixon Edwards, who was a rookie when Cincinnati visited Dallas in 1991. In the fourth quarter of the game, with Dallas leading by five, Edwards picked off a tipped Boomer Esiason and raced 36 yards for a touchdown to seal a 35-23 win. Edwards was filling in for starter Vinson Smith.

The other hero is not as familiar. On his first NFL carry, Ricky Blake raced 30 yards for a touchdown to give Dallas a 14-10 lead. Blake had played in the World League of American Football during the spring of 1991, and his touchdown run was one of only 15 carries he had during a brief NFL career.

2000: Tim Seder, Former High School Running Back

The Cowboys did not have too many highlights during the 2000 season, but the team’s 23-6 win over Cincinnati offered some relief from the pain of losing. Kicker Tim Seder did not help the cause by missing three field goals, but he did not hurt the effort when he took a handoff on a fake field goal and plunged for a one-yard touchdown. In modern football, we do not often see this in the box score: Tim Seder 1 yard rush (Tim Seder kick).

Also noteworthy about this game: it was Troy Aikman’s 13th and final 300-yard game. This is the team record that Tony Romo just tied.

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Far less interesting are the games when Dallas has visited Cincinnati. The Cowboys are just 1-3 during those games, with the only win coming in 1994 against a bad Cincinnati squad. The last meeting between the teams was in 2004, when the Bengals completely shut down the Cowboys in a 26-3 win.