The Cowboys’ game against the Philadelphia Eagles is in reality a playoff game, for a win means the Cowboys move forward while a loss means we start an even longer offseason than we’ve seen in quite a while.

The Cowboys have faced must-win situations in the final weeks of previous seasons, and usually with good results. Here is a summary.

1970: Win Over Houston Clinches the East

The Cowboys and Giants entered week 14 of the 1970 season with identical 9-4 records. A loss by the Cowboys to the Houston Oilers could have ended the season for Dallas, but the Cowboys routed Houston, 52-10. A win by the L.A. Rams over the Giants gave the Cowboys the Eastern Division title in the NFC, en route to the Cowboys’ first Super Bowl appearance.

1973: Cowboys Handle St. Louis To Pull Out Tiebreaker Over Washington

The 1973 Cowboys started the season 4-3 but rallied to post a 9-4 record heading into the final season. Dallas was tied with Washington, but a 30-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals secured the NFC East for Dallas.

1979: Roger Makes His Last Comeback Against Washington

Perhaps the most famous game on this list was the season finale between the Cowboys and Redskins, when Roger Staubach led the Cowboys to a come-from-behind 35-34 win to secure another NFC East title for the Cowboys of the 1970s.

1980: Cowboys Can’t Beat the Eagles Badly Enough

The Cowboys could have won the NFC East title in 1980 had they beaten the Eagles by at least 25 points in the season finale, thanks to the NFL tiebreaker rules at the time. The Cowboys only won by eight, giving the title to Philadelphia.

1984: Cowboys Miss the Playoffs Thanks to a Loss in Miami

The Cowboys had a 9-6 record heading into the final game in 1984 on Monday Night Football. A win would give the Cowboys yet another playoff berth, but thanks to a late touchdown pass from Dan Marino to Mark Clayton, the Dolphins ended the Cowboys’ season. It was the first time in the history of the Cowboys that they had to win to make the playoffs, but the result was a disappointing end to the 25th anniversary season (sound a bit familiar?)

1990: Babe Was Laughable in Finale Loss to the Falcons

The 7-8 Cowboys could have snuck into the 1990 playoffs with a win over Atlanta, but they were forced to start backup Babe Laufenberg due to an injury to Troy Aikman. Laufenberg was awful, and the playoff spot ended up going to New Orleans.

1993: Emmitt’s Heroism Helps Dallas to a Win at New York

The 1993 Cowboys would have made the playoffs with a loss to the Giants, but the road to Super Bowl XXVIII would have been much more difficult. Emmitt Smith overcame a dislocated shoulder to help Dallas pull out a 16-13 win.

1995: Cowboys Wrap Up Home Field Advantage with Win at Arizona

The Cowboys in 1995 were stalling as they headed into the stretch, but a big 37-13 win at Arizona gave Dallas momentum heading into the playoffs. It also clinched home field advantage over the San Francisco 49ers.

1999: Cowboys Beat Giants to Sneak Into the Playoffs

The 1999 Cowboys went from 3-0 front-runners to a 7-8 disappointment, but thanks to a series of losses by Green Bay and Carolina, the Cowboys were able to secure the final playoff spot with a 26-17 win over the Giants.

The win over the Giants was the last win that Dallas has had in a season finale. Since then…

2000: Lost to Tennessee, 31-0
2001: Lost to Detroit, 15-10
2002: Lost to Washington, 20-14 (Emmitt’s last game in Dallas)
2003: Lost to New Orleans, 13-7
2004: Lost to N.Y. Giants, 28-24
2005: Lost to St. Louis Rams, 20-10
2006: Lost to Detroit, 39-31
2007: Lost to Washington, 27-6

Annual Showing of the 1986 Christmas Video

It has been a couple of years since I posted the infamous 1986 Dallas Cowboys Christmas Video, but it continues to pop up now and then. Here is one of the clips featuring some classic players.

Here was the original post from September 23, 2006.