50 Seasons Series: ’66 Cowboys Clinch the Eastern Conference

The 1966 Dallas Cowboys did not fly through the second half of the season as they did during the first half, but the team’s 5-2 finish was enough to give Dallas a 10-3-1 record. Thanks to the Cardinals losing their final three games, the Cowboys walked away with the Eastern Conference title and a date in the NFL Championship Game against the Packers.

Week 8: Philadelphia 24, Dallas 23

The Cowboys’ special teams let the team down in a 24-23 loss to the Eagles. Philadelphia’s Timmy Brown returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, and Aaron Martin returned a punt for yet another touchdown. Martin’s score gave the Eagles the lead for good. Philadelphia only managed 80 total yards in the Eagle win.

Eagles Clip Cowboys (Dallas Morning News) | Box Score (Pro-Football-Reference)

Week 9: Dallas 31, Washington 30

In a wild one at Washington, Danny Villanueva’s 20-yard field goal gave Dallas a 31-30 win over the Redskins. Don Meredith engineered a drive that put the Cowboys in position to win the game. Here is the Dallas Morning News description:

With 1:10 remaining and the Cowboys backed to their 3-yard line by a

freakish punt, Meredith took them to glory in six plays, each one like

having your fingernails pulled out.

First he hit Pete Gent for 26; But the Cowboys had no timeouts remaining

and Gent couldn’t get to the side line. Okay, so Meredith stopped the

clock himself, first gaining 12 yards on a roll around right end. Now 59

seconds separated Dallas from oblivion, the Cowboys still 60 yards away.

Walt Garrison got a yard with a swing pass. Bui he did manage to get out

of bounds. Then Meredith hit Gent at the Redskin 33. Meredith ran for

another six, which not only stopped the clock but Gent at the Redskin

33. Meredith ran for another six, which not only stopped the clock but

cost Washington 15 yards when Redskin linebacker John Reger took a late

shot at Meredith.

With that done, Meredith retired to the side lines and hid his eyes

while Villanueva kicked the winning field goal.

Meredith finished with 406 passing yards. Bob Hayes established a team record with 246 receiving yards.

Dandy Don Marches Cowboys to Glory (Dallas Morning News) | Box Score (Pro-Football-Reference)

Week 10: Dallas 20, Pittsburgh 7

Don Meredith rushed for one touchdown and threw for another in a 20-7 win over the Steelers. The Cowboy defense was once again dominant, holding Pittsburgh to 163 total yards. The win gave Dallas 7 in 1966, which matched the team record for wins set in 1965. More importantly, the victory moved Dallas back into a first-place tie with the Cardinals.

Cowboys Power Past Steelers, 20-7 (Dallas Morning News) | Box Score (Pro-Football-Reference)

Week 11: Dallas 26, Cleveland 14

The Browns did not spoil the Cowboys’ first Thanksgiving Day game. Dallas overcame a 14-13 halftime deficit by shutting down the Browns in the second half of a 26-14 Dallas win. Don Perkins rushed for 111 yards and scored the final touchdown that put the game out of reach.

Happiness Is Cranberried Browns! (Dallas Morning News) | Box Score (Pro-Football-Reference)

Week 12: Dallas 31, St. Louis 17

In one of the biggest games in franchise history up to that point, the Cowboys (8-2-1) faced the Cardinals (8-2-1) with the lead in the Eastern Conference at stake. The winner would have a huge one-game lead with only two games remaining.

Tom Landry’s strategy for winning:

We’re going to have to hold them under 20 points and score more than

20. They’re going to score on us. This is too big a game for a shutout.

We’re going to have to run the ball and make the big plays offensively,

and our defense is going to have to control them . . . .

The plan worked. Although St. Louis outgained Dallas 295 to 190, the Cardinals turned the ball over five times and scored fewer than 20 points. Don Perkins scored twice, and Dan Reeves and Bob Hayes also added scores for the Cowboys.

Cowboys Keep Cards in Fog, 31-17 (Dallas Morning News) | Box Score (Pro-Football-Reference)

Week 13: Washington 34, Dallas 31

Charley Gogalak of the Redskins kicked a 29-yard field goal with only four seconds left to give Washington a 34-31 win. Don Meredith only managed 47 yards passing before being knocked out of the game. Craig Morton and Jerry Rhome alternated for the rest of the game.

The Cowboys had a chance to win this one. With the score tied at 17 in the fourth quarter. Dan Reeves scored on a 67-yard touchdown run. After the Redskins answered, the Cowboys again took the lead on a Don Perkins’ TD run. However, Sonny Jurgensen hit Charley Taylor on a 65-yard touchdown pass, and the Redskins had enough time left to set up Gogolak’s game-winning field goal, shown below.

(The Dallas player to the right is safety Mike Gaechter).

Even with the loss, the Cowboys could do no worse than tie St. Louis thanks to the Cardinals’ 16-10 loss to the expansion Falcons.

Cowboys Cinch Title Tie in 34-31 Loss (Dallas Morning News) | Box Score (Pro-Football-Reference)


Week 14: Dallas 17, New York 7

The Cardinals lost to the Browns earlier in the day, so the Cowboys had already wrapped up the Eastern Conference when Dallas faced the Giants. Don Meredith sat out, leaving the QB duties to Craig Morton and Jerry Rhome. George Andrie scored a touchdown by returning his only career interception six yards for a score. The 17-7 win by Dallas was far less impressive than the team’s 52-7 win to open the season, but the 10-3-1 record was the best in franchise history.