This post is part of the 50 Seasons in 50 Weeks Series.
1982 Playoffs
First Round: Dallas 30, Tampa Bay 17
For the second consecutive year, the Cowboys faced Tampa Bay in the playoffs. Tampa had rebounded from an 0-3 start (including a loss to Dallas) to finish at 5-4. The Cowboys in the meantime had lost momentum down the stretch.
Tampa Bay took a 10-6 lead in the game thanks to a fumble return by 60-yard Hugh Green. Dallas regained the lead by halftime, but the Buccaneers once again moved ahead, thanks to a 49-yard touchdown pass from Doug Williams to Gordon Jones.
Early in the fourth quarter, rookie defensive back Monty “Big Game” Hunter made the only significant play of his short Dallas career when he intercepted a Doug Williams pass and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown (see the clip above; Hunter is #34).
The Cowboys put the game away later in the quarter when Danny White hit Timmy Newsome on a 10-yard touchdown pass. Here it is:
White was suffering from an infected tooth and also injured his hand during the game. However, he managed to complete 27 of 45 passes for 312 yards. The Dallas defense held Tampa Bay to 218 total yards.
Second Round: Dallas 37, Green Bay 26
In the first playoff matchup between Dallas and Green Bay since the Ice Bowl in 1967, the Cowboys led for much of the contest. However, Green Bay continued to come back, and Dallas could not put the game away until Robert Newhouse scored with less than two minutes remaining.
Green Bay had 466 total yards, including 308 net passing yards. Dallas countered with a strong effort by Tony Hill (7 rec., 142 yds.) and Tony Dorsett (27 carries, 99 yards). Both teams had interception returns for touchdowns.
With the win, the Cowboys advanced to their 10th NFC Championship Game in 13 years. It would be their last, of course, for the next decade.
Playoff Drought
The Cowboys’ 37-26 win over the Packers marked the Cowboys’ last playoff win under Tom Landry. Dallas would not win another playoff game until nine years later. Who could imagine a longer drought?
We can. Right now.
Years Between Playoff Wins
3. 7 years: 1960-1967
Dallas did not win a playoff game until after the 1967 postseason, when the Cowboys beat the Browns in the game that preceded the Ice Bowl.
2. 9 years: 1982-1991
Dallas lost to the Rams in the Cowboys’ only two remaining playoff games during the 1980s. The Cowboys did not manage another playoff win until Dallas beat Chicago in the 1991 playoffs.
1. 13 years: 1996-present.
And, of course, counting.
