Niner Noise
FanSided

49ers history vs. Cowboys, whom they’ll face in Wild Card round

By Romelo Bracy

Wide receiver Dwight Clark of the San Francisco 49ers leaves a Dallas Cowboys defender in his dust after making "The Catch" (Photo by Arthur Anderson/Getty Images)
Wide receiver Dwight Clark of the San Francisco 49ers leaves a Dallas Cowboys defender in his dust after making "The Catch" (Photo by Arthur Anderson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
Steve Young, SF 49ers, Dallas Cowboys
San Francisco 49er quarterback Steve Young (#8) (JOHN MABANGLO/AFP via Getty Images) /

49ers vs. Cowboys: Battles in the 1990s

Cowboys win back-to-back NFC Championship games over 49ers

The next time the Niners would meet with the Cowboys in the playoffs would be 12 years later in the 1993 NFC Championship game. San Francisco hosted the game at Candlestick Park and was truly the top dog in the conference at the time.

Dallas dominated the line of scrimmage in a game with rain and muddy weather. Running back Emmitt Smith had 173 total yards in the game and added on two touchdowns as well. The Cowboys were in control for most of the game until 49ers quarterback Steve Young delivered a touchdown pass to wide receiver Jerry Rice, making the game 24-20.

But that would be the closest the Niners would get after Dallas continued to make big plays when the game mattered most. Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman delivered a 70-yard throw that would lead to a game-clinching touchdown.

San Francisco would turn the ball over a total of four times in this game to the Cowboys’ zero, which would ultimately lead to a 30-20 Cowboys victory.

The win would put Dallas back on top of the NFL as they went on to destroy the Buffalo Bills 52-17 in the Super Bowl.

Related Story: 10 most painful playoff losses in 49ers franchise history

The following year, the two teams would meet up yet again for the 1994 NFC Championship game, but this time, Dallas and its head coach Jimmy Johnson were supremely confident. Johnson would voice his opinions on how the matchup would go to a local radio show, guaranteeing a win in the game. The announcement would make national headlines, and his players were behind him 100 percent, and that showed in the game.

This affair is certainly the least dramatic of the NFC Championship matchups, as Dallas jumped out to an early 28-7 lead and never looked back. Dallas would go on to defeat the Niners 38-21 and their second straight Super Bowl victory, beating Buffalo yet again.

49ers get their vengeance vs. Cowboys in 1995

Last but certainly not least was the 1995 NFC Championship game against the Cowboys.

Dallas was coming off two straight Super Bowl victories. Not only that but two straight conference championship victories over San Francisco, which struggled immensely in the two previous meetings.

The 49ers wanted revenge on the field for the previous matchups, and revenge is what they got. The two Goliath teams would meet for a third installment to show their dominance to the league one last time.

The Niners would be the ones who came out swinging in this one, jumping out to a 21-0 lead. Although they claimed the early lead, the Cowboys would not go out without a fight, and they would bring the game within two possessions several times, but San Francisco seemingly always had an answer.

Young would finally reach the pinnacle of winning a Super Bowl after defeating Dallas 38-24 in the 1994 season while also claiming the league MVP.