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The Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams vs. Dallas Cowboys series dates back to 1960. Since then, the Rams and Cowboys have squared off 31 times; eight of which were postseason games. The Rams currently trail the Cowboys in the all-time series, 16-15. This Sunday’s matchup - in St. Louis - will provide the Rams with an opportunity to even the score.
In terms of regular season play, the Rams trail 11-12, having been dealt losses - in pretty embarrassing fashion - in the their last two meetings. And - save for the 2013 loss in AT&T Stadium - the Rams and Cowboys had traded wins and losses consecutively dating back to 1986.
In 1960, when the team’s first met, the Rams were entering their 23rd year in the NFL. They’d finish that season with a record of 4-7-1 [nice, another tie], and finish ahead of only one other team in the Western Conference...the Dallas Cowboys.
For the Cowboys, 1960 marked the franchise’s first year in the NFL. Head Coach Tom Landry and the Cowboys would finish 0-11-1 in their inaugural year. That tie, however, wasn’t a result of their matchup with the Rams. They actually tied the New York Giants - in Yankee Stadium - with a final score of 31-31 in Week 11. Interestingly enough, the Cowboys bye week was Week 13...the final week of the regular season.
For a closer look at the Rams/Cowboys series, visit the chart below. The "Result" column provides links to Game Logs from Pro Football Reference:
|
Year
|
Result
|
Game Site
|
|
1960
|
Dallas, TX
|
|
|
1962
|
Los Angeles, CA
|
|
|
1967
|
Dallas, TX
|
|
|
1969
|
Los Angeles, CA
|
|
|
1971
|
Irving, TX
|
|
|
1973
|
Los Angeles, CA
|
|
|
1973*
|
Irving, TX
|
|
|
1975
|
Irving, TX
|
|
|
1976‡
|
Los Angeles, CA
|
|
|
1976*
|
Irving, TX
|
|
|
1978
|
Los Angeles, CA
|
|
|
1979‡
|
Los Angeles, CA
|
|
|
1979
|
Irving, TX
|
|
|
1979*
|
Irving, TX
|
|
|
1980
|
Anaheim, CA
|
|
|
1980†
|
Irving, TX
|
|
|
1981
|
Irving, TX
|
|
|
1983†
|
Irving, TX
|
|
|
1984
|
Anaheim, CA
|
|
|
1986*
|
Anaheim, CA
|
|
|
1986
|
Anaheim, CA
|
|
|
1987
|
Anaheim, CA
|
|
|
1989
|
Irving, TX
|
|
|
1990
|
Anaheim, CA
|
|
|
1992
|
Irving, TX
|
|
|
2002
|
St. Louis, MO
|
|
|
2006
|
Irving, TX
|
|
|
2007
|
Irving, TX
|
|
|
2008
|
St. Louis, Mo
|
|
|
2011
|
Irving, TX
|
|
|
2013
|
Irving, TX
|
* - NFC Divisional Playoff Game
† - NFC Wildcard Game
‡ - NFC Championship Game
The two teams faced off for the first time in postseason play in 1973. You remember that year, right? A year that kicked off with the Rams drafting Fred Dryer in the 1st round, and Jack
Youngblood in the 2nd. Well, to clarify, the selected Youngblood with the 42nd pick...AFTER they drafted QB Ron Jaworski 37th overall. Hmhmm...
Jaws wouldn’t play a factor in the Rams vs. Cowboys first ever playoff matchup [and not much longer with the team], which was played on December 23, 1973. Having not been around I’ll have to rely on this quick synopsis of the game [from Wikipedia], which was called by Frank Glieber, Pat Summerall and Bart Starr:
The Cowboys avenged a 37–31 regular season loss to L.A. as two Rams turnovers in the first quarter gave the Cowboys a 14–0 lead. Lee Roy Jordan's interception of a John Hadl pass on the first play of the game led to Calvin Hill's 3-yard touchdown run. Mel Renfro then recovered a Lawrence McCutcheon fumble on the L.A. 35-yard line to set up the Cowboys again which later resulted in Drew Pearson's 4-yard touchdown reception. Toni Fritsch then added a 39-yard field goal to increase Dallas' lead by 17. But the Rams were able to cut the Cowboys lead 17–16 by the fourth quarter with David Ray's 3 field goals and Tony Baker's 5-yard rushing touchdown and a relentless pass rush that sacked Staubach seven times (2½ by Jack Youngblood, 2 by Merlin Olsen). However, quarterback Roger Staubach threw a short pass over the middle to Drew Pearson, and as the Rams were about to stop Pearson for a short gain, defensive backs Dave Elmendorf and Steve Preece collided and fell, allowing Pearson to scamper untouched for an 83-yard touchdown that effectively clinched the game. Fritsch added another field goal for the 27–16 final.
The Cowboys avenged a 37–31 regular season loss to L.A. as two Rams turnovers in the first quarter gave the Cowboys a 14–0 lead. Lee Roy Jordan's interception of a John Hadl pass on the first play of the game led to Calvin Hill's 3-yard touchdown run. Mel Renfro then recovered a Lawrence McCutcheon fumble on the L.A. 35-yard line to set up the Cowboys again which later resulted in Drew Pearson's 4-yard touchdown reception. Toni Fritsch then added a 39-yard field goal to increase Dallas' lead by 17. But the Rams were able to cut the Cowboys lead 17–16 by the fourth quarter with David Ray's 3 field goals and Tony Baker's 5-yard rushing touchdown and a relentless pass rush that sacked Staubach seven times (2½ by Jack Youngblood, 2 by Merlin Olsen). However, quarterback Roger Staubach threw a short pass over the middle to Drew Pearson, and as the Rams were about to stop Pearson for a short gain, defensive backs Dave Elmendorf and Steve Preece collided and fell, allowing Pearson to scamper untouched for an 83-yard touchdown that effectively clinched the game. Fritsch added another field goal for the 27–16 final.
The team’s wouldn’t meet again - just a few year’s later - in the 1976 NFC Championship game. The aforementioned Jaworski was attempting to lead the 12-2 Rams to the Super Bowl, and only the 10-4 Cowboys - with Roger Staubach at the helm - stood in their way. The result couldn’t have been less desirable if you were a Rams’ fan...
Staubach - putting up respectable passing numbers even in 2014 - went for 220 yards and four TD’s on the day. Jaworski went 11 of 22 for 147 yards. He also threw two interceptions on the day. The Rams trailed 34-0 heading into the final frame.
As an aside, Landry, Staubach, and Co. would go on to lose to the Steelers in Super Bowl X [17-21]. You didn’t have to be alive to watch that game to remember this...
As an aside, Landry, Staubach, and Co. would go on to lose to the Steelers in Super Bowl X [17-21]. You didn’t have to be alive to watch that game to remember this...
But that’s enough of the Rams’ losses in the playoffs. Later in that same calendar year, the Rams and Cowboys faced off again, in another divisional game. They did so in rather odd fashion...
Late in the first half of the game, Cowboys’ safety Charlie Waters blocked a Rams punt, ultimately leading to a Cowboys 1-yd rushing TD; giving them the 10-7 lead heading into the half. After a scoreless third period, Rams’ kicker, Tom Dempsey, attempted [and made] what would’ve been the game-tying field goal. There was a running into the kicker penalty on the play, though, and Rams’ head coach Chuck Knox opted to the take the first down over the points. A few plays later, Rams’ RB Lawrence McCutcheon scored on a 1-yd run, giving the Rams the 14-10 lead. After a scoreless third quarter, Staubach was leading a late game rally. The Rams’ defense was up to the challenge, holding the Cowboys’ QB to one yard on 4th and 2 late in the fourth quarter. The Rams took over on their own 8-yd line. After taking three consecutive knees, the Rams found themselves in 4th and 14 with seconds remaining in the game. Rams’ punter Rusty Jackson would then step out of the end zone - taking a safety - and ending the game. The Rams were heading to the NFC Championship following their 14-12 win.
They two teams would meet again twice in 1979. The first marked the end to the 1978 season, as the Rams and Cowboys met [for the second time] in the NFC Championship game. It ended as embarrassingly as the their first NFC Championship game in 1976, as the Rams were held scoreless in a 28-0 affair.
After pummeling the Minnesota Vikings [34-10] in the divisional game [unlike the result of their 2014 matchup], the Rams - who had won the West - hosted the Cowboys in the NFC Championship game at the Coliseum. Both teams entered halftime scoreless. The Cowboys would go on to force five second half turnovers, and went on to score 28 unanswered points.
As an aside [and yay for you if you’re a Steelers’ fan who’s stumbled in], the Cowboys would go on again to lose in the Super Bowl [XIII] to Pittsburgh [35-31].
Despite the crushing blow the Rams sustained earlier that year [1979] in the Championship game, the Rams would go on to finish 9-7 in the regular season that followed. That’d be good enough to make the playoffs and, as luck would have it, they’d once again be facing a Cowboys team that was beginning to show a consistency in beating them in postseason play.
What may have seemed ominous, got on the scoreboard first by sacking Rams’ QB Vince Ferragamo. He’d dust himself off though, scoring two passing TD’s in the 2nd quarter [32 yards to RB Wendell Tyler, and 43 yards to Ron Smith shortly before the half], providing the Rams with some momentum heading into the locker room for halftime.
Hall-of-Famer Roger Staubach again rallied his team, scoring 14 unanswered points in the 2nd half. The Cowboys lead 19-14, with about two minutes left to play. Rams’ QB Vince Ferragamo, with the Rams at midfield, found WR Billy Waddy on a crossing route...and Waddy did the rest of the work, trotting 50 yards for the score. That TD put the Rams up 21-19, which effectively ended the game, and season for the Cowboys.