Cowboys countdown to kickoff: Top 100 iconic games – Day 19

It is Day 19 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff. We are looking back at the 100 most iconic games in Dallas Cowboys history. The countdown will leads us right up to the opening game of 2026. Our look back doesn’t depend on just one criteria for our rankings. We take into consideration things like how big the game was for the organization, how memorable the game was, games that had unusual events take place, games that are a part of NFL lore, Cowboys firsts, and games where the Cowboys just plain dominated. Variety is the spice of life and we have all different kind of Cowboys games to review. At the bottom, we’ll link each day of the countdown so you can go back and check out any you missed.

It’s now Day 19 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff, when we revisit one of the most dominant postseason performances of the Tom Landry era. One week after surviving Minnesota through the original Hail Mary, the Cowboys travelled to Los Angeles and overwhelmed the heavily favored Rams to capture the NFC championship and advance to Super Bowl X.

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Sunday, January 4, 1976

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 37, Los Angeles Rams 7

Dallas had missed the playoffs in 1974 and entered the 1975 postseason as a wild-card team after finishing 10-4. Los Angeles went 12-2, possessed the NFL’s top-ranked scoring and total defense, and had home-field advantage at the Coliseum. None of those advantages mattered once the Cowboys began turning Rams mistakes into points. 

The tone was established immediately. Linebacker D.D. Lewis intercepted James Harris’ first pass and gave Dallas possession inside Los Angeles territory. Roger Staubach capitalized by throwing an 18-yard screen pass to Preston Pearson for the opening touchdown. Staubach later found Golden Richards from four yards out, giving the Cowboys a 14-0 first-quarter lead. 

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Dallas continued applying pressure before halftime. Pearson made a diving 15-yard touchdown reception for his second score of the afternoon, extending the lead to 21-0. Against a Rams defense that had been the league’s best throughout the regular season, the Cowboys had scored touchdowns on three of their most important early opportunities. 

Any possibility of a Los Angeles comeback disappeared after the break. Staubach used a shovel pass to Pearson for a 19-yard touchdown, giving Pearson three receiving scores and pushing the margin to 28-0. Toni Fritsch then converted field goals from 40 and 26 yards as Dallas built a remarkable 34-point advantage. 

The Rams finally reached the end zone during the fourth quarter when John Cappelletti scored on a one-yard run. Fritsch answered with another 26-yard field goal to complete the scoring. Los Angeles had entered expecting to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, but Dallas never allowed the game to become competitive. 

This game belongs on the countdown because it captured Landry’s Cowboys operating at their most complete. Staubach controlled the game, Pearson supplied the explosive plays and the Doomsday Defense erased one of the NFC’s strongest teams. Dallas did not merely win a conference championship on the road, it dismantled the conference’s top seed by 30 points.