Cowboys–Rams rivalry
Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Rams
| |
| First meeting | November 6, 1960 Rams 38, Cowboys 6 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | October 29, 2023 Cowboys 43, Rams 20 |
| Next meeting | TBD |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 38 |
| Largest victory | Cowboys, 37–7 (1975) Rams, 38–13 (1960) |
| Current win streak | Cowboys, 2 (2022–present) |
| Post–season history | |
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The Cowboys–Rams rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Rams.
As the Cowboys play in the NFC East and the Rams in the NFC West, both teams do not play every year; instead, they play at least once every three years and at least once every six seasons at each team's home stadium due to the NFL's rotating division schedules during which their respective divisions are paired up, sometimes more often if the two teams meet in the playoffs, or have a common position finish in their respective divisions. The rivalry between the two teams peaked during the 1970s and early-to-mid 1980s, during which they met eight times in the playoffs, with each team winning four.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
History
[edit]The rivalry between the Cowboys and Rams started once Dallas joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1960. They were one of the first two teams to conduct joint practices during the preseason. Initially, the rivalry became a friendly one owing to the friendship between Rams owner Dan Reeves and Cowboys executive Tex Schramm. However, the feud intensified after Schramm accused Rams head coach George Allen of sending a spy to a Cowboys practice, to which Allen countered by arguing that the Cowboys put a scout atop a tree to spy on the Rams.[7][8]
The Cowboys and Rams faced each other in the playoffs for the first time in 1973. Dallas was coached by Tom Landry, and featured Roger Staubach as the quarterback and the Doomsday Defense led by Hall of Famer Bob Lilly. The Rams, coached by Chuck Knox, featured defensive stalwarts in Jack Youngblood and Merlin Olsen. In that first meeting, the Cowboys prevailed 27–16 at Texas Stadium in the NFC Divisional Round.[9] Two seasons later, the two teams met in the NFC championship game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Despite entering the game as heavy favorites, the Rams lost in a blowout at home, 37–7, sending the Cowboys to their third Super Bowl appearance.[9] However, the Rams returned the favor in the 1976 divisional round, winning a close 14–12 decision in Dallas. It was also the Rams' first road playoff victory.[9]
As was the case in 1975, the 1978 NFC championship game resulted in a blowout victory for the Cowboys on the road, winning 28–0 and clinched the team's fifth Super Bowl appearance. The Cowboys lost both of those games to the Pittsburgh Steelers.[9] But in a similar fashion to 1976, the Rams bounced back in a chippy low-scoring encounter, winning the 1979 divisional round 21–19 in Dallas. In that game, Rams quarterback Vince Ferragamo threw three touchdown passes, the last of which gave the Rams the lead for good. This game was also notable as it marked the final game of Roger Staubach's career. The Rams eventually advance to their first Super Bowl, but lost to the Steelers.[8] The two teams met in the playoffs for a third consecutive time, this time in the 1980 Wild Card round. In that game, the Cowboys routed the Rams at home, winning 34–13.[9]
The 1980s saw a Cowboys team in transition, now featuring Danny White as its starting quarterback. Meanwhile, the Rams drafted running back Eric Dickerson in the 1983 NFL draft and quickly became the face of the franchise. The next two playoff meetings resulted in Rams victories. In the 1983 Wild Card round, the Rams stunned the heavily favored Cowboys 24–17 in Dallas, with White committing three interceptions. Then in the 1985 divisional round, Dickerson rushed for a playoff record 248 yards and two touchdowns as the Rams shut out the Cowboys 20–0 in Anaheim Stadium. The game marked Tom Landry's final playoff game as Cowboys head coach, as well as the final NFL playoff game in Anaheim (the Rams moved there in 1980).[9]
The rivalry became dormant over the next two decades. While the Cowboys became a Super Bowl dynasty in the 1990s and remained a relevant franchise in subsequent years, the Rams struggled with nine consecutive losing seasons, during which the team relocated to St. Louis in 1995.[10] The Rams eventually won Super Bowl XXXIV in 1999 behind The Greatest Show on Turf trio of Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, and Isaac Bruce, but it also coincided with the decline of the Cowboys' Super Bowl-winning core featuring Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith. In 2002, the Cowboys met the Rams for the first time since the latter's move to St. Louis; it was also their first meeting overall since 1992, a 27–23 Rams win on the road.[8] In Dallas' first visit to Edward Jones Dome, the Cowboys prevailed 13–10.[11] The Cowboys made two more visits to St. Louis in 2008 and 2014, splitting those meetings.
After the 2015 season, the Rams returned to Los Angeles, and gradually reemerged as a Super Bowl contender.[12][13][14] In 2018, the Rams and Cowboys met in the playoffs for the first time since 1985. In the divisional round, the Rams prevailed 30–22 and went on to play in Super Bowl LIII in a losing cause to the New England Patriots. The game marked the Cowboys' final visit to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.[15] The 2020 season saw the Rams move to SoFi Stadium, and on September 13, the stadium hosted its first-ever game with the Cowboys as the visiting team. The Rams won 20–17.[16]
Season-by-season results
[edit]| Dallas Cowboys vs. St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams season-by-season results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1960s (Rams, 3–1)
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1970s (Cowboys, 6–4)
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1980s (Rams, 5–4)
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1990s (Tied, 1–1)
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2000s (Tied, 2–2)
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2010s (Cowboys, 4–2)
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2020s (Cowboys, 2–1)
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Summary of results
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See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ DaSilva, Cameron (January 7, 2019). "Rams and Cowboys have lengthy playoff history, but none this century". Rams Wire. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ Duffley, John (January 11, 2019). "The Cowboys-Rams Playoff History is Long, But Plenty Has Changed in 33 Years". FanBuzz. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ Strawn, Michael (January 9, 2019). "The Cowboys and the Rams are set to revive a storied playoff rivalry". Blogging The Boys. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ "Cowboys, Rams to meet for ninth time in playoffs, most in NFL history". NBC Sports. January 12, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ "The Cowboys and Rams have a deep playoff history. Here's how it has gone down". Star Telegram. January 12, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ go rams (January 18, 2019). "The Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Rams: The Professor's playoff history course". SB Nation. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ^ Dijo Songco (May 19, 2020). "Los Angeles Rams' top 5 rivals of all time, ranked". Clutch Points. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ^ a b c Gary Klein (September 27, 2017). "There's a lot of history between the Rams and Cowboys, and Sunday's matchup stirs memories". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f go rams (January 18, 2019). "The Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Rams: The Professor's playoff history course". SB Nation. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ^ "NFL's Rams announce move to St. Louis | January 17, 1995". HISTORY. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
- ^ Brandon Bate (August 25, 2012). "A Brief Look Into History: St. Louis Rams vs. Dallas Cowboys course". SB Nation. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ^ "California love: Rams head back to L.A. for '16". ESPN.com. January 13, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
- ^ Schilling, Dave (September 19, 2016). "After 22 years, the Rams are back in LA. Was it worth the wait?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
- ^ "Move still to come, but team is officially the Los Angeles Rams". ESPN.com. January 14, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
- ^ David Howman (September 9, 2020). "Know your history: The Cowboys-Rams matchup". SB Nation. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ^ "Rams open SoFi Stadium in style with 20-17 win over Cowboys". CBS Sports. Associated Press. September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2021.