One of the main reasons Philadelphia Eagles supporters despise battles against the Dallas Cowboys is the less-than-spectacular 56-74-0 all-time mark over 126 regular season battles against the main NFC East rival. The 1-3 postseason record against the iconic giant blue Cowboys star doesn’t help much with a three-game winless streak in the playoffs dating back to 1981. But we will get to all of that in about 1,000 words.
The first “Dallas Week” of the 2024 NFL regular season occurs in Week 10 with a road matchup for the Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) against the Dallas Cowboys (3-5) at AT&T Stadium. After last season’s collapse after the 10-1 start, the Eagles’ 75% win percentage in 2024 feels like a mirage that hasn’t fully disappeared yet. Philly can deal a significant blow to the Dallas Cowboys’ season by sending them to their fourth straight loss.
Okay – that’s enough about the current matchup. This piece is historical … like Super Bowl LII and the Philly Special! So, let’s take a trip into the time machine as we look at the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys rivalry from their first meeting in 1960 until the end of the millennium in 1999. We will hop into the “way back machine” for the remaining 24 years of this intense NFC East rivalry from 2000-2024 before the Week 17 home matchup at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
It Started Well Against Dallas in the 1960s
Before celebrating another NFL Championship in 1960, Philadelphia enjoyed a closely contested 27-25 win over their future divisional arch-nemesis at the Cotton Bowl. On September 30, 1960, Philly’s defense devoured Cowboys signal caller Eddie LeBaron with five interceptions in their first appearance at the Cotton Bowl. Combo-Outside linebacker/Guard Chuck Weber grabbed three interceptions which was half of his total for the entire 1960 Championship campaign.
The defending NFL-title-holding Eagles swept the two-game season series in 1961 before dropping their first road contest in Texas in the 1962 season. Between 1960 and 1967, the Eagles won 12 of the first 16 contests in the series.
Philly won four of the first six meetings in Dallas before embarking on a decade-long losing streak. That would become an unfortunate theme in this retrospective as the Eagles’ road winning percentage against the Cowboys all-time is 36% with 24 wins and 43 losses in 67 games.
Dallas Dominates Philly as Disco Rules Supreme
The 1970s brought a funky new sound to the world and a brand new dynasty to the gridiron. The Tom Landry-led Dallas Cowboys walked away victorious in 105 football battles with five trips to the Super Bowl and two Lombardi trophies celebrations in 1971 and 1977. Much to the chagrin of Eagles supporters, Philly became a regular season punching bag for the Dallas Cowboys during the decade.
In 22 games between 1968 to 1978, Philadelphia went 2-20. Over the decade, the Eagles were 2-9 at home and winless on the road (0-11). At least the home wins in 1973 and 1974 had the 700 level of Veteran Stadium enjoying the sweet taste of victory against Dallas for a brief period. Otherwise, it was a whole lot of season series sweeps inspiring a generation of Eagles fans to loathe the Cowboys logo.
Ron Jaworksi Brings Respectability Back to Rivalry
In March 1977, Philadelphia and Los Angeles swapped a pair of disgruntled athletes with Charlie Young heading to the West Coast in exchange for Ron Jaworski. With his first opportunity at a starting NFL job, Jaworski brought an instant threat for Philadelphia to take down the Dallas Cowboys any time they matched up between 1977 and 1985.
It would take Jaworski and the Eagles a few seasons to break the extended losing streak to Dallas at nine games between 1974 and 1978. In 1979, Ron Jaworski connected with Harold Carmichael on two touchdown scores in a 31-21 road win over the Roger Staubach-led Cowboys ending the losing skid before it reached double digits (again).
Eagles Lone Playoff Win over Cowboys Occurs in 1981
The Philadelphia Eagles scored a 17-10 victory in the only meeting between the teams in the 1980 season. Ron Jaworksi completed 13-of-24 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns including a fourth-quarter score that untied a 10-10 draw at the Vet. The next meeting between the clubs is a memory that some lucky Philly fans still cherish.
Philadelphia’s single playoff victory against Dallas also came in their lone home playoff contest with their Southern enemy. On a bitterly cold day with single-digit temperatures and gusty winds, Wilbert Montgomery and the Eagles emerged victorious in a 20-7 win in the 1980 NFC Championship Game. Montgomery rushed 26 times for 194 yards in the playoff win. The elements caused major issues for the Cowboys who lost 3–of-5 fumbles, while the Eagles recovered all for loose footballs they dropped off the frozen artificial carpet at Veterans Stadium in the win.
The 1980 season would end on a bitter note as the Oakland Raiders defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10, during Super Bowl XV in New Orleans a few weeks later. Oakland scored two first-quarter touchdowns and never looked back on the way to the second Super Bowl win in franchise history.
Eagles Show Some Talons Starting in 1987
Following the 1980 NFC Championship game, the series pendulum swung back in favor of the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles were 2-8 over their next 10 games against Dallas between 1981 and 1986. Things started to turn around during the 1987 season. Philly was blown out by Dallas, 41-22, in Week 4 of the season and all seemed normal in the NFL world.
However, the Eagles earned revenge in a 37-20 home win scoring their second win on a tough start to the 1987 season. That win at Veterans Stadium in October 1987 started a streak of Eagles wins not seen around Philadelphia football in over 20 years. The Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Dallas Cowboys with eight straight wins and a 9-1 record between 1987 and 1991.
Troy Aikman Out-duels Randall Cunningham in the 1992 Playoffs
The legendary combination of Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith was too much for the Eagles to stop during the 1992 NFC Divisional Playoffs. Philly launched the opposing score on a 32-yard field goal from Roger Ruzek before Dallas scored six unanswered drives opening up a 34-3 advantage in the third quarter. Emmitt Smith totaled 114 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Troy Aikman was 15-for-25 for 200 yards with two touchdowns. Eagles QB Randall Cunningham was sacked 5 times while Philly’s offense was limited to just 178 total yards in the playoff loss.
Of course, it was dark days in Philadelphia when the Dallas Cowboys claimed multiple NFL championships between 1992 and 1995. Dallas secured their third Super Bowl in 1992 with a 52-17 win over the Buffalo Bills at Super Bowl XXVII before repeating as champs in 1993 with another dominant win over the Bills at Super Bowl XXVIII. Dallas lost on the road to eventual Super Bowl XXIX champion San Francisco in the 1994 NFC Championship.
Aikman Dominates the Eagles Again in the 1995 Postseason
The Eagles and Randall Cunningham had a chance for revenge from the 1992 Divisional contest with a rematch entering the 1995 NFL playoff scene. This time Dallas only needed five unanswered scoring drives for Aikman and his crew. to dispatch their northern NFC East rival. A few weeks later, Dallas claimed their third NFL title in four seasons with a 27-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Super Bowl XXX.
The Eagles and Cowboys would essentially trade home wins and road losses for the remaining part of the 1990s. Andy Reid arrived in 1999 and split the season series in his first experience with the Philadelphia-Dallas rivalry. Coach Reid and Donovan McNabb found success against the Cowboys… but that’s a story for the end of the year and Week 17’s home game at the Linc between these two bitter NFC East foes. We’ll chat then.
The Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) and the Dallas Cowboys (3-5) collide for the 127th time in the NFL regular season history on Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
