Cowboys–Eagles rivalry

Dallas Cowboys–Philadelphia Eagles
Regular season history
First meeting	September 30, 1960
First result	Philadelphia Eagles 27, Dallas Cowboys 25
Latest meeting	October 30, 2011
Latest result	Philadelphia Eagles 34, Dallas Cowboys 7
Next meeting	December 24, 2011
Rivalry status	101 meetings
Current streak	Philadelphia Eagles (1 win)
All-time series	Dallas Cowboys lead 56-45
Post season history
Last meeting	January 9, 2010 (NFC Wild Card Playoff)
Last result	Dallas Cowboys 34, Philadelphia Eagles 14
All-time postseason series	Dallas Cowboys lead 3–1
Championship Success
History of NFL Championships (8) Dallas Cowboys (5) – 1971, 1977, 1992, 1993, 1995 (All Super Bowls) Philadelphia Eagles (3) – 1948, 1949, 1960 (No Super Bowls) NFL Divisional Championships (31) Dallas Cowboys (20) – 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1985, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2007, 2009 Philadelphia Eagles (12) – 1947, 1948, 1949, 1960, 1980, 1988, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2010 Super Bowl appearances (10) Dallas Cowboys (8) – 1970, 1971, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1992, 1993, 1995 Philadelphia Eagles (2) – 1980, 2004

The Cowboys–Eagles rivalry is a sports rivalry between two professional American football teams in the National Football League (NFL), the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles. The rivalry has been one of the higher profile rivalries in the NFL over the past three decades, characterized by bitterly contested games that are typical of the NFC East.

Notable Moments

• 1980 NFC Championship Game, January 11, 1981 - After more than a decade of losing to the Dallas Cowboys in all but three games from 1967-1979, the Eagles finished first in the NFC East in 1980 due to tie-breaking procedures (both teams 12-4 and splitting the meetings between each other, but the Eagles having scored more points) and thus claimed the number one overall seed. The 1980 NFC Championship was also called the "Blue Jersey Game", on the account that the Eagles, having the choice as the home team, made the Cowboys wear their seemingly cursed blue jerseys (a stigma that dated back to Super Bowl V). To the cheers of a roaring Veterans Stadium crowd, the Eagles defeated the Cowboys 20-7.

• The 1987 NFL Season - With many of the Cowboys players crossing the picket line during the strike, Dallas humiliated the replacement-laden Eagles, 41-22, with a reverse for a touchdown in Week 4. Two weeks later, Eagles coach Buddy Ryan had his heart set on revenge. With little time remaining and the Eagles up by ten, Randall Cunningham faked a kneel down and tossed a long pass into the end zone, resulting in a pass interference call. With the Eagles at the one, a final touchdown sealed the revenge for the Eagles, 37-20.

• The Bounty Bowls (I and II) and The Porkchop Bowl - The first two Cowboys-Eagles games of the Jones-Johnson era in Dallas were dubbed the Bounty Bowls, due to the accusation by Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson that the Eagles had set a bounty on Dallas players, particularly Quarterback Troy Aikman and Kicker Luis Zendejas.
  Further information: Bounty Bowl

• 1991 Regular Season - The Eagles began the 1991 season by pounding the Cowboys 24-0 in Texas Stadium in Week 3. Riding a three-game winning streak, Dallas entered Veterans Stadium in Week 16 with a chance at a playoff berth, their first since 1985. The Cowboys benefitted from Eagles QB Randall Cunningham being injured, and rode a Kelvin Martin punt return for a touchdown to a 25-13 victory. The loss jolted the Eagles from the playoff picture.

• 1993 and 1995 Divisional Playoffs - The Cowboys ousted the Eagles from the NFC Playoffs twice in the 1990s by defeating them in the Divisional Playoffs by the score of 34-10 in 1992, and 30-11 in 1995. The Cowboys eventually advanced to, and won, Super Bowls in both seasons.

• On December 28, 2008, in Week 17 of the 2008 season, the Eagles and Cowboys faced off in Philadelphia with a wild card playoff berth on the line. The winner would claim the sixth and final wild card spot in the NFC, and the loser would be eliminated from playoff contention. This situation was brought about by losses earlier in the day by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Chicago Bears, which kept the Eagles playoff hopes alive. The Eagles did not squander the opportunity, as the took a 27-3 halftime lead on their way to a 44-6 blowout of the Cowboys. The Eagles went on to go all the way to the NFC Championship before losing to the Arizona Cardinals.

References