NFL Old School Game of the Week: Captain Comeback + Cowboys Conquer Colts

Roger Staubach completed 22 of 28 passes for 339 yards and threw two touchdowns.

 By the time the 1976 NFL season rolled around, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach had established himself as one of the league's clutch quarterbacks.

Thanks to his performance in coming off the bench to lead the Cowboys back from a 15-point deficit to beat the San Francisco 49ers in the 1972 NFC Divisional Playoffs then his famous "Hail Mary" a 50-yard touchdown pass to  Drew Pearson in the final seconds of the Cowboys' 1975 NFC Divisional Playoff win over the Minnesota Vikings, Staubach garnered the nickname "Captain Comeback".

"Captain Comeback" would be needed once again when the Cowboys hosted the Baltimore Colts in week 3 of the 1976 NFL season.

The Cowboys came into the game having gotten off to a 2-0 start under head coach Tom Landry, who had lead the Cowboys to three Super Bowl appearances in the last six years with Dallas going 1-2.

Staubach had been the backup for the Cowboys initial Super Bowl appearance, a 16-13 heartbreaker to the Colts in Super Bowl V, then was the starter in leading Dallas to a 24-3 win over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI, then four years later in a 21-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl X.

While the Cowboys had established themselves as one of the NFL's elite, the Colts were seen as a time on the rise early in the 1976 season.

Following three consecutive losing seasons from 1972 through 1974, the Colts turned it around in 1975 as they went 10-4 under first-year head coach Ted Marchibroda in a season that would become known as the "Miracle on 33rd Street" by Colts fans(The Colts played at Memorial Stadium which was on 33rd Street).

With a young core of players including quarterback Bert Jones and running back Lydell Mitchell, the Colts got off to a 2-0 start before they traveled to Texas to take on the Cowboys in a much-anticipated early season showdown.

After the Colts went three-and-out to start the game, the Cowboys got the ball at their seven-yard-line and proceed to drive to the Baltimore 27-yard-line in nine plays until they were faced with a 4th & 1 situation.

Instead of taking a field goal, Landry opted to go for the 1st down which backfired horribly as running back Doug Dennison fumbled the football which was recovered by Colts linebacker Stan White, whose 26-yard return of the fumble gave the Colts the ball at the Cowboys' 46-yard-line.

The Colts would drive to the Dallas 27-yard-line as they would settle for a 44-yard field goal attempt by Toni Linhart, whose kick was no good to give the ball back to the Cowboys at their 27-yard-line only to give it right back one play later as White recovered another fumble this time by Scott Laidlaw.

Seven plays later, the Colts were in the end zone as Roosevelt Leaks punched it in for a three-yard touchdown to give Baltimore a 7-0 lead with 1:34 remaining in the first quarter.

Bert Jones is under pressure from Cowboys defensive tackle Harvey Martin

The Cowboys would get the ball back at their 17-yard-line as Laidlaw was dropped for an one-yard loss on 1st down, which was followed by passes of 12 yards from Staubach to Charley Young and 33 yards to Dennison to put Dallas at the Baltimore 39-yard-line as the first quarter came to an end.

When the second quarter began, Staubach handed the ball off to Dennison, who then handed the ball off to Pearson on an apparent reverse only for Pearson, a former quarterback at the University of Tulsa, stopped and fired a pass that was caught by Golden Richards for a 39-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game 7-7.

Both teams would trade punts until a little under five minutes to go in the second quarter when Laidlaw had his second fumble of the game which was recovered by Colts strong safety Bruce Laird to give Baltimore the ball at its 30-yard-line.

A 44-yard pass from Jones to running back Don McCauley would set up Jones' six-yard touchdown run to give the Colts a 14-7 lead with 2:38 left in the first half.

Following a Dallas punt, the Colts would get the ball back at their 33-yard-line with 88 seconds left before halftime as they looked to increase their lead.

The Colts were drive to the Dallas 36-yard-line until a holding penalty and a pair of incomplete passes would bring up a 4th & 20 situation where Jones completed a 23-yard pass to tight end Raymond Chester as time expired in the first half with Baltimore ahead 14-7.

The Cowboys would get the ball to start the second half as Staubach would connect with Pearson for a 12-yard completion to start the drive, then hit tight end Billy Joe Dupree for 20 yards on an eight-play, 42-yard drive that was capped off with a 37-yard field goal by Efren Herrera to cut the Baltimore lead to 14-10.

The Colts would respond with a 49-yard bomb from Jones to Roger Carr that would set up a a 30-yard field goal by Linhart that would push Baltimore's lead back to seven points at 17-10 midway through the third quarter.

Baltimore was set to get the ball back after forcing the Cowboys to go three-and-out on their ensuing possession until Howard Stevens muffed the punt which was recovered by Dallas linebacker Mike Hegman to give the Cowboys the ball at the Colts' 34-yard-line.

After two plays picked up just three yards, Staubach took a shot at the end zone and found Richards for a 31-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 17.

Golden Richards would catch only three passes but two of those were for touchdowns.

Following a Baltimore three-and-out, Dallas got the ball back at the Baltimore 44-yard-line as the Cowboys ran the ball three straight times for nine yards to set up another 4th & 1 situation.

Like he did in the first quarter, Landry decided to go for the 1st down which this time he got as Staubach snuck it across the middle for two yards and a 1st down at the Colts' 33-yard-line.

Staubach would then throw an incomplete pass on 1st down which was followed by a 12-yard completion to Preston Pearson to give the Cowboys a 1st down at the Baltimore 21-yard-line as the third quarter came to an end.

The Cowboys would then run five straight running plays for a total of 20 yards to bring up 4th & goal at the Colts' one-yard-line when Landry sent in the field goal unit to attempt a 18-yard field goal which Herrera made to give Dallas its first lead of the game at 20-17.

The Colts would respond with a 13-play, 65-yard drive that took over six minutes to complete and did not end until McCauley punched it in for a two-yard touchdown to give Baltimore a 24-20 lead with a little over six minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

Dallas would begin its ensuing possession at its 19-yard-line as Staubach connected with Preston Pearson for a 24-yard completion to start the drive then on 3rd & 7 found Dupree for eight yards and a 1st down at the Baltimore 38-yard-line.

That is when Staubach fired a pass toward the end zone that DuPree caught for a 38-yard touchdown to give the Cowboys a 27-24 lead with 3:05 left in regulation.

After both teams went three-and-out on their ensuing possessions, the Colts had the ball at their 46 with 1:38 left in regulation for Baltimore to drive and at least kick a potential game-tying field goal.

The drive began with an incomplete pass followed by a pass interference penalty on the Cowboys to give the Colts a fresh set of downs at the 50-yard-line as Jones found Glenn Doughty and a 1st down at the Dallas 30-yard-line.

Jones would then connect with McCauley for nine yards then handed the ball off to Mitchell who picked up six yards for a 1st down at the Dallas 15-yard-line with less than a minute to go.

Colts running back Lydell Mitchell finished with 115 yards on 27 carries.

Following an incomplete pass on 1st down, Jones lofted a pass that was too low for McCauley that if he could have caught might have been a touchdown as they were no Dallas players between McCauley and the end zone.

The Colts would settle for a field goal after a nine-yard scramble by Jones on 3rd down led to a 24-yard field goal by Linhart to tie the game at 27 with 28 seconds left in regulation.

Taking over at their 32-yard-line with 23 seconds left, many assumed the Cowboys would run out the clock and take the game into overtime.

However, that was not the case as Staubach threw a 16-yard pass to Drew Pearson to give Dallas a 1st down at the Dallas 48-yard-line.

This was followed by an incomplete pass intended for Richards which drew a pass interference penalty on Laird to give the Cowboys a 1st down at the Colts' 32-yard-line when Staubach went back to Drew Pearson for an 18-yard completion to put Dallas at the Baltimore 14-yard-line.

That is when Landry sent the field goal unit on to win the game as Herrera would make the 32-yard field goal to give Dallas a 30-27 lead with three seconds remaining.

The Colts could do nothing on the ensuing kickoff as the clock ran out with the Cowboys on top 30-27 following more late-game heroics by "Captain Comeback".

Baltimore would go on to finish the season with a 11-3 record, good enough to clinch their second straight AFC East division title as Jones would be named MVP after he finished with 3,104 passing yards and 24 touchdown passes.

However, the Colts would fall to the Pittsburgh Steelers 40-14 in the Divisional Round of the AFC playoffs.

As for the Cowboys, they would also go on to finish the 1976 season with a 11-3 record as they won the NFC East division for the first time in 1973.

But like the Colts, the Cowboys would go out in the Divisional Round as they were stunned by the Los Angeles Rams 14-12.

Staubach would remain as the Cowboys' starting quarterback for the next three seasons as he would lead Dallas to another Super Bowl championship in 1977 as they defeated the Denver Broncos 27-10 in Super Bowl XII then back to the Super Bowl the following season where Dallas would fall to the Steelers 35-31 in Super Bowl XIII.

After his retirement following the 1979 season, Staubach finished with his career with 23 game-winning drives with 17 of those coming in the final two minutes or overtime.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Lions Complete Comeback Win over Cowboys With Choatic Walk-off FG

Eddie Murray kicks the game-winning field goal as time expired in the Lions' 1981 win over the Cowboys.

Anytime a NFL team defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the late 1970s + early 1980s, it was a big deal for that team as they had defeated what NFL Films had bestowed as "America's Team".
That was the case for the Detroit Lions in week 11 of the 1981 NFL season as they pulled off a wild but controversial victory against the Cowboys.
The Lions entered the Dallas game with a 4-6 record, having gone 4-0 at home at the Pontiac Silverdome while losing all six of their games on the road.
The Lions were coached by Monte Clark, who was in his 4th season as the Lions' head coach and was hoping to lead the Lions to the playoffs for the first time since 1970 after just barely missing the postseason in 1980 with a 9-7 record.
The Lions had found a bonafide superstar in running back Billy Sims, who had been the 1980 NFL offensive rookie of the year with his over 1,900 yards from scrimmage and 16 touchdowns as he rushed for 1,303 yards and caught 52 passes for 621 yards.
Though the first 10 games of the '81 season, Sims had rushed for 887 yards and scored nine touchdowns despite missing two games to injury.
It was during Sims' two-game absence that another star had been born in Detroit in the form of second-year quarterback Eric Hipple, who after starting quarterback Gary Danielson had been lost for the season because of a dislocated wrist, replaced backup quarterback Jeff Komlo and got his first career NFL start on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears in week 7.
All Hipple did was threw for 336 yards and four touchdowns and ran for two more in a 48-17 rout of the Bears to be named the starting quarterback for the rest of the season.
With Sims back and Hipple behind center, the Lions desperately needed a win over the Cowboys to maintain any chances of making the playoffs.
Dallas entered the game with a 8-2 record fighting for home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs as it seemed they always did under head coach Tom Landry, who was in his 22nd season as head coach.
However, it was only the second year of the Danny White era, as White had taken over the starting quarterback job from Roger Staubach who had retired after the 1979 season.
But with weapons like running back Tony Dorsett, wide receivers Drew Pearson and Tony Hill, plus the famous "Doomsday Defense", the Cowboys were still a fixture among the top of the NFC as they had just missed out on another Super Bowl appearance as they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 20-7 in the 1980 NFC Title Game.
So when the Cowboys came out to face the Lions, nearly 80,000 fans pack the Pontiac Silverdome to see if their beloved Lions could beat "America's Team.
The Cowboys would get the first great scoring opportunity of the game when Sims fumbled the ball after a hit by Dallas linebacker Bob Breuing during Detroit's opening drive of the game.
Cowboys defensive back Benny Barnes would recover the fumble at the Lions' 39-yard-line which the Cowboys would convert into points as White found Pearson wide open in the right corner of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown to give Dallas a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
The Lions would respond with a drive from their 28-yard-line to the Cowboys' four-yard-line, which included a fake punt on 4th down as punter Tom Skladany threw a 19-yard pass to linebacker Garry Cobb to keep the drive alive.
However, the Lions would not get into the end zone as Sims dropped a pitch from Hipple which was recovered Cowboys defensive end Ed "Too Tall" Jones to kill the Lions' drive and keep it a 7-0 game.
The score remained 7-0 until the second quarter when the Cowboys drove 37 yards in six plays to set up Rafael Septien's 43-yard field goal which increased the Dallas lead to 10-0 with 9:33 left in the second quarter.
The Dallas pass rush was getting to Hipple as he had been sacked twice on the Lions' drive before the Septien field goal, then was sacked two more times on their ensuing possession, to force a Detroit punt, giving the ball back to the Cowboys who took over at their 38-yard-line.
From there, White would hit Pearson for 17 yards to the Lions' 45-yard-line, then hand it off to Dorsett who ran for 13 yards, then completed a 19-yard pass to Tony Hill to give Dallas a 1st & 10 at the Lions' 13-yard-line.
On 2nd & 9, White would find Pearson for a 12-yard touchdown to increase the Cowboys' lead to 17-0 with 4:30 left in the first half.

Cowboys quarterback Danny White(11)would throw for 244 yards and three touchdowns.

It looked like the Cowboys were going to have a chance to increase their lead before halftime as two more negative plays by the Lions' offense on their next possession set up a 3rd & 19 situation from their 10-yard-line.
That is when Hipple threw over the middle and found tight end David Hill for 30 yards and a huge 1st down at the Dallas' 40-yard-line to keep the drive going.
The Lions would continue to drive toward the end zone as Mark Nichols ran for 30 yards on a double reverse, leading to a three-yard touchdown run by Sims to cut the Cowboys' lead to 17-7 with just 15 seconds left before halftime.
That would be the score as the two teams went into the locker room for the halftime break with the Lions feeling a little bit better thanks to their late touchdown and the fact that they were getting the ball to start the second half.
The Lions would drive deep into Cowboys territory until Hipple was hit as he threw by Jones, leading to an interception by Breuing at the Dallas 28-yard-line.
However, the Cowboys would give the ball right back to the Lions as defensive end Al Baker intercepted a White pass intended for Dorsett and returned it nine yards to the Cowboys' 22-yard-line.
Four plays later, the Lions were back in the end zone as Hipple connected with Nichols for a six-yard touchdown to make it a three-point game at 17-14 midway through the third quarter.
The Detroit defense would get another interception on the Cowboys' next possession, with Cobb making the pick this time and returning it 17 yards to the Dallas 41-yard-line.
The Lions would drive only to the Cowboys' 20-yard-line before calling on Murray to kick a 37-yard field goal which he made to tie the game at 17 with 2:48 left in the third quarter.
Following the Murray field goal, the game would turn into a punting contest as neither team could mount a serious scoring threat for the rest of the third quarter and a good portion of the 4th quarter.
It wasn't until about eight minutes to go in the 4th quarter when the Lions had the ball in Cowboys territory with a 3rd down situation as Hipple found Sims wide open for a possible go-ahead touchdown, only to have Sims drop the pass and force a Detroit punt.
The Cowboys took over at their 20-yard-line and were immediately on the move as White found Tony Hill for 21 yards on the first play of the drive.
Later in the drive, White and Hill would connect again, this time for 37 yards on a 3rd & 18, leading to White's 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jay Saldi to give Dallas a 24-17 lead with just 2:37 remaining.

The Lions would get the ball at their 19-yard-line hoping to put together a drive that would result in the game-tying touchdown.
The Lions would not need a drive as it took them only one play to get into the end zone as Hipple lofted a pass for Sims, who made the catch at the Cowboys' 40-yard-line and proceeded to run toward the end zone for a 81-yard touchdown that with Murray's extra point tied the game at 24 with 2:17 left in regulation.

Billy Sims(20) would account for exactly 200 yards of total offense as he ran for 119 yards on 23 carries and caught a 81-yard pass.

The Cowboys would go three-and-out punting the ball back to the Lions who took over at their 18-yard-line with 1:13 to go and a chance to drive into field goal range for Murray to kick a potential game-winning field goal.
Hipple would connect with David Hill for 15 yards, then again for 30 yards to put the Lions at the Dallas' 37-yard-line, needing one more 1st down to give Murray a reasonable shot.
That is when Jones and Harvey Martin sacked Hipple for an 11-yard-loss forcing the Lions to burn their last timeout with 25 seconds left and facing 2nd & 21 from the Cowboys' 48-yard-line.
On 2nd & 21, Hipple would find tight end Ulysses Norris for an 18-yard completion to put the Lions at the Cowboys' 30-yard-line needing three more yards for a 1st down.
It looked like Hipple was lining up the offense so he could throw the ball out of bounds to stop the clock but in massive confusion, Clark decided to send in the field goal unit.
Even Murray was confused as he was still sitting on the bench as Hipple was trying to line up the offense because he thought the Lions still had a timeout left.
Murray was able to run on the field and the Lions were able to set their field goal unit for a 47-yard attempt with Hipple holding the ball for Murray.
The Lions got snapped the ball with four seconds left, enough time for Hipple to catch the snap and hold for it Murray to kick the football.
Murray's kick was on target but it looked like it may fall short, only to just to go over the crossbar as time expired to give the Lions a 27-24 win.
While the Lions were celebrating, the Cowboys were crying foul as they claimed the Lions had too many men on field.
The Cowboys were right as replays showed that the Lions had 12 men on the field, meaning the field goal shouldn't have count and the game would have gone into overtime.
But with no instant replay in the NFL in 1981, the call on the field stood and the Lions had a 27-24 win.

Despite the controversy surrounding the last-second field goal, the result of the game ultimately did not effect the playoff picture as Dallas finished the regular season with a 12-4 record, good enough to win the NFC East Division by two games over the Philadelphia Eagles and good enough to earn the #2 seed in the NFC playoffs.
The Cowboys would dismantled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-0 in the Divisional Round before bowing out to the San Francisco 49ers thanks to "The Catch" as they lost 28-27 in the NFC Championship Game.
For the Lions, the win over the Cowboys would be the highlight of the season as they would finish 8-8 and out of the playoffs as they lost a winner-take-all game against the Bucs for the NFC Central title in the final game of the regular season.