Day 31 of the Cowboys’ 100-day countdown to kickoff takes us back to one of the games that helped define Dallas’ playoff history in the 1970s. The setting was Texas Stadium on Sunday, December 23, 1973, and the opponent was the Los Angeles Rams, a team that had already beaten the Cowboys once that season and came in with a 12-2 record.
Dallas won the game 27-16, but the final score only tells part of the story. The Cowboys opened fast, built a 17-0 lead, then watched Los Angeles claw all the way back to 17-16 before Roger Staubach and a rookie receiver named Drew Pearson delivered the knockout blow.
The first quarter belonged to the Dallas defense. Lee Roy Jordan picked off John Hadl on the opening play, and that turnover quickly turned into a three-yard Calvin Hill touchdown run.
Soon after, Mel Renfro recovered a Lawrence McCutcheon fumble, and Staubach cashed in again with a four-yard touchdown pass to Pearson. Just like that, Dallas was up 14-0 before the Rams had time to settle in.
Toni Fritsch added a 39-yard field goal to push the lead to 17-0, but Los Angeles began to chip away before halftime. David Ray connected on field goals from 33 and 37 yards, trimming the margin to 17-6 and giving the Rams a foothold.
Neither side scored in the third quarter, but the pressure kept building on Dallas. Ray drilled a 40-yard field goal early in the fourth, then Hill coughed up the ball and Tony Baker finished a five-yard touchdown run to make it 17-16 with about 10 minutes left. The Cowboys had gone from control to survival in a hurry.
Staubach was under siege the whole day, taking seven sacks, including two by Merlin Olsen and two-and-a-half by Jack Youngblood. Dallas had managed only four first downs since going ahead 17-0, and another Olsen sack left the Cowboys in a tough spot as the Rams threatened to seize the game.
Then came the play that made Pearson part of Cowboys playoff lore. Staubach found him on a short throw over the middle, and Rams defensive backs Dave Elmendorf and Steve Preece collided while closing in.
Pearson slipped through the opening and ran 83 yards for a touchdown, untouched. A drive that looked like it might produce a modest gain instead flipped the game back to Dallas for good.
Fritsch later tacked on a short field goal, and the Cowboys’ defense shut the door from there. Dallas finished with five sacks and held Harold Jackson to one catch for 40 yards. The Rams, who had piled up 383 yards against the Cowboys earlier in the season, were limited to 192 total yards in this one.
It was the first postseason meeting between Dallas and Los Angeles, and it launched a rivalry that would stretch to eight more playoff matchups. For the Cowboys, though, this game is remembered for the comeback that never quite happened for the Rams and for the first iconic playoff moment of Drew Pearson’s career.
In Other News...
Cowboys Still Have One Obvious Defensive Move Before Week 1
Dallas has spent the offseason looking for ways to tighten up a defense that still feels like it needs one more proven piece before Week 1, and edge rusher remains the most obvious area to address. Jerry Jones has signaled a willingness to make a meaningful move if it helps the roster, and the fit is easy to see: a veteran who can pressure quarterbacks and hold up against the run would give the front a boost without forcing the Cowboys to wait on a younger option to develop.
Za'Darius Smith keeps coming up for that reason. His track record as a disruptive edge presence makes him a logical name to watch for a defense that wants more impact up front, and he has also worked out with the Browns as he weighs his next step. For the Cowboys, the appeal is obvious, even if the market has not moved toward a deal yet, because this is the kind of addition that could help settle the pass rush before the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Fans Are Suddenly Watching Von Miller For One Reason
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The buzz picked up after Miller shared a Cowboys camp video and later posted himself wearing a Cowboys hat with the caption Cowboy baby, enough to send social media and message boards into a familiar swirl of speculation. For now, though, it remains exactly that, with no agreement or deal announced by the team, leaving Cowboys fans to keep reading between the lines as training camp moves on. [Read more 🡒]
4 Cowboys Head To Seattle With Their Roster Chances On The Line
Preseason games have a way of turning into tryouts, and this one in Seattle carries a little extra weight for a handful of Dallas players. With roster decisions inching closer, Traeshon Holden, Drew Shelton, Jay Toia and Marist Liufau are all in the mix for jobs or stronger footing, which makes every snap against the Seahawks feel a lot bigger than the usual August tune-up.
The Cowboys have several moving pieces to sort through, and these are the names who need to keep showing up in the right moments. Holden and Shelton are trying to make their case in crowded rooms, Toia is fighting to stand out up front, and Liufau is trying to carve out a place while adjusting to a new role on defense. For a team still sorting the back end of the roster, this is the kind of game that can quietly shape what the final group looks like. [Read more 🡒]