When the Cowboys and Packers kick off at 3:30 PM CT on Sunday at AT&T Stadium, it won’t be without some historic familiarity.
This will mark the ninth time that Dallas and Green Bay will have played each other in the playoffs, which ties the Packers with the Rams and 49ers as Dallas’ most common playoff opponent in the team’s history.
The winner of Sunday’s game will take a 5-4 edge in the playoff series history. Here’s a look at how the other games shook out throughout history:
Jan 1 1967: Packers 34, Cowboys 27
The first meeting between the Cowboys and Packers in the playoffs took place on New Year’s Day in 1967, and would determine who would represent the NFL (Now known as the NFC) in the very first Super Bowl.
Bart Starr threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns at the Cotton Bowl, en route to a seven-point victory over Don Meredith and the Cowboys.
Dec 31 1967: Packers 21, Cowboys 17
1967 began with a Cowboys playoff loss to the Packers and it would end on December 31st in the same fashion. Remembered as “The Ice Bowl,” the temperature at Lambeau Field was -15 degrees at game time, and wind chills reached dangerously lower levels.
With Dallas leading 17-14 with 16 seconds remaining, Bart Starr snuck the ball on 3rd and goal from the 1-yard line and sent the Packers to their second consecutive Super Bowl.
Jan 16 1983: Cowboys 37, Packers 26
The Cowboys finally exorcized some demons during the 1982-83 season when they beat the Packers at Texas Stadium to clinch their third straight NFC Championship Game appearance.
Dallas held off a furious comeback attempt from the Packers, who were coached by their legendary quarterback Bart Starr. Cowboys CB Dennis Thurman intercepted three passes, including a 39-yard pick six just before halftime.
Jan 16 1994: Cowboys 27, Packers 17
11 years to the day of their last playoff match-up, the Cowboys once again took down the Packers at Texas Stadium to clinch an appearance in the NFC Championship Game.
The Packers held a 3-0 lead at the start of the second quarter, but three touchdown passes from Troy Aikman, and 24 unanswered points over the next quarter plus would put the game out of reach for the young Green Bay squad.
Jan 8 1995: Cowboys 35, Packers 9
Green Bay hardly stood a chance when they came to Texas Stadium for the second year in a row in the playoffs, as the Cowboys put up 450 yards of offense and scored five touchdowns against the Packers.
Troy Aikman connected with Alvin Harper on a 94-yard touchdown pass that broke the record for the longest play from scrimmage in the history of the NFL playoffs. It has since been surpassed by a 96-yard touchdown pass from Baltimore Ravens QB Trent Dilfer to Shannon Sharpe in a January 2001 playoff game.
Jan 14 1996: Cowboys 38, Packers 27
The third time would not be the charm for the Green Bay Packers in January 1996, as the Cowboys beat them at Texas Stadium for the third consecutive year. This time the game represented an opportunity to go to Super Bowl XXX and take on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Green Bay led 27-24 going into the fourth quarter, but a 90-yard touchdown drive by the Cowboys put them ahead 31-27 with a little over 12 minutes remaining. The following possession, Brett Favre would make a crucial mistake and force a throw that was intercepted by Larry Brown. Emmitt Smith would score on a 16-yard touchdown run a few plays later to put the game on ice.
Jan 11 2015: Packers 26, Cowboys 21
It would take almost 20 years for the Cowboys and Packers to meet again in the playoffs, and this match-up at Lambeau Field would provide one of the most memorable moments in Cowboys history.
With less than five minutes to play, trailing by five, the Cowboys decided to go for it on 4th and 2 from the Packers 32-yard line. Tony Romo threw a deep ball to Dez Bryant who skied over Sam Shields for the catch inside the Packers 5-yard line. A challenge from Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy controversially overturned the catch. The Packers milked the remaining few minutes on the clock and clinched an appearance in the NFC Championship Game.
Jan 15 2017: Packers 34, Cowboys 31
Green Bay finally pulled even with the Cowboys in the history of the playoff series with a memorable 34-31 victory at AT&T Stadium.
The Packers jumped out to a 21-3 lead in the first quarter and a half of the game, before rookie QB Dak Prescott and the Cowboys clawed their way back to tie the game at 31 with 35 seconds left. That proved to be too much time for Aaron Rodgers, who converted a seemingly impossible 3rd and 20 to tight end Jared Cook for a 36-yard gain with 3 seconds remaining. Mason Crosby would kick a 51-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired.
