Best SF/Dallas non-playoff games

[74_75_78_79_]

1980, '81, '83 and '95 sure were lopsided. But what good games between these two that weren't playoff games come to mind?

[BD Sullivan]

The 1965 game was a standout, with Dallas winning 39-31:

*Mel Renfro returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a TD.
*San Francisco came back with 10 straight points.
*Dallas answered with three touchdowns before halftime for a 27-10 lead. Two of the scores came on a George Andrie fumble recovery in the end zone and a BOB LILLY pick-six.
*San Francisco scored three touchdowns in the second half to take a 31-30 lead. After the last score, they immediately got the ball back on a Matt Hazeltine pick and got the ball to the Dallas 17, but their FG attempt was blocked.
*Meredith and Hayes connected with just under five minutes left to take the lead for good and a Villanueva FG clinched it.

One bizarre fact about this game: SF ran 80 plays from scrimmage; Dallas ran 39.

[lastcat3]

They played a regular season game in '93 which Dallas won 26-17. Have never been able to find the game on youtube though so havn't seen it since I saw it live back in '93 so don't remember it that well.

'94 game was 21-7 San Fran. It is on youtube somewhere. Much more of a defensive struggle than the playoff game was that year.

[74_75_78_79_]

What about '96? Dallas 20 SF 17, OT! No longer 'superpowers' but still both playoff-bound that year just the same.

[conace21]

What about '96? Dallas 20 SF 17, OT! No longer 'superpowers' but still both playoff-bound that year just the same.

I remember watching that game. SF jumped out to a 10-0 lead with Young hitting Iheanyi Uwaezuoke for a score. Dallas was shut down and shut out in the first quarter. But Jim Schwantz knocked out Young with a brutal hit and Elvis Grbac struggled filling in for him. Dallas tied the score at 10, and again at 17, and won in OT

[Todd Pence]

The 1977 49ers didn't have a good team, but they gave the eventual Super Bowl champ Cowboys all they could handle in a back and forth 42-35 contest which featured 28 fourth-quarter points.

[SixtiesFan]

The 1965 game was a standout, with Dallas winning 39-31:

*Mel Renfro returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a TD.
*San Francisco came back with 10 straight points.
*Dallas answered with three touchdowns before halftime for a 27-10 lead. Two of the scores came on a George Andrie fumble recovery in the end zone and a BOB LILLY pick-six.
*San Francisco scored three touchdowns in the second half to take a 31-30 lead. After the last score, they immediately got the ball back on a Matt Hazeltine pick and got the ball to the Dallas 17, but their FG attempt was blocked.
*Meredith and Hayes connected with just under five minutes left to take the lead for good and a Villanueva FG clinched it.

One bizarre fact about this game: SF ran 80 plays from scrimmage; Dallas ran 39.

An oddity of the 1965 Cowboy-49er game was John Brodie missed this game, apparently injured. And Brodie had his best season in 1965, 3112 yards passing (a lot for the era) with 30 TD passes in the other 13 games.

[74_75_78_79_]

Here's a 'hidden' regular-season one from this series, at Candlestick...their '79 affair! Week #2, Bill Walsh's first year en-route to an 0-7 start/(another) 2-14 finish giving Dallas, who would start 7-1, quite a game! The Juice scores a TD on a 1-yard-run in the 2nd Q to give SF a 10-6 lead which would remain the score at the half. Big D would then score a TD in the 3rd, and then another in the 4th (extra-point no good), to go up 19-10 only for Wersching to cut Dallas's lead to 6 with a FG. The final points, to seal the deal, would be scored by Harvey Martin sacking DeBerg in the endzone for a safety - Dallas 21 SF 13 final. No longer a Steeler, now a Niner, Tony Dungy returned a punt for 11 yards in this game.

Funny considering that SF was better in '80 (couldn't be worse) yet in their Week #6 affair vs Dallas, this time on the road, they get destroyed 59-14. Winning their first three games, SF was 3-2 going in with Big D at 4-1. Both teams would have identical records the following year going into their matchup at Candlestick which, yes, was a different story.

[7DnBrnc53]

Here's a 'hidden' regular-season one from this series, at Candlestick...their '79 affair! Week #2, Bill Walsh's first year en-route to an 0-7 start/(another) 2-14 finish giving Dallas, who would start 7-1, quite a game! The Juice scores a TD on a 1-yard-run in the 2nd Q to give SF a 10-6 lead which would remain the score at the half. Big D would then score a TD in the 3rd, and then another in the 4th (extra-point no good), to go up 19-10 only for Wersching to cut Dallas's lead to 6 with a FG. The final points, to seal the deal, would be scored by Harvey Martin sacking DeBerg in the endzone for a safety - Dallas 21 SF 13 final. No longer a Steeler, now a Niner, Tony Dungy returned a punt for 11 yards in this game.

Funny considering that SF was better in '80 (couldn't be worse) yet in their Week #6 affair vs Dallas, this time on the road, they get destroyed 59-14. Winning their first three games, SF was 3-2 going in with Big D at 4-1. Both teams would have identical records the following year going into their matchup at Candlestick which, yes, was a different story.

That 1979 team was much improved despite the record. They touched on that a bit during the 1981 America's Game episode.

As for Dungy, that was when the 49ers were bringing in dozens of defensive backs trying to find guys that could play. Former Cardinal first-round draft choice Tim Gray was another one of those defensive backs that they tried in Walsh's first two years. Dwight Hicks was the one that survived, and he would go on and form "Dwight Hicks and his Hot Licks" with rookies Lott, Wright, and Williamson.

[SixtiesFan]

Here's a 'hidden' regular-season one from this series, at Candlestick...their '79 affair! Week #2, Bill Walsh's first year en-route to an 0-7 start/(another) 2-14 finish giving Dallas, who would start 7-1, quite a game! The Juice scores a TD on a 1-yard-run in the 2nd Q to give SF a 10-6 lead which would remain the score at the half. Big D would then score a TD in the 3rd, and then another in the 4th (extra-point no good), to go up 19-10 only for Wersching to cut Dallas's lead to 6 with a FG. The final points, to seal the deal, would be scored by Harvey Martin sacking DeBerg in the endzone for a safety - Dallas 21 SF 13 final. No longer a Steeler, now a Niner, Tony Dungy returned a punt for 11 yards in this game.

Funny considering that SF was better in '80 (couldn't be worse) yet in their Week #6 affair vs Dallas, this time on the road, they get destroyed 59-14. Winning their first three games, SF was 3-2 going in with Big D at 4-1. Both teams would have identical records the following year going into their matchup at Candlestick which, yes, was a different story.

I recall seeing a quote from the Juice during the 1979 season; "Bill Walsh is a good coach." The Juice predicted (accurately as it turned out) that Walsh would build the 49ers into a winner.