NFL Championship: Green Bay Packers travel to face Dallas Cowboys at Cotton Bowl, one win from a Super Bowl berth. Winner advances to the Super Bowl. Loser carries one of the year's hardest what-ifs into the offseason.
Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Championship, with a Super Bowl berth on the line. The conference title round is the one that turns nameplates into legacy. For Dallas Cowboys, the home crowd at Cotton Bowl is asked to be a player; for Green Bay Packers, the road environment is supposed to be the test that breaks lesser teams. Coaches will lean on what worked all year. Players will lean on what their bodies have left in them.
Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys have outlasted everyone else in their conference. One walks out of Cotton Bowl with the conference title; the other walks out with a brutal what-if. Around the league, coaches are watching tape on both staffs for next year's prep. Every Super Bowl-bound team starts the offseason as the team to beat.
Green Bay Packers versus Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Championship. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Green Bay Packers-Dallas Cowboys cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 10-3-1 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 9-5 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 9-5 | W4 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 8-5-1 | L3 |
| Washington Redskins | 7-7 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5-8-1 | W2 |
| New York Giants | 1-12-1 | L8 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 12-2 | W5 |
| Baltimore Colts | 9-5 | W1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 8-6 | L1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 6-6-2 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 5-7-2 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-9-1 | L3 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 4-9-1 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3-11 | L1 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 14 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 1421283434 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 14 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 1417202727 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Packers | Elijah Pitts 17 yard pass from Bart Starr ( Don Chandler kick) | 7-0 |
| Packers | Jim Grabowski 18 yard special teams fumble return ( Don Chandler kick) | 14-0 |
| Cowboys | Dan Reeves 3 yard rush ( Danny Villanueva kick) | 14-7 |
| Cowboys | Don Perkins 23 yard rush ( Danny Villanueva kick) | 14-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Packers | Carroll Dale 51 yard pass from Bart Starr ( Don Chandler kick) | 21-14 |
| Cowboys | Danny Villanueva 11 yard field goal | 21-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Danny Villanueva 32 yard field goal | 21-20 |
| Packers | Boyd Dowler 16 yard pass from Bart Starr ( Don Chandler kick) | 28-20 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Packers | Max McGee 28 yard pass from Bart Starr | 34-20 |
| Cowboys | Frank Clarke 68 yard pass from Don Meredith ( Danny Villanueva kick) | 34-27 |
| Packers | Cowboys | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 19 | 23 |
| Total Yards | 367 | 418 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 19/28 | 15/31 |
| Pass yards | 304 | 238 |
| Pass TD | 4 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 5 | 2 |
| Sack yards lost | 39 | 7 |
| Net pass yards | 265 | 231 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 24 | 40 |
| Rush yards | 102 | 187 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 2 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 3 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 1 |
| Penalties | 2 | 6 |
| Penalty yards | 23 | 29 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GNB | |||||
| Bart Starr | 19/28 | 304 | 4 | 0 | |
| DAL | |||||
| Don Meredith | 15/31 | 238 | 1 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GNB | ||||
| Elijah Pitts | 12 | 66 | 0 | 32 |
| Jim Taylor | 10 | 37 | 0 | 8 |
| Bart Starr | 2 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
| DAL | ||||
| Don Perkins | 17 | 108 | 1 | 23 |
| Dan Reeves | 17 | 47 | 1 | 6 |
| Don Meredith | 4 | 22 | 0 | 11 |
| Pettis Norman | 2 | 10 | 0 | 6 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GNB | ||||
| Carroll Dale | 5 | 128 | 1 | 51 |
| Marv Fleming | 3 | 50 | 0 | 24 |
| Boyd Dowler | 3 | 49 | 1 | 23 |
| Max McGee | 1 | 28 | 1 | 28 |
| Jim Taylor | 5 | 23 | 0 | 16 |
| Elijah Pitts | 1 | 17 | 1 | 17 |
| Bob Long | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| DAL | ||||
| Frank Clarke | 3 | 102 | 1 | 68 |
| Dan Reeves | 4 | 77 | 0 | 40 |
| Pettis Norman | 4 | 30 | 0 | 12 |
| Pete Gent | 3 | 28 | 0 | 11 |
| Bob Hayes | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Green Bay Packers defeated Dallas Cowboys 34-27 at Cotton Bowl in the NFL Championship. The final scoring play was Cowboys: Frank Clarke 68 yard pass from Don Meredith ( Danny Villanueva kick). Top line of the day: Bart Starr: 304 pass yards on 19-of-28, 4 TD, 0 INT. Green Bay Packers advance to the Super Bowl.
Green Bay Packers walked out of Cotton Bowl as the team that survived an NFL Championship Dallas Cowboys will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 34-27. A one-score game throughout. The decisive points came on the fewest possible margin, which is how these matchups usually resolve. The final scoring play came from Cowboys: Frank Clarke 68 yard pass from Don Meredith ( Danny Villanueva kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Green Bay Packers are bound for the Super Bowl.
Green Bay Packers 34, Dallas Cowboys 27. Round: NFL Championship. Q1: 4 scoring plays. Q2: 2 scoring plays. Q3: 2 scoring plays. Q4: 2 scoring plays. Top performers: - Bart Starr: 304 pass yards on 19-of-28, 4 TD, 0 INT - Don Perkins: 108 rush yards on 17 carries - Carroll Dale: 5 catches for 128 yards
NFL Championship, played at Cotton Bowl. Final: Green Bay Packers 34, Dallas Cowboys 27, with Green Bay Packers taking the result by 7. **First quarter**
- Packers: Elijah Pitts 17 yard pass from Bart Starr ( Don Chandler kick) - Packers: Jim Grabowski 18 yard special teams fumble return ( Don Chandler kick) - Cowboys: Dan Reeves 3 yard rush ( Danny Villanueva kick) - Cowboys: Don Perkins 23 yard rush ( Danny Villanueva kick)
**Second quarter**
- Packers: Carroll Dale 51 yard pass from Bart Starr ( Don Chandler kick) - Cowboys: Danny Villanueva 11 yard field goal
**Third quarter**
- Cowboys: Danny Villanueva 32 yard field goal - Packers: Boyd Dowler 16 yard pass from Bart Starr ( Don Chandler kick)
**Fourth quarter**
- Packers: Max McGee 28 yard pass from Bart Starr - Cowboys: Frank Clarke 68 yard pass from Don Meredith ( Danny Villanueva kick)
**Top performers**
- Bart Starr: 304 pass yards on 19-of-28, 4 TD, 0 INT - Don Perkins: 108 rush yards on 17 carries - Carroll Dale: 5 catches for 128 yards